NEW YORK, April 23, 2024 — Summer Health, a digital health company offering 24/7 pediatric support to parents, announced $11.65M in Series A Funding, co-led by new investor 7wire Ventures and returning investor Lux Capital. Returning investors Sequoia Capital, Metrodora Ventures, Box Group, and Shrug Capital participated, with new participation from Pivotal Ventures, a Melinda French Gates company and Leaps by Bayer. Alfred Lin of Sequoia Capital, Deena Shakir of Lux Capital, Alyssa Jaffee of 7wire Ventures, and Chelsea Clinton of Metrodora Ventures are also joining the Summer board.
Summer Health is a text-based companion to a family’s primary pediatrician, removing the need for unnecessary visits and serving as support anytime and anywhere. The company’s flagship product, text-based care in under 15 minutes, has been used by thousands of parents to manage urgent medical guidance and seamlessly prescribe medications as-needed since its launch in July 2022. In November 2023, the company expanded its longitudinal primary care model with lactation support, sleep training, developmental milestone tracking, and long-term pediatric care.
Today, parents can buy Summer Health’s services directly from the company for $45 a month or via their employer at select businesses.
Summer Health’s clinical team is led by Dr. Ali Alhassani, MD F.A.A.P. He notes that the most common needs parents address with Summer include:
- Nutrition-related questions, including breastfeeding and the introduction of solid foods;
- Pink eye and rashes;
- Allergies and food-related sensitivities;
- Support with sleep training;
- Support following Well-Child care visits, which typically only last 6 to 8 minutes.
The Association of American Medical Colleges projects a doctor shortage of up to 86,000 physicians and that extends to pediatrics by 2036. Summer Health plans to double down on its distribution via consumer and employer channels to combat this lack of abundant access to pediatricians. The company will also continue to expand service offerings for parents. In addition to primary care, they currently offer specialty services like nutrition and child development coaching.
“Summer Health was created by parents, for parents, to make daily life just a little bit simpler. What’s so special about this group of investors is that they’re all parents, and every single one of them actively uses the product,” said Summer Health’s CEO Ellen DaSilva.
“As a pediatrician, I’ve witnessed first-hand how long parents would need to wait for appointments for their child to be seen in person,” said Dr. Ali Alhassani, head of clinical for Summer Health. “So many of these issues could be addressed from the comfort of home, and that’s why I joined Summer Health.”
Summer Health’s trusted brand has laid the groundwork for deep longitudinal care for all families. On a personal note, I’ve been using the service since Day One and can’t imagine life without it,” said Alyssa Jaffee, general partner with 7wire Ventures. “Professionally, we are delighted to be part of Summer Health’s journey as it scales to more parents and their families, and we deeply believe in the need for more investment and innovation in pediatrics.”
“Summer Health’s growth is evidence that the company has tapped into a real and growing need,” said Deena Shakir, general partner at Lux. And “I’m proud to say that this round is being co-led by two moms of three kids and the company led by another—between us, 9 children and a lifetime of user feedback.
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SOURCE Summer Health
