Seattle-based wellness platform Modern Age plans to grow its headcount at a rapid clip after raising a $27 million Series A on Wednesday.
Modern Age founder and CEO Melissa Eamer said the company currently has 18 employees but plans to hit 50 a year from now, not including the company's network of clinicians. She added that Modern Age has a few employees in the Seattle area and considers Seattle its headquarters, and the company will add employees here as it grows.
"Seattle has a ton of strong engineering, product and technology folks," Eamer said.
Modern Age also has a handful of employees in New York City, where it plans to open a clinic by early 2022, but Eamer said the company is working largely remote and has employees around the country. Although she anticipates needing office space in Seattle, Modern Age isn't yet making any firm decisions on its physical footprint.
Eamer started working on Modern Age last year and plans to make the platform available to consumers early next year. Modern Age will allow users to connect digitally with physicians and aging coaches to learn better self care through factors like nutrition, fitness and sleep. The goal, Eamer said, is providing a trusted network of professionals instead of relying on friend networks.
The company, which is meant for consumers starting roughly in their mid-30s, will also offer in-person services, starting with its clinic in New York City. Eamer added that Modern Age is not meant as a destination for diseases that come with aging, and the company will refer users to a primary care physician in those instances.
Modern Age has raised $33 million to date. The company has done market research through surveys and multiple rounds of interviews, according to Eamer. Modern Age aims to have a beta version of its product available toward the end of the year.
Eamer spent about two decades at Amazon.com Inc., where she worked on the company's Kindle and Echo products. She also spent about a year as the chief operating officer at Glossier Inc. As for starting Modern Age, Eamer called the experience a "learning curve" so far.
"The most important component is really hiring great team members, particularly in areas where I have less experience," Eamer said. "But a big chunk of my time has really been spent doing user research and really understanding users' needs in this space."
