Femtech startup Ease raises US$1.3m led by Insignia

Sharanya Pillai

Published Tue, Sep 28, 2021 · 11:48 AM

EASE Healthcare, a startup focused on access to women's health services, has raised US$1.3 million in seed funding, led by Insignia Ventures Partners. The startup said that this is the largest round in South-east Asian femtech, an industry that has long been underfunded, as BT previously reported.

Other investors in the round include several members from XA Network, a group of tech executives making angel investments in South-east Asia. One of these individuals is Bambos Kaisharis, Google's director of partnerships strategy and operations for devices, services and health.

The round comes as Ease has launched a new mobile application for users to book doctor appointments and tests on-the-go, make purchases of sexual health products and services, run contraception tracking, manage health indicators through personalised guides and engage with other users.

The startup was founded last year by serial entrepreneur and sexual and reproductive health rights advocate Guadalupe Lazaro and lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Rio Hoe, who had previously worked on other ventures together. They were inspired by their own experiences as a couple facing barriers to access sexual and reproductive healthcare in Singapore.

"The long-term goal is not just to tackle access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, but address the larger picture of women's health through a truly comprehensive ecosystem of products and services," said Ms Lazaro.

"We've seen how Guadalupe and Rio have built the foundations... in Ease, with their deep understanding of the pain points and the market they are addressing, the massive community and content they have amassed around their digital platform, and their strong ties to the right stakeholders in the industry," said Tan Yinglan, founding managing partner of Insignia.