Stanford Graduates Launch $11 Million Startup for Noninvasive Hormone Tracking Wearable
Clair Health, founded by Jenny Duan and Abhinav Agarwal, aims to provide women with insights into their hormonal health through a new wearable device that tracks various health markers.
Jenny Duan and Abhinav Agarwal, both graduates of Stanford University, have embarked on a mission to address significant challenges in women's health by developing an aesthetically pleasing wearable device that measures hormones. Their startup, Clair Health, seeks to provide insights into health issues such as cycle irregularities and perimenopause, along with hormonal fluctuations.
The company has successfully raised $11.6 million in a funding round led by Khosla Ventures, with additional investments from a16z speedrun, Brydge Club, Treehub, Cartan Capital, AGI House, Insiders VC, and notable individuals like Anne Wojcicki and Stephanie Coleman.
Clair Health's innovative approach involves using voice-based onboarding to gather personalized health data from users. The startup claims to have developed its own artificial intelligence system capable of analyzing voice-based biomarkers to identify which phase of a user's menstrual cycle they are in after only a few minutes of interaction. Duan remarked, "In women’s health and in the current state of apps, women can’t communicate a large amount of symptoms because the apps are built for only specific ones. With our voice stack, we are giving our users a way to communicate their own problems in their own way."
The wearable device aims to identify the causes of hormonal changes and monitor the body's responses by analyzing biomarkers detected by its sensors. Unlike traditional health-tracking devices such as the Apple Watch or Pixel Watch, which utilize limited sensors, Clair Health's device is equipped with ten biosensors, including a unique biomagnetic sensor designed to provide hormonal insights. This technology allows for continuous tracking across all four phases of the menstrual cycle, not solely during menstruation. The app will also deliver information related to aging pace, inflammation, bloating, and perceived exertion rates.
Clair Health intends to assist women experiencing menopause and perimenopause by offering data that can be shared with healthcare providers, thereby improving their care experience and support. Duan's interest in women's health was sparked during her time working for a nonprofit in Portland, Oregon, and deepened through a class focused on women's health at Stanford, where she met Agarwal.
The startup is currently in the testing phase with a closed group of beta users and plans to begin shipping devices in November. The wearable will be priced at $369, accompanied by a subscription fee of $9.99 per month. Preorders for the device are being accepted now.
Mary Minno, an investor at Treehub, emphasized the importance of Clair Health's mission, stating, "Users want a product that does what it says it is going to do. Hormonal health measurement today is still archaic — my perimenopausal friends are still getting blood draws to understand the efficacy of hormone treatments. Out of the gate, Clair aims to deliver a product that shines a light on what previously required a blood draw."
The market for hormone health tracking is becoming increasingly competitive, with various startups exploring different methodologies. For example, Level Zero Health focuses on continuous tracking through devices similar to glucose monitors, while Hormona offers home testing options. Additionally, there are apps like Ourself Health that leverage AI to generate insights based on user-entered manual logs.
