Technology used in innovative ways has enabled a new wave of healthcare startups.
By Angie Chang (Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Women 2.0)
This week, Rock Health launched its fourth class out of the health tech startup accelerator program. CEO and founder Halle Tecco announced that to date, this class has a raised a total of $13.9 million (about a third of its total portfolio).
As for these female-founded health-focused startups, Eligible has raised $1.5 million from investors like Esther Dyson and SV Angel’s David Lee. Wello raised $1 million in seed funding from Kleiner Perkins, Mohr Davidow Ventures, Morado Venture Partners, S-Cubed Ventures and PhilQuo Ventures with the backing of some angel investors.
Meet the female founders from Rock Health’s graduating fourth class who recently presented at demo day:
Ann Scott Plante (Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Wello)
The former Bain & Co. consultant and Stanford Business School alumna Ann Scott Plante co-founded Wello to combine the in-gym experience with in-home workouts. Wello raised $1M seed funding in November 2012. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnScottPlante.
Katelyn Gleason (Co-Founder, Eligible)
An early employee in the bootstrapping days of drchrono, Y Combinator participant Katelyn Gleason co-founded Eligible, which provides APIs for developers to build scalable applications using health data. Follow her on Twitter at @katgleason.
Kathy Bellevin (Head Of Product & Co-Founder, Wildflower Health)
Harnessing user-centered design and technology to deliver products for smarter healthcare decisions, Kathy Bellevin heads product at Wildflower Health, using analytics to deliver insights and improving treatment and cost-management. Follow her on Twitter at @bellevin.
Leah Sparks (Co-Founder & CEO, Wildflower Health)
With over a decade of experience in the healthcare industry, Leah Sparks co-founded Wildflower Health, a mobile-focused digital health platform that helps identify and address health risks throughout pregnancy, with personalized actions integrated with employee benefits.
Leslie Silverglide (Co-CEO & Co-Founder, Wello)
After launching and selling eco-gourmet restaurant chain Mixt Greens, Leslie Silverglide co-founded Wello, an online marketplace connecting consumers with fitness professionals over two-way video for workout sessions. Follow her on Twitter at @lglide.
Women 2.0 readers: What or who is your favorite up-and-coming health startup or entrepreneur? Let us know in the comments below.
Angie Chang is Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of Women 2.0, a media company offering content, community and conferences for aspiring and current women innovators in technology. Our mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups with inspiration, information and education through our platform. Previously, Angie held roles in product management and web UI design. Angie holds a B.A. in English and Social Welfare from UC Berkeley. Follow her on Twitter at @thisgirlangie.
