As 2024 comes to a close, we’re taking time to celebrate and honor all the ways the menopause — and broader women’s health — conversation has evolved over the past 365 days. It’s been a busy year for the Elektra team, and while there’s still much more work to be done, BIG strides were made.
We went from zero to over 20 in-network health plan contracts. We got close to the local community with energizing in-person events, brought the Elektra team together to strategize and bond, petitioned for wider menopause care access, saw menopause doulas make news in a big way, and even got the Elektra logo in the bright lights of Times Square!
A MASSIVE thank you to our patients, team members, clinicians, advisors, investors, and supporters who have championed Elektra over the past year, and beyond. We’re grateful for the community of forward-thinking, taboo-smashing women (and men!!) around us.
Here’s to continuing this important work in 2025, and closing the menopause care gap for women everywhere.
1. We kicked off the new year announcing new funding
Elektra Health investor gathering | From left to right: Craig Ball (UPMC), Kathryn Heffernan (UPMC), Dr. Nora Lansen (Elektra), Jannine Versi (Elektra), Dr. Monica Jain (Wavemaker 360), Alessandra Henderson (Elektra), Katelin Cruise (Seven Seven Six), Vic Lanio (Flare Capital Partners)
The round was led by UPMC Enterprises with participation from Wavemaker Three-Sixty Health, Catalyst by Wellstar, and existing investors Flare Capital Partners and SevenSevenSix. With this funding, we welcomed Kathryn Heffernan from UPMC and Monica Jain, MD, FACS from Wavemaker 360 to our board of directors.
2. We were selected by prestigious organizations in public health & healthcare innovation
Including:
- New York City Economic Development Corporation and Chloe Capital’s NYC Founder Fellowship Program, which is designed to address inequities in the tech ecosystem and unlock access to capital, mentorship, and other opportunities for underrepresented founders.
- The AgeTech Collaborative™ from AARP accelerator, an 8-week program designed to elevate promising early-stage AgeTech startups.
- Rock Health Innovation Fellowship, a cohort-based experience that amplifies the work of leaders (including Elektra CEO Jannine Versi!) who are pioneering digital health innovation.
- MeHi’s Women’s Health Challenge, a three-month introduction to the Massachusetts Digital Health Ecosystem program that culminated in a Sandbox Challenge.
3. Our pioneering model of menopause care & support made news
Menopause doulas have been a foundational part of Elektra’s model from day 1. Why? Menopause is complicated — not to mention overwhelming, daunting, and lonely. And we know it’s different for everyone. That’s why we pair all patients with a care team composed of a board-certified, menopause-trained clinician AND a doula or nurse – and we’re proud to be the first menopause company in the U.S. to have pioneered the concept of a “menopause doula.”
This novel approach gained much-deserved in the news this year. Elektra’s very own Grace Veras Sealy was featured in a piece on Forbes about the work she does as one of our doulas: “I’m there to provide information and support in a way that is clinically aware. Telling someone the acne, vaginal bleeding, palpitations, brain fog is from menopause can be a source of relief and could avoid money, time, stress.”
Fleur Britten also wrote about the emerging field of menopause doulas in The Times: menopause doulas not only help women to self-advocate, but also explore more nuanced issues that doctors don’t have time for.” They provide a safe space for women — who are often “in a great deal of distress, overwhelm, and exhaustion” — to “unburden” their thoughts. And they provide guidance, support, and advice on nutrition, exercise, and self-care.
4. We massively expanded our insurance coverage & are now in-network for 74% of New Yorkers
This year, Elektra became the first virtual menopause provider to accept both commercial and government-insured patients.
In the state of New York, we went in-network with EmblemHealth, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna, WellCare, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, Molina Healthcare, MVP Health Care, Healthfirst, and select Medicare/Medicaid plans. We’re also in-network in Connecticut with Aetna, United Healthcare, Anthem BlueCross BlueShield, ConnectiCare, WellCare, and Medicare.
Offering evidence-based, menopause-centered midlife care to women regardless of insurance type or employment status is central to our mission, and we’re excited to continue expanding insurance coverage in 2025.
5. We announced strategic partnerships with UPMC, Grow Therapy, BlueSleep, Springbuk & Beanstalk, among others
We entered into a strategic partnership with UPMC Magee-Womens Midlife Health Center (MLHC) to provide their patients access to Elektra’s evidence-based resources through the myUPMC patient portal.
“Providers dedicated to midlife women’s health often find themselves overwhelmed with the task of researching, interpreting complex findings, and updating resources. With UPMC, Elektra is bringing the latest science-based resources directly to patients, making it easy and convenient for them to access the support they need through their existing portal.” — Jannine Versi
In order to reach a wider audience of patients looking for high-quality, virtual menopause care, we also partnered with BlueSleep, Grow Therapy, Springbuk, and Beanstalk, among others.
6. Elektra’s thought leadership was sought out by the academic & private sector for talks, roundtables, podcasts & panels
At Jannine’s fifth year attending WHIS, she spoke on a panel covering equitable care delivery alongside Nada (Osman) Hanafi (Founder of MedTech Strategy Advisors), Saranya Loehrer, MD, MPH (Chief Patient Experience and Health Equity Officer at Teladoc Health), Roslyn Holliday Moore (Senior Public Health Analyst at the Office of Behavioral Equity at the US Department of Health and Human Services), and Patricia Obermaier (former Chief Growth Officer of Global Health and Life Sciences at Microsoft).
Jannine also attended the first-annual HBS Women’s Health Summit, which was organized by Ricky Cordova and Christina Vosbikian. She spoke on a panel alongside Lexi Henkel (Principal at Maverick Ventures), Adrianne Nickerson (Co-Founder & CEO at Oula), and Laura Mackay (President & CEO of Planned Parenthood Direct).
There were no shortages of podcasts this year, including Decoding Health with Dennis Kamara and the Advancing Health Innovation Show with Michael Stamatinos.
Another notable moment: Elektra’s Chief Medical Officer Nora Lansen, MA, MD, MSCP was tapped to contribute to a series of articles on menopause in The Atlantic in collaboration with Bayer, including “Menopause Is More Than A Moment” and “Menopause Needs A New Narrative.”
7. We interacted with members of the local NYC community at farmers markets & Neighborhood Care events
October was jam-packed with events to drive menopause awareness, from the Fort Greene farmers market to EmblemHealth’s Neighborhood Care community events across Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan. At the latter, members of Elektra’s care team gave educational “Meno 101” presentations, handed out Spanish and English-language educational materials, and came well-stocked with all the fun swag. A big thank you to Emblem’s Crystal Harrison, Nazneen Rahman, Ada Rodriguez, Erin Reddan, and Veronica Noel for including us!
8. We advocated for wider menopause care access during World Menopause Month with an open letter, op-ed, Times Square Billboard & more
The notion that menopause care is a nice-to-have isn’t just inaccurate — it inhibits large swaths of Americans from accessing necessary care during this universal biological transition.
That’s why, for this year’s World Menopause Month, we distributed an open letter inviting health plans and industry stakeholders to acknowledge the crucial need for wider menopause care access — because menopause doesn’t discriminate, and neither should the healthcare system.
Jannine and Nora penned an op-ed in Ms. Magazine arguing for better menopause care, especially for women of color (shout-out to one of the sharpest minds in this space, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf!). Jannine was also included in Brittany Barreto, PhD’s book, Unlocking Women’s Health: FemTech and the Quest for Gender Equity.
And the cherry on top of the whirlwind that was World Menopause Month? A billboard in Times Square thanks to our friends at Brex.
9. We cherished in-person time together as a team
We love welcoming our out-of-town colleagues to New York, our home and HQ. Whether heading upstate for hikes in the woods or taking over a tequila den downtown, there’s no shortage of laughter, affection, and brilliant new ideas when the team comes together in person.
10. We championed & participated in efforts to accelerate groundbreaking advances in science & medicine around aging women
Left: Jannine Versi with Dr. Aditi Mallick, Chief Medical Officer, Medicaid & CHIP, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
Elektra collaborated on initiatives with the White House Gender Policy council and, earlier this month, Jannine had the honor of attending The White House’s first-ever Conference on Women’s Health Research as a capstone celebration of the administration’s work. Hosted by President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, the event brought together policy leaders, renowned researchers, and women’s health champions to discuss historical gender gaps in healthcare and the actions needed to rightsize them.
Elektra was also selected this year as a spoke of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Investor Catalyst Hub network, which aims to scale health research and venture investment ecosystem capabilities, disrupt traditional care models, create new delivery pathways, and help performers bring game-changing innovations to market to solve big problems in health.
The future of women’s health is bright, and we’re excited to carry this energy and momentum into 2025… and beyond!
Interested in being part of the movement to elevate and modernize the conversation around menopause? We’d love to chat.
If you’re a provider → reach out at [email protected]
If you’re a health plan/system → reach out at [email protected]
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