Vira Health
Extending healthy life expectancy. Starting with better menopause care
Funding stage: Series A
What Vira Health does
Vira Health is a digital health company that combines data, clinical best practice and behavioural change to solve the health and quality of life problems facing women, starting with menopause. By 2025, nearly 1 billion women worldwide will be coping with menopause. Over 80% say symptoms have a negative impact on daily life1 while half said they make work difficult. Vira Health is on a mission to extend healthy life expectancy.
Their first product is Stella, an app that offers personalised plans to manage menopause symptoms through proven techniques to encourage sustainable lifestyle change. Whether it’s a better night’s sleep, overcoming anxious feelings or dealing with bladder issues, Stella aims to help make a real difference to women’s life now and in the future.
Why we like it
Menopause is a prime example of a ‘taboo’ topic within health, despite impacting half of the global population at some point in their lives. In the US, women spend on average $20,0002 in trial-and-error spending on prescriptions, treatments, and products. Yet only 5%3 of all femtech venture funding over the past decade has focused on menopause (despite symptoms potentially lasting over 10 years).
What’s more, some issues that affect women in later life, such as cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and dementia, can be triggered at menopause. Improving the care and treatment for a woman in her 50s and 60s can help tackle these issues early on.
Vira Health plans to carry out real world clinical trials of its digital solution, launch in the US through corporate partners, and move towards a holistic platform by launching alternative treatments such as personalised Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
What our fund managers say
“Vira is on a mission to build a personalised and holistic platform for menopause for all women. There are no established players in the menopause space at present (on either side of the Atlantic) which would make Vira the first of its kind.”
– Will Gibbs – Principal
Who are we backing?
Having identified this as an area of interest, the Octopus Ventures Health investment team has spent much of the past 18 months speaking with a variety of startups providing solutions to menopause but found none that rivalled Vira Health. We have been most impressed and excited by co-founders Andrea Berchowitz and Rebecca Love, and consider them to be the strongest team to attract talent, customers, and funding, and ultimately execute their bold mission.
See more on Vira Health’s website here.