US digital health platform raises US$3m to address racial disparities

A digital health platform aimed at reducing racial health disparities for Black women and women of colour has secured US$3m in seed funding.

Health In Her HUE connects Black women and women of colour to culturally competent and responsive healthcare providers, providing health information centred around their lived experiences and supporting them with accessing care.

The company, founded in 2018 by Ashlee Wisdom, aims to empower women of colour to share, learn and innovate around the health issues that disproportionately affect them.

“I know first-hand the challenges women of colour face to receive equal quality of care while not feeling seen and heard by the healthcare system,” said Wisdom.

“Health In Her HUE is uniquely positioned to address the existing racial health disparities and connect our members with providers who are committed to hearing and understanding their unique lived experiences, while providing quality care accordingly.

“I’m proud of the impact Health In Her HUE has achieved thus far to ensure Black women and women of colour have a safe space to prioritise their holistic health and wellbeing.”

The funding was led by Seae Ventures and included participation from Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures, Morgan Stanley Inclusive Ventures Lab, Genius Guild, HBCU Founders Fund, Stanford Impact Fund and a select group of angel investors.

The capital is hoped to support the company’s growth by investing in talent and building out new programmes and products.

Arianne Kidder, partner at Seae Ventures, said: “Ashlee’s passion and vision for connecting Black women and women of colour to culturally competent care is what drew our attention initially. Her focus on this vision, and ability to create a community, a team and a platform to make this vision a reality is what keeps us excited about Health In Her HUE and Ashlee’s leadership.

“We were thrilled to lead this round of financing and look forward to continuing to support Ashlee on this journey to help more Black women and women of colour access the health care providers, services and resources that are committed to their health and wellbeing.”

This marks Health In Hue HUE’s second round of funding. In 2021, the company raised US$1.2m in a pre-seed round to develop the platform. To date, the platform’s total investment amounts to US$4.2m.