The process of getting tested for cervical cancer can be very scary. This is an annual, sometimes life-changing treatment that involves bright lights in the exam room and an uncomfortable insertion that always seems too long.
No wonder Kara Egan and Dr. Avnesh Thakor saw the potential to make this process more comfortable for women. The two teamed up in 2020 to start Teal Heath, a company that aims to share women's health resources and develop products that allow women to get cervical cancer screenings at home. This is expected to be the first of its kind and is currently awaiting FDA approval.
The company came out of stealth mode in January 2023 and began clinical trials in November of the same year.
Investors seem bullish on the idea. Today, Teal Health announced a $10 million seed expansion led by Emerson Collective and Forerunner, bringing total funding to $23 million. Other investors in the round include Serena Ventures and Chelsea Clinton.
“Cervical cancer screening is the most important and often the gateway to women's health,” co-founder and CEO Egan told TechCrunch. “More than one in four women currently lack access to this life-saving test.”
Pending FDA approval, Teal Health plans to launch the Teal Wand for home use. Individuals can request at-home collection kits, and the company will offer telemedicine visits. Those who receive the kit will use a Teal wand to collect a vaginal sample, seal the sample and ship it to Teal. -Approved lab. “Teal support is available to ensure any questions you have along the way are answered,” Egan said.
Cervical cancer was once one of the most common cancer deaths in women, but increased prevention and screening efforts have helped reduce it, according to the American Cancer Society. This decline has stabilized in recent years as more women are thought to be skipping preventive and testing measures.
“Women want to keep getting checkups, but there's a lot of balancing involved,” Egan says. This white space in the market has come at a good time. Interest in supporting women's health companies is growing every year.
In fact, Egan describes her fundraising efforts as “energizing.” She met the lead investor through her professional network, especially since she was previously an investor herself.
Teal Health will use this new funding to support the launch of Teal Wand.
“This funding will help us further strengthen our powerful telehealth platform, patient portal, educational resources, customer support tools, and continue to grow our incredible team of providers,” said Egan. said. “We are focused on plans to expand across the United States.”
There are a number of women's healthcare companies in the region, but they are not necessarily looking to provide home-use cervical cancer devices. Teal's main competition is standard OB/GYN, but the company is attracting more customers to this product by offering a comfortable alternative – no need to schedule an appointment and go see a doctor in person. I hope that we can attract more people.
“Standard treatments no longer work for women, and we're seeing this through declining screening rates and increasing cancer rates,” Egan said. “By making this important preventive screening more accessible, comfortable and convenient, we have the power to increase screening rates and work towards eliminating cervical cancer in the United States.”