TBD Health launches B2B market, partners with Folx Health and Wisp

Digital health companies will offer TBD's at-home STD/STI test kits, diagnostics lab, and pharmacy

TBD Health is a sexual healthcare provider that deploys a hybrid model of care, meaning it offers at-home STI testing kits, prescriptions to PrEP and access to contraceptives like Plan B that you can be ordered nationwide, along with telemedicine consults, and brick and mortar care hubs.

"Sexual health care continues to be very inaccessible to so many people. And being able to provide comfortable solutions that really reach people however they feel comfortable accessing care is, is key to what we're doing. So our care hubs feel human and approachable and embody TBD’s ethos, and we're really proud of that," Stephanie Estey, TBD's co-founder and co-CEO, told VatorNews.

On Thursday the company announced it would be entering a new side of the healthcare market, launching a B2B arm allowing digital health companies access to its at-home STD/STI test kits, diagnostics lab, pharmacy, and clinics. It also announced its first two partnerships, with FOLX Health, a healthcare provider for the LGBTQIA+ community, and Wisp, an online sexual and reproductive health resource.

"Folx focuses on LGBTQ+ individuals and, for them, there was a real need there to provide STI testing kits to their members and we were able to team up and provide access to our labs and our test kits and help them meet that critical need," Estey explained.

"Same thing with Wisp: for them, continuity of care was really important for their patients and ensuring that people who need an in-person experience, they wanted to be able to provide them that, so they're able to basically send anyone who needs an in-person console in the Las Vegas and Denver areas, they're able to say, ‘here's a trusted partner, check out TBD and get an in-person experience,’ which is key."

Users who sign up for TBD take an at-home STI test; if they test positive, or if they have questions, then they are automatically connected with a TBD clinical care provider on a telemedicine call, who will review their tests results and walk them through the next steps. The company also provides medication for both the patient and their partners. The company also sends emergency contraception to users in all 50 states, something it launched shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022.

The political situation around sexual health in the U.S. is also part of why the three companies decided to team up, despite potentially being competitors. 

"We wanted to basically overcome that and really think about, ‘okay, what is the best experience for the patient?’ and team up and provide that together. So, all three of us united and decided to do that with the guiding light of, what is best patient care? And what does that look like? And how can we use all of our resources and provide that experience?" Estey said.

"There's an underlying feeling that we're stronger together and talking about it and raising awareness about sexual health and the importance of taking care of yourself. With all three of us, we can do so much more together than we can separately. How can we raise awareness and bring great patient care to all of our patients?"

There are currently thousands of patients using TBD Health, and now the company also plans to expand its in-person care hubs: it had launched its first hub in Las Vegas before raising its seed round in January 2023, and it also recently launched a second hub in Denver in October of last year. 

"We are really thinking about ourselves as the next generation of Planned Parenthood and what that means to us is expanding our clinical footprint, and also increasing the flywheel with our digital ecosystem. I won't get into specific states or specific numbers, but we are excited to be expanding. Denver was really important to us, because it showed that we could replicate what we've seen in Vegas. Now that we've done it twice, we're excited to do it many more times," Estey said.