Safe and judgment-free healthcare for everyone: why we’ve invested in LVNDR

If you’re familiar with our investment thesis and our portfolio, it won’t come as a surprise that we’re obsessed with technology disrupting healthcare and we’re particularly interested in digital solutions tackling taboos that prevent people from living their best, healthy lives.

So when Chris and Josh from LVNDR (“lavender”) pitched us a digital clinic for the LGBTQIA+ community, we were immediately excited. We strongly believe that everyone, regardless of their race, gender or sexual orientation, should have the same access to good quality sexual and reproductive healthcare. But we also wouldn’t be in this business if we weren’t convinced of the huge value that can be unlocked by vertically integrated healthcare solutions for the underserved subsets of the population. This is exactly LVNDR’s case:

• According to a recent poll done by Gallup in the US in 2020 a record number of adults identify as LGBTQ+. Biggest driver behind this shift is Gen Z, 15.9% of whom identify as non heterosexual. When we apply the same statistics to the rest of the world, we arrive at a quickly expanding market with varying degrees of non-discrimination standards across countries.
• While the younger generations are more open about their orientation, access to sexual and reproductive healthcare remains inadequate with LGBTQIA+ people often facing discrimination. According to a 2021 survey done by ILGA-Europe, 42% of LGBTQ people would not be open about their status with healthcare personnel. More than 10% felt personally discriminated against by healthcare personnel in the last 12 months.
• STIs are on the rise, with gonorrhea being of particular concern due to risk of drug-resistance, and gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) are at higher risk of contracting them according to statistics from Public Health England.

With that big of a market and an acute need for frequent and convenient STI testing, we think that LVNDR is well positioned to transform the way the LGBTQIA+ community is currently cared for, making it a more comprehensive and personalized experience that is free of anxiety and uncertainty that often characterises it now. This has been the way for Folx and Plume in the US, and we think the time is right for a similar player to emerge in Europe. We have been impressed with the LVNDR founders — Chris, Josh and Araxie — and their commitment to bring this vision to life paired with strong execution skills already evident in some key partnerships that have been put in place, including one with Sexual Health London — the largest remote sexual health service in Europe.

We can’t wait for the future where vulnerable communities have access to the best care, free of judgment and prejudice, with LVNDR leading the way!

Are you building anything in the healthcare or wellness space? I would like to hear from you: marta@calmstorm.vc