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The screening process for cervical cancer is quite intimidating. It’s the once-a-year, sometimes life-changing treatment that involves the bright lights of the doctor’s office and an uncomfortable insertion that always seems to take too long.
It’s no wonder why Kara Egan and Dr. Avnesh Thakor saw the potential to make this process more comfortable for women. The two met in 2020 and launched Teal Heatha company that shares resources on women’s health and seeks to create products so that women can perform cervical cancer screenings at home. It would be a first-of-its-kind product and is awaiting FDA approval.
The company exited the stealth mode in January 2023 and began clinical trials in November.
Investors seem bullish on the idea. Today, Teal Health announced a $10 million seed round led by Emerson Collective and Forerunner, bringing its total funding to $23 million. Other investors in the round include Serena Ventures and Chelsea Clinton.
“Cervical cancer screenings are the most important and often the entry point to a women’s health relationship,” Egan, co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch. “More than 1 in 4 women are currently behind this life-saving screening.”
Pending FDA approval, Teal Health will release its Teal Wand for home use. A person will be able to request a collection kit at home, and the company will provide a telehealth visit, once a person receives the kit, collect their vaginal samples with the teal wand, seal the sample, and send it to a Teal. – approved laboratory. “Teal support is available to make sure we answer any questions you have along the way,” Egan said.
Cervical cancer was one of the most common cancer deaths for women, although more prevention and screening have helped decrease this, according to the American Cancer Society. Recent years have seen these decreases stabilize as more women are believed to be skipping preventive and screening measures.
“Women want to stay on top of their health screenings, but they balance it out a lot,” Egan said. This white space in the market came at a good time – interest in support women’s health companies is increasing every year.
In fact, Egan called his fundraising process “energizing.” He met his main investors through his professional network, especially as he was previously an investor himself.
Teal Health will use the fresh capital to support the launch of its Teal Wand.
“This funding will help us further strengthen our robust telehealth platform, patient portal, educational resources and customer support tools, and continue to grow our team of phenomenal medical providers,” said Egan. “We are focused on our scaling plans in the United States”
There are many women’s health companies in the area, but not necessarily looking to provide an at-home device for cervical cancer. Teal’s main competition is the standard OBGYN, but the company hopes that providing a convenient alternative — meaning not having to schedule an appointment and go in person to see a clinician — will attract more customers to the product.
“Standard care is no longer working for women and we see this through declining screening rates and rising cancer rates,” Egan said. “By making this critical preventive screening more accessible, convenient and convenient, we have the power to increase screening rates and work to eliminate cervical cancer in the United States.”
