The woman who founded top health-tech VC Rock Health is now launching her first startup, and it shows that a long-neglected market is heating up
- As a cofounder of the well-regarded VC firm Rock Health, Halle Tecco is a major name in the world of digital health startups.
- Tecco is now starting her own: a women's-health-focused startup called Natalist. Natalist's first offering is a subscription bundle for women who are seeking to get pregnant.
- The idea came out of Tecco's own experiences trying to get pregnant. It was important to Tecco and her team that these products be easy to use, backed by science, and stigma-free, she said.
- Startups like Natalist that ship health products right to your door have become a big business. But in bypassing prescription drugs and focusing on women, Natalist is taking a fresh new approach.
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While trying to get pregnant, Halle Tecco found herself "running around" the drugstore far too often.
Everything she needed was spread across different aisles. And when she brought the products home, they were too clunky for a bathroom cabinet, lacking the streamlined design of beauty products she loved and bought.
As a Harvard Business School graduate and co-founder and former CEO of the venture capital firm Rock Health, Tecco was also the rare consumer well-equipped to do something about it.
So she started a new company, Natalist, aimed at bringing an easy-to-use, science-backed, stigma-free approach to women's health. Natalist is now unveiling its first product offering, a "Get Pregnant" bundle delivering products like prenatal vitamins and ovulation tests right to a customer's door. The company, which is Tecco's first stint in the role of startup CEO, isn't yet disclosing financing.
When it comes to fertility, Tecco's own experience taught her there's "a lot of misinformation, a lot of secrecy and shame," she said. The idea is "to help people that are just starting to try and understand that the journey can look a million different ways." For her part, Tecco's son was born in 2016.
- Prenatal vitamins: a one-month supply of a prenatal multivitamin and a one-month supply of an omega DHA supplement
- Ovulation tests (7): used to time sexual activity and improve chances of conceiving
- Pregnancy tests (3): these early-result tests, which can be used five days before an expected period, can give women speedy answers, according to Natalist
- "Conception 101" book: a 64-page, doctor and scientist-written guide, steering customers through everything from "concept to conception," including tips and tools for how to get pregnant
The offerings came out of a survey that Natalist did of about 1,200 women to look at their experiences and what products were most helpful to them.
The startup's chief medical advisor, Dr. Nazaneen Homaifar, and Chief Scientific Officer Elizabeth Kane, who holds a doctorate in neuroscience from Harvard, also reviewed the scientific evidence in support, narrowing it down to "what we consider the essentials," Tecco said.
"That's the market we're going after: helping people get pregnant naturally and in a healthy way," she said.
In line with that, a section of Natalist's website outlines that the company doesn't sell things like crystals and fertility tea because it's "committed to not wasting your time or money with products that failed science class."
The "Get Pregnant Bundle" is Natalist's flagship offering, but a natural next step for the company would be products that boost male fertility, according to Tecco.
Why Natalist isn't using digital doctor consults
Delivery services that ship healthcare products right to your door are a red-hot trend lately, with investors pouring upwards of $660 million into the space. It's something that Tecco is well aware of, having invested in companies like at-home lab test startup EverlyWell.
But where many new startups are dispensing prescription medications after digital consultations with medical professionals, Natalist is taking a fresh approach by sidestepping that altogether. The startup's focus on women also represents a change in a field where VC funding has largely gone to companies with a focus on male fertility.
Customers don't need to meet with a doctor to subscribe to Natalist, though they can, of course, contact the startup with questions. And Natalist may not ever do the digital doctor consults known as telemedicine, Tecco said, preferring to instead partner with another startup if necessary.
That wasn't always the case. Early on, Tecco took a look at the fertility prescription market, including two of the most commonly used medications.
But ultimately, that idea was at odds with the value she puts on improving the healthcare system in concert with physicians and the medical system. Women struggling with fertility need to have a long-term relationship with a doctor so that he or she can treat the patient in a holistic way, she said.
"To be honest, there's a reason I didn't pursue that direction," she said, adding, "I ethically do not feel like building a, what I call a 'digital pill mill,' is good for the healthcare system."
"I did look into it and I'm sure there is a demand for it, but I just don't feel that it's the right thing."
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