PriyaPatel
TLDR:
Juniper has raised £1.5m in pre-seed funding to launch a pilot program for “insurance for genitals” in the workplace. The startup plans to offer healthcare insurance for conditions like PCOS, menopause, erectile dysfunction, and gender dysphoria. The funding will be used to roll out the pilot program with 1000 employees and triple the size of the team. Juniper’s CEO, Ambra Zhang, was inspired to start the company after being diagnosed with PCOS and realizing it wasn’t covered by her health insurance. The startup aims to fill a gap in the market where 90% of mainstream health insurance policies don’t cover IVF and other reproductive health treatments. Juniper calculates risks associated with its insurance plans and will pay claims using cash from larger insurance providers. The startup will use the pilot phase to gather data on reproductive health insurance claims and validate its risk calculator model. Juniper believes insurance is a better model than benefits packages for employers, as it is seen as a core benefit and is more likely to be included in compensation packages.
Juniper, a UK-based startup, has secured £1.5m in pre-seed funding to launch a pilot program for its “insurance for genitals” offering in the workplace. The company plans to provide healthcare insurance for conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause, erectile dysfunction, and gender dysphoria. This funding will be used to roll out the pilot program with 1000 employees across several UK businesses and to triple the size of the current three-person team.
Juniper’s CEO, Ambra Zhang, was inspired to start the company after being diagnosed with PCOS and realizing that her health insurance did not cover the treatment. Juniper aims to address the gap in the market where 90% of mainstream health insurance policies do not cover in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and other reproductive health treatments. The startup calculates the risks associated with its insurance plans and will pay claims using cash from larger insurance providers.
Juniper believes that insurance is a better model than benefits packages for employers, as it is seen as a core benefit and is more likely to be included in compensation packages. The startup is targeting employers with over 250 staff, allowing employees to make claims through the company’s web app and choose where they receive treatment. Juniper will use the pilot phase to gather data on reproductive health insurance claims and validate its risk calculator model. The company plans to officially launch its product in 2025 after the pilot phase and is also looking to secure additional funding in the latter half of next year.
