St. Louis Inno is publishing profiles of its 2024 Startups to Watch this week. See the entire list of honorees below.
HONEYDEW
CEO: David Futoran
What it does: Honeydew has created a virtual dermatology practice designed to increase access to medical care to help patients treat chronic skin conditions, including acne, eczema and psoriasis. Honeydew operates with a direct to consumer model. Patients meet with clinicians virtually online and pay a $39 per month or $299 annual membership fee to receive care.
The latest: Since it publicly launched in July 2022, Honeydew has rapidly expanded its operations across the U.S. It currently provides its online practice in 30 U.S. states, including Missouri. It says it has brought more than 15 clinicians onto its platform, serving thousands of patients nationwide. Honeydew in November won a $75,000 grant, plus $25,000 for relocation, from local nonprofit Arch Grants. Honeydew relocated to St. Louis from New York.
Why you should watch it: Honeydew contends it provides a better health care model for both doctors and patients. It says its online model provides patients the ability to access care and treatment within 24 hours, allowing patients to eliminate persistent skin conditions. Honeydew has put a focus on helping to treat acne, saying it's able to provide a prescription to the acne drug accutane at no cost to those with insurance. For clinicians, Honeydew says it has created an electronic medical record system and patient app that streamlines tasks for doctors, allowing them more time to treat patients.
What’s next: Honeydew has several milestones it expects to achieve in 2024, including continuing its national expansion, efforts to lower the cost of medication, completing over 50,000 patient visits and completing clinical studies that measure its patient outcomes.
More about Honeydew
Year founded: 2022
Founders: David Futoran, Dr. Joel Spitz
Employees: 6
Capital raised: Honeydew declined to disclose
Investors: Jeff Nadler, chief information officer at Teladoc; Cory Levy, founder of Z fellows; Adam Guild; Josh Browder, Browder Capital; V1 VC; Dan Reich, co-founder of Tula Skincare; John Andrew Entwistle, founder and CEO of Wander; Kian Sadeghi, founder and CEO of Nucleus. Honeydew's investors also include dermatologists, the startup said.
