Health in Her HUE raises $3M seed to fight healthcare disparities for women of color

The platform works to provide women of color the understanding and healthcare they deserve

In the United States, racial and ethnic health disparities continue to be a challenge, which the early years of the Covid-19 pandemic especially demonstrated. But there are teams addressing that gap – among them is this startup, which recently won some investor attention.

Health in Her HUE, a digital health app for women of color, announced this week that it raised $3 million in its seed round of funding.

Leading the round was Boston-based Seae Ventures, which backs early-stage health techs and focuses on diversity and equality. Other participants were Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, Chicago diversity VC firm Genius Guild, HBCU Founders Fund run by Nex Cubed, Stanford Impact Fund, and angel investors.

The latest fundraising brought the total Health in Her HUE has raised to $4.2 million. Founded in 2018 by Ashlee Wisdom, Health in Her HUE connects women of color to “culturally competent and sensitive” healthcare providers in aim to reduce racial health disparities.

The company stands at the intersection of technology, media, and community, bringing awareness to health and wellness issues. The platform connects users to like-minded peers to communicate with and to experts knowledgeable about the unique experiences who can answer questions. It also builds knowledge by providing health and wellness content to dispel myths and empower decisions. Lastly, it lets users choose the health provider they need, as well as leave reviews and read those left by others.

Health in Her HUE counts 13,000 members and hosts a wide network of health providers across various medical fields – 1,300 providers across 60 specialties, according to the company. I searched by zip code and found 30 providers near my area, including a dentist, several gynecologists, an otolaryngologist, a mental health counselor, and holistic nutritionist, but none of them had gained any reviews.

On its website, Health in Her HUE proclaims these principles: a safe space for Black women, no racism and sexism, helping make informed choices pertaining to health, and Hearing and Understanding Unique Experiences (HUE).

Wisdom has said that she experienced firsthand the troubles that women of color face in the U.S. healthcare system. As strange as it may seem, the system today still hangs on to myths like Black skin is thicker than white skin. Debunking myths like this one is among the tasks that Health in Her HUE is undertaking.

"I'm proud of the impact Health in Her HUE has achieved thus far to ensure Black women and women of color have a safe space to prioritize their holistic health and well-being," Wisdom said in a statement.

Image: Health in Her HUE