Oath Care, a new social company building the future of healthcare, today announced that it raised $2 million from XYZ Venture Capital, General Catalyst, Muse Capital, and Eros Resmini, former CMO of Discord and managing partner of the Mini Fund. The company will use funds to aggressively hire and accelerate product development in preparation for its public launch later this year.
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L-to-R: Dr. Michelle Stephens, Oath co-founder and Camilla Hermann, Oath CEO and co-founder (Photo: Business Wire)
Oath is building a social, community-based network and mobile app that combines intimate connections and shared parental experiences with healthcare specialist support and guidance through group chat and 1:1 video calls. Starting with small groups for moms, Oath’s technology intelligently matches women in “circles” of 6-10 women based on criteria such as stage of pregnancy/age of child, location, and career. Circles are led by a trained facilitator and provide the opportunity to ask questions of healthcare specialists or schedule consultations to address any issue along the pregnancy and early childhood journey.
“We’ve got a system today where everything is fragmented: medical knowledge is siloed, care is episodic, even the experience of healthcare itself is lonely,” said Camilla Hermann, CEO and co-founder of Oath. “But health doesn’t happen in isolation. We believe intentional, intimate community is the single most important lever in driving long-term positive health outcomes. This is why we created Oath as first a social company that is ultimately defining an entirely new system for human wellbeing.”
Redefining the Experience of Motherhood
Oath’s initial offering is targeted for expecting and new moms– a group that sorely lacks continuous, proactive, and evidence-based support. Motherhood presents a steep learning curve, and parents are often terrified they will do something wrong. They are overwhelmed with bad information, judged by other parents about everything from the products they choose to how they hold their babies, and/or receive inconsistent, anecdotal advice that often flies in the face of science. Oath provides a judgement-free community that empowers parents to make the best decisions at every turn for the health of their family.
“Our current experience of the healthcare system is incredibly lonely, and never is this more obvious than during pregnancy and postpartum,” said Dr. Michelle Stephens, Oath co-founder, pediatric clinician and research scientist in early childhood stress physiology. “Oath is trying to reverse the negative effects of this experience, focusing on pregnancy and pediatrics initially, because that’s where human health starts; it’s the foundation of human potential. By understanding how health evolves in a highly embedded, richly contextualized way, we can build a novel baseline for human health and wellbeing that meaningfully shifts outcomes for the next generation of kids.”
Oath members share their experiences and resources, following a curated curriculum facilitated by another mom who is further along in her parenthood journey, someone who has been there, done that, and who can empathize with issues new moms are facing. Additionally, facilitators can tag in providers as needed to give group members advice, choices, and answers, bringing a sense of calm and empowerment to their lives.
“Oath is unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of,” said Becky Grymonprez, Oath group member for over a year and mom of a 14-month-old. “My group is so encouraging. They understand exactly what I am going through. There’s a lot of laughter and a lot of tears among us each week, and I don’t know what I would do without this sisterhood. I never feel alone.”
Oath’s beta version has already proven its concept, as 94% of participants transitioned to paying customers, purchasing low-cost monthly subscriptions and “credits” for additional features or services they’d like, such as private consultations with providers and specialists. The company has seen 100% organic growth from Oath members, facilitators, and providers since the start of the beta. In fact, Oath currently has a waiting list of members and providers who want to join its platform.
“Oath has tapped into an essential need, with an abundance of quality, highly vetted resources that deliver exactly the experience people crave in a very simple, direct and personal manner,” said Chauncey Hamilton, Partner at XYZ and Oath member. “The market is huge in motherhood alone, with more than 4 million babies born in the U.S. each year. When you extend this model of care throughout childhood and beyond, you have the opportunity to transform healthcare in a way that maps to the human experience.”
To learn more about Oath’s vision for the future of healthcare, join the waitlist, or become part of the Oath team, please visit Oath Careers.
About Oath
Oath is a purpose-built social platform for families across different stages of life. It is designed to satisfy humans’ hardwired need for connection through innovative technology, ongoing community, and specialist health advice. Starting with motherhood, Oath’s vision represents the future of healthcare. The company is based in San Francisco and backed by XYZ Venture Capital, General Catalyst, and former CMO of Discord Eros Resmini. Learn more at www.OathCare.com and follow us at Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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