equalityMD: LGBTQ+ Healthcare & Data Analytics

The LGBTQ+ community (30M+ Americans) is a NIH-designated “Health Disparity Population” because of historic discrimination, unique health concerns, and inadequate access to care.

56% experience discrimination when seeking care; 28% don’t bother to seek care or delay life-saving medical procedures. Patients rely on inefficient word-of-mouth to find culturally competent providers. Of those that do see providers, only 12% fully come out as authentically LGBTQ+, which 1) prevents patients from receiving the most comprehensive care possible, 2) risks lower patient engagement, and 3) results in worse patient outcomes.

Data gaps about America’s most under-measured demographic (the LGBTQ+ community) cause payors, health systems, and businesses to make uniformed decisions that prevent them from authentically engaging 1) a health disparity population and 2) a dynamic and desirable diverse talent pipeline.

As this community grows (more young people are self-identifying as LGBTQ+) providers, health systems, and payors need as much data as possible to understand this population and mobilize cultural intelligence to influence health communication and patient/member behavior, as this could have a deep impact on health outcomes over the long term. equalityMD can deliver actionable insights to bridge existing data gaps about the LGBTQ+ patient population.

Similarly, 81% of companies are increasing their DEI budges and 72% are looking for inclusive healthcare options. equalityMD’s digital healthcare platform and unique data insights can help employers create a more diverse talent pipeline, reduce employee churn, enhance brand image, increase customer loyalty, and help companies remain both competitive and relevant in an ever-changing cultural and economic landscape.

In September, 2021, PitchBook said the LGBTQ+ healthcare market was valued at $216B and is rapidly growing. In that report, PitchBook named equalityMD as an early entrant in this growing space. The most recent U.S. Census called the LGBTQ+ community America’s fastest growing minority segment.

As patients become consumers, it’s important to consider their value as a market base. The American LGBTQ+ purchasing power is $1.4 trillion; globally, it’s between $5-$6 trillion. A 2021 Credit Suisse Report entitled “Pride and Corporate Performance” said, “[I]f the LGBTs had an economy in their own right, it [would be] the third or fourth largest economy in the world.” This comment was echoed in a 2018 piece by the LGBT Foundation: “[I]f the LGBT community were a country, it would be the world’s fourth-largest economy in the world, with a GDP of $4.6 trillion.”

Sadly, the “world’s 4th largest economy” is a NIH “Health Disparity Population” and doesn’t have equitable access to culturally competent healthcare. The negative consequences of this reality reverberate throughout global economies—from increased burdens on health systems and tax payers to inefficient employee output in the workplace and reduced GDP. equalityMD is here to change that.

equalityMD is a LGBTQ+ culturally competent, virtual first healthcare & data analytics B2B SaaS platform for employers and individuals.

Our LGBTQ+ inclusive healthcare platform:

1) Trains providers to be LGBTQ+ culturally competent (providers get CME credits)

2) Matches patients with trained providers (like a dating app)

3) Delivers patient-centric care to a historically underserved (and growing) patient population.

We create valuable, actionable data insights about America’s most under-measured demographic that:

1) Drives higher patient engagement

2) Results in better patient outcomes

3) Fosters profitable, mission-driven, inclusive corporate cultures.

I: Our proprietary machine-learning matching algorithm connects the LGBTQ+ community and its allies with culturally competent primary care and mental health providers nationwide who create safe spaces on our virtual first platform where patients can be their authentic selves and receive the care they deserve.

II: Providers are required to complete LGBTQ+ cultural competency training through a third party partner in order to create profiles on our platform so they can be discovered by and/or matched with patients. Providers may receive Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for participating in our training program(s).

III: We transform new patient journey data analytics into actionable insights that help payors, providers, and health systems deliver authentic patient experiences and enable businesses, professional associations, and organizations to foster inclusive cultures that yield purpose-driven profits and/or results.

Demo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lNBe-kZNuw&t=5s

We’re changing how the LGBTQ+ community perceives and receives care.

Who we serve: ~30M LGBTQ+ Americans (and their allies), health systems, insurance carriers, businesses, and other employers.

TAM: $216B: LGBTQ+ healthcare market (PitchBook, September 2021)

SAM: $27B: Pre-existing networks

SOM: $8B: Partnership with National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)

B2C Customers: Working with individuals, entrepreneurs, employees whose companies don’t offer inclusive healthcare options (this is a great way to get Employee Resource Groups & HR executives to see the value of our product), those with non-LGBTQ+ inclusive coverage in the open marketplace, students, and those without any healthcare coverage. B2C revenue will be an early milestone; B2B is our destination.

B2B Customers: Payors, health systems, corporations, SMBs, associations, nonprofits, and other employers looking to offer inclusive healthcare benefits.

Initial Target Market: Individuals in southern California and business members of regional LGBTQ+ chambers of commerce—the NGLCC has 438 corporate partners + 53 regional chambers (200-1,400 business members each). Southern California has 4 LGBTQ+ chambers (Los Angeles, Long Beach, San Diego, and Palm Springs), the Los Angeles LGBT Center (the largest LGBTQ+ organization in the world), and a high concentration of LGBTQ+ individuals as well as corporations that support the NGLCC.

We’ll later engage health systems and payors in pilot programs (e.g. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cedars-Sinai) and enter supplier diversity programs through corporations with which we have pre-existing relationships (e.g. AmerisourceBergen, Boston Scientific, Wells Fargo). Other clients include professional associations (Association of Flight Attendants, LGBTQ+ Bar Association), nonprofits, and colleges.

This market is growing as more people—particularly Millennials and Gen Z—are coming out as LGBTQ+. 20% of Millennials and 31% of Gen Z self-identify as LGBTQ+. A recent study estimated that 7.2% of all Americans (~24M people) are LGBTQ+ (Gallup 2023); however, given that not everyone is comfortable self-identifying as such, many experts predict a more accurate count is likely ~10% (~30M people).

Value Proposition:

Patients: LGBTQ+ inclusive, personalized, digital care delivered by providers trained to create safe, welcoming spaces. Patients will be able to be their authentic selves and express their intersectional identities and unique lived experiences in the comfort of their own homes. We’ll empower each patient to become the superhero of their own healthcare story by giving them agency, dignity, and respect at every touchpoint along their unique healthcare journey.

Health Industry: Increased patient engagement; better outcomes; new patient journey data that will drive inclusive patient outreach, communication, and engagement efforts.

Companies: Foster inclusive corporate cultures (more diverse talent pipeline, reduce employee churn, enhance brand image, increase customer loyalty, remain competitive).

Pitch Memo: https://buildmemo.com/equalitymd/s/igaugt

Founder/CEO: 13-year serial LGBTQ+ entrepreneur; vast networks; former healthcare trial lawyer for insurance companies and corporations

Co-Founder/CTO: 25-year serial entrepreneur; engineering and dev/ops lead; cybersecurity specialist; data scientist; HIPAA compliance expert

VP Product: 13 years in product management and operations development; expert UI/UX; experience with LGBTQ+ tech startups

CFO: 30-year seasoned tech startup CFO and exit strategist

CMO: 13-year LGBTQ+ marketing expert; former paramedic/mental health instructor; 14-year working relationship with CEO

VP of Partnerships & Policy: 10 years in healthcare; former government affairs director, American Psychological Association, childhood friend of CEO

Chief Advisor: Former COO at Capital One; go-to-market strategy, business development, operations

DEI is in our DNA. Our team represents the diverse communities we serve.

We’re intimately connected to the problem(s) we’re solving and the customers we’re serving because we’ve personally experienced discrimination when seeking medical care.

5 of our 6 team members (excluding our Chief Advisor) identify as LGBTQ+.

Our Co-Founder/CTO is a staunch ally as is father is gay and his sister is transgender.

Our team is so committed to our mission-driven company that 3 became investors.

Gaps: Chief Medical Officer, Marketing VP, Sales VP, sales executives, software engineers, customer success, admin support.

Our VCs (Gaingels, Startup Health, Chasing Rainbows) and partners (Rock Health, StartOut, NGLCC, Out in Tech, Lesbians Who Tech, Out Leadership, etc.) can help fill existing and future gaps as we grow and scale our company.

Prototype: Built, but not in use (at time of application)

We’ll be in the “Pilot” stage by September, 2023.

We built a telehealth solution and tested it with real patients and providers in 2021-2022. Our initial product was a B2C telehealth platform. We outsourced the development but managed it in-house. During our trial phases, we learned a great deal from both patients and providers who used our platform.

Patients loved the fact that they could FINALLY be their authentic selves during virtual medical visits on Day 1 knowing that every provider on our platform had undergone LGBTQ+ cultural competency training.

Providers loved that we effectively served as a marketing engine for an invisible, underserved patient population and drove those patients to their digital front doors.

However, patients wanted more features for ease of use; providers required more features (e.g. – prescription fulfillment services) in order to fully bring their practice onto our platform. Building a 2-sided market (finding both patients and providers to sign up) was not the ideal approach as a young startup company. In short, we built the wrong product… but we learned a LOT from our early work.

Now, we’re taking our patentable, machine-learning matching algorithm from the first iteration of our product and plugging it into a while-label telehealth partner that has a national network of providers. This enables us to avoid building a 2-sided marketplace and our new national network of providers already have all the tools they need to run their practice through our telehealth partner. This approach also enables us to go-to-market faster (Summer 2023) and show real traction more effectively.

As we prepare to launch our version 2.0 product, we’re simultaneously setting the stage to build our own platform. That process will take about 12-18 months and will require us to raise a seed round. However, the revenue generated from our temporary, white-label solution will supply needed cash for operations and allow us to raise a successful seed round that includes follow-on investments from 3 VCs for much higher amounts than their initial investments (Gaingels, Startup Health, Chasing Rainbows) and other VCs we’re connected to who are just waiting for us to show progress (e.g. – Virginia Venture Partners (the tech investing arm of Virginia for VA-based companies), Rock Health Ventures (I’m a current Rock Health Innovation Fellow), etc.).

N/A at this time. This will change in the next couple of months as we launch the second iteration of our product in southern California. 

My team and I are looking to join a program that aligns with our mission-driven company. If we’re selected as a Solver team and join the nine-month program, we know we’ll be joining a community of like-minded social entrepreneurs, strategic experts, and world-class coaches. We’ll have access to unique media exposure, in-kind resources, and trusted advisors we’d be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

I founded equalityMD on December 14, 2020. I spent 2021 and 2022 building the wrong product with the wrong team. I learned a LOT of valuable lessons that you can’t learn from any tech accelerator (I’ve been through 2 regional accelerators in the DC/VA area). Armed with the invaluable experience of failing forward, in 2023 I restructured equalityMD as a Delaware corporation, set out to raise a pre-seed round of $250K, and hired two critical new team members who are vastly more intelligent than I am when it comes to technology, data architecture, dev/ops, product/project management, UI/UX, cybersecurity, HIPAA compliance, and data science (our new Co-Founder/CTO and our new VP of Product). I kept our CFO, CMO, VP of Partnerships/Policy and our incomparable Chief Advisor as I’ve known each of them for years, trust them implicitly, and value their contributions to our company. Three of them are also investors.

In short, I created a rockstar team, altered our go-to-market plan so we can capitalize on our valuable pre-existing partners and networks that took lifetimes to cultivate and nurture, and mapped out a path to success that is both reasonable and achievable. I even picked up my life and moved from Richmond, VA to Los Angeles, CA (I drove cross-country in 2 days), to deploy v.2.0 of our product this summer in the densely populated southern California region so we can quickly prove product-market-fit and demonstrate the traction we need to raise a Seed Round this fall. Our VP of Product also lives in LA and together we’re quickly embedding ourselves in the region’s LGBTQ+ business community as active members of the LA LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.

I don’t expect the Solve 2023 Global Challenge to solve (pun intended) all of our problems; rather, I believe that by becoming a member of the growing Solver community, we can add immense value to other Solver companies, learn from them, and improve our ability to deliver real-world, impactful solutions. From our early work in this space and through our powerful pre-existing networks, I’m convinced that our team’s efforts can enhance the lives of millions of underserved individuals, change how existing players in the healthcare system (hospitals, insurance companies, etc.) think about health equity, and shift the narrative so that the underserved (and under-measured) LGBTQ+ patient population transitions from a NIH “health disparity population” into a “health opportunity community.”

Given that the LGBTQ+ community represents every other community on Earth, this is the ideal patient population to address health equity issues that other underserved communities have had to endure for generations. Joining the Solver community would be a huge step forward.

We are changing how the LGBTQ+ community perceives and receives care.

No company in this space is addressing the dual issues of health equity gaps and data gaps through a B2B virtual-first healthcare and data analytics platform.

Moreover, no company has matched patients with providers who are required to undergo evidence-based LGBTQ+ cultural competency training, nor has any company offered providers CME credits for participating in LGBTQ+ cultural competency training programs.

Similar companies in our space (and elsewhere) match patients with “LGBTQ-friendly” providers, yet they don’t have any standards of care established nor minimum cultural competency requirements for serving this health disparity population.

In the medical field, just because a provider identifies as LGBTQ+ does not mean they know how to effectively create a safe space (virtual or in person) where LGBTQ+ patients can be their authentic selves. Also, just because a provider has treated LGBTQ+ patients in the past doesn’t mean they have the skills required to create safe spaces for future LGBTQ+ patients.

We believe there must be a minimum requirement providers must meet in order to deliver the culturally competent care LGBTQ+ patients (and allies) require and deserve. This entails education that accounts for social determinants of health, as well as each patient’s intersectionality of identities and unique lived experiences. Our national, federally-funded, third-party training partner does just that, while offering CME credits for participating providers.

Furthermore, no company has captured new data analytics and transformed that data into actionable insights for providers, health systems, payors, and employers. Our data insights will drive higher patient engagement, result in better patient outcomes, and foster inclusive (and more profitable) corporate cultures.

If we’re going to truly change how the LGBTQ+ community perceives and receives care, we must do more than provide a safe, secure digital healthcare platform. We must also collect new data—data that no one has collected before—about the LGBTQ+ healthcare journey. Only then can actors in the healthcare arena truly understand this invisible (and growing) patient population and make institutional changes to serve them in an inclusive, equitable manner.

Our impact goals for the next 12 months are as follows:

·      Get to market and onboard initial customers, 150 B2C customers in first 3 months (summer 2023)

·      Have 1,433 B2C customers by May 2024

·      Show month-over-month traction (customers, revenue, keep churn below 8%)

·      Raise a $2M-$3M Seed Round (Q3-Q4 2023)

·      Hire key positions (VP Marketing, sales reps, tech positions, customer success)

·      Onboard early B2B customers (likely SMBs through LGBTQ+ chambers of commerce)

·      Have 58 B2B customers by May 2024

·      Secure pilot programs for Q3 2024 (e.g. – Blue Cross Blue Shield, CVS/Aetna)

·      Secure our first enterprise clients in 2024 (likely AmerisourceBergen and/or Boston Scientific)

·      Secure a true partnership with Cedars-Sinai (likely in 2024)

·      Grow our customer base and revenue such that we can either secure another round of fundraising or (ideally) be able to use new cash flow as growth capital

Our impact goals over the next 5 years include:

·      Utilize our pre-existing relationships (e.g. – the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce) to become trusted community anchors in each new market we enter as we grow and scale organically

·      Acquire enterprise clients to impact vast number of LGBTQ+ patients and change healthcare and corporate cultures (e.g. – Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cedars-Sinai, AmerisourceBergen, Boston Scientific, Wells Fargo, Shell Energy, etc.)

·      Collect new data analytics and create actionable insights for health systems, payors, and corporations

·      Continue to grow and scale rapidly (without forsaking the trust we have earned from our end users—we view this trust as a sacred responsibility we must diligently protect)

·      Position the company to be acquired by a large entity in 5-7 years, likely one we’ve already established relationships with (e.g. – Amazon, CVS/Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cedars-Sinai, etc.)

·      2027: 36,818 B2C customers (29% total revenue) & 3,063 B2B customers (71% total revenue); reduce churn to 5% or less; achieve 89% margin or better

All of our goals are achievable because of our collective lifetimes of relationship building. I jokingly say that I’ve been building equalityMD my entire life without ever knowing it simply by showing up, being my authentic self, and giving first. We already have a market base and a rock-solid go-to-market strategy—elements that many would argue constitute 75% of any startup company’s efforts. What we don’t have is a stand-alone product that’s uniquely ours.

After getting schooled during the first iteration of our product, we’re decidedly not building a field of dreams nor are we boiling any ocean. Rather, we’re taking calculated risks by making incremental movements into the market (e.g. – entering the market quickly with a white-label telehealth partner that has a national network of providers), and leaning into our existing relationships to scale organically. We’ll undoubtedly encounter our fair share of road bumps; however, our core team are seasoned startup professionals and, together, we can weather any storm.

We’ll measure our venture’s impact by tracking our customer acquisition and retention rates, as well as monthly recurring revenue, churn, CAC, etc. Individual customers will provide quantitative and qualitative feedback we’ll use to enhance our product offering.

We’ll also track how quickly our B2B operations advance through our marketing initiatives with local LGBTQ+ chambers of commerce (currently 53 nationwide) and relationships with the 438 corporations that support the NGLCC. We have direct access to every local chamber and all 438 corporate sponsors. Our B2B clients will report the efficacy of our inclusive telehealth solution—and, eventually, our unique data insights—utilizing their own internal metrics surrounding their individual DEI/ESG milestones, HR initiatives, supplier diversity goals, and PR/marketing objectives.

Our inclusive telehealth community democratizes care, cures systemic inequities, and makes patients the superheroes of their own healthcare stories. Our secure, comprehensive ecosystem prioritizes individuals’ personal identities and unique life experiences, makes the patient-provider relationship more personal, and brings humanity back into healthcare.

We’re solving a very real problem for millions of people, many of whom have had to suffer in silence for generations. By removing glaring healthcare inequities laid bare by the pandemic, equalityMD can help members of underserved communities live happier, healthier lives.

By delivering culturally competent care to the LGBTQ+ (and soon, other underserved communities), equalityMD will change how people from all walks of life perceive and receive care.

By giving patients true agency, dignity, and respect, equalityMD will reshape customer expectations of the entire healthcare user experience (UX) in the post-pandemic, “digital first” world.

Feedback from customers (individuals, health systems, payors, businesses) will be critical in determining how effective we truly are at achieving our goal: Changing how the LGBTQ+ community perceives and receives care. This will likely be most apparent when we deliver new, actionable insights to paying B2B customers (another B2B SaaS revenue stream). We’ll work with B2B customers and monitor their progress as they implement new measures based on insights we provide (e.g. – new hiring initiatives, new marketing projects, new internal ERG activities, etc.).

Measuring quantitative and qualitative data at every step along our own journey is critical to our company’s financial success and our ability to achieve our mission.

Our solution will have an impact because, pursuant to the Theory of Change, we are designing a solution WITH our target audience, rather than for them. Team equalityMD has a unique vantage point into various healthcare inequities the LGBTQ+ community has endured for generations and continues to endure to this day. Not only do 5 out of 6 of our core team identify as LGBTQ+, but we’ve experienced the problem we’re solving and all of us have experience in healthcare.

Moreover, we’ve conducted independent surveys amongst potential customers (individuals and B2B clients). We’ve stayed abreast of the latest research into LGBTQ+ health equity issues, including “techquity” (the intersection of technology and health equity)—equalityMD has even been included in some of that research (PitchBook, 7wireventures). Our finger is on the pulse of these issues because we are the community we’re serving.

For generations, LGBTQ+ people have relied on word-of-mouth to find medical providers they felt comfortable going to. This inefficient method is still how the vast majority of LGBTQ+ people find doctors. LGBTQ+ patients—like all other patients in the digital-first era—are now consumers. This post-pandemic reality, coupled with transformational societal changes, has caused LGBTQ+ patients to demand more effective, more tech-savvy solutions to the age-old problem of finding inclusive providers.

To date, only two companies in the rapidly growing $216B LGBTQ+ healthcare market have delivered solutions: FOLX Health and Plume. Both entities serve the important—but statistically small—transgender community (0.4% population; 4% LGBTQ+ community).

Indirect competitors include legacy companies (Teladoc, MDLive) & potential exit partners (CVS, Amazon). We're establishing relationships with some indirect competitors (e.g. - CVS, Amazon, Blue Cross Blue Shield) to build foundations that could create multiple exit opportunities.

No competitor requires cultural competency training or has our vast, pre-existing go-to-market networks that enable rapid, organic growth. These networks, which are based on lifetimes of cultivating and nurturing authentic relationships, enable equalityMD to become a trusted community anchor in each new market as we scale organically.

Competitive Advantage Summary:

·      Tech: ML matching algorithm; inclusive virtual first care; new data analytics

·      Training: LGBTQ+ cultural competency training (CME credits)

·      Market: Early mover in $216B LGBTQ+ healthcare market

·      Marketing: Pre-existing networks based on decades of authentic relationships ($27B value)

·      Value: Bridge health inequities; democratize care; supplier diversity, DEI, and inclusive HR solution for employers; valuable new insights about America’s most under-measured demographic

·      Certifications: LGBT Business Enterprise (a NGLCC supplier diversity certification); Benefit Corporation (B-Corp).

To truly change how the LGBTQ+ perceives and receives care, we must deliver authentically inclusive healthcare on a virtual-first platform while simultaneously safely collect new data surrounding the LGBTQ+ patient journey—data we’ll transform into actionable insights that will help health systems, payors, and companies change how they engage the LGBTQ+ community as patients, employees, and consumers. We’ll achieve our objectives by delivering culturally competent digital healthcare and valuable insights that will change antiquated power dynamics within healthcare and encourage all parties to make equitable, data-driven decisions.

equalityMD is a healthcare solution that provides personalized care to patients through advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning, behavioral technology, ancestral practices, software, mobile applications, and big data analytics. equalityMD utilizes AI and machine learning technology in its healthcare approach. This helps streamline processes, resulting in quicker and more accurate decision-making. With this technology, equalityMD evaluates patient data and provides valuable insights to healthcare providers to assist them in making informed decisions about diagnosis and treatment.

In addition, predictive models are employed to detect patients who are at risk of developing health conditions. This enables healthcare providers to intervene before the condition worsens. Behavioral technology is another key feature of equalityMD's healthcare solution. It uses data from patients' behavior patterns to identify potential health risks. This information is used to create personalized healthcare plans that take into account each patient's unique circumstances.

Ancestral practices are integrated into EqualityMD's healthcare approach, using traditional medical knowledge to diagnose health conditions. This approach acknowledges that diverse cultures have distinctive methods of identifying and addressing health problems. By incorporating both traditional medical knowledge and modern technology, we’ll achieve a more comprehensive healthcare approach.

Our web application allows patients to access healthcare information and tools at any time and from any location. Patients can use these tools to monitor their progress toward health goals, such as tracking exercise and diet. The tools also enable real-time communication with healthcare providers. By using big data analytics, we can uncover hidden correlations between lifestyle choices and health outcomes leading to the development of personalized healthcare plans that meet the unique needs of each patient.

equalityMD uses advanced technologies to personalize healthcare based on each patient's intersectional identities, cultural backgrounds, and unique lived experiences (these include social determinants of health). This comprehensive approach empowers patients to become the superheroes of their own healthcare stories as they confidently navigate their unique healthcare journeys with courage, dignity, and pride.

https://www.equalitymd.com/

I’m a former healthcare trial lawyer turned serial entrepreneur. I have the mind of philosopher, heart of a poet, and spirit of a starship captain. DEI is in my DNA. In all that I do, curiosity remains my true North Star. 

My entrepreneurial journey started in 2009 when I lost my job as a litigator due to the Great Recession. I’ve owned a coffee shop, a bar/restaurant, LGBTQ+ marketing/media company, a LGBTQ+ consumer behavioral data analytics company, and a consulting business. I’ve helped businesses and nonprofits craft authentic marketing campaigns tailored to the $1.4 trillion LGBTQ+ consumer market. In 2021 I was named a Top 40 LGBTQ+ Leader in North America.

My prior entrepreneurial ventures succeeded because I spent time developing meaningful relationships. Those relationships—together with my knowledge of our market—are my superpowers.

In mid-2019, I transformed my 4-year-old mid-Atlantic LGBTQ+ marketing/media company, Q Media, into a SaaS consumer behavioral data analytics company, Equality Rewards, and participated in two regional technology accelerators. We were about to launch our product in early 2020. Then COVID-19 stopped the world.

During the pandemic, my team interviewed 1,000+ people nationwide. We discovered that COVID-19 had exacerbated historic healthcare inequities and created additional barriers to accessing care. When attempting to seek care, the most common question asked by the LGBTQ+ community is, “Where can I find a provider who makes me feel safe?” I have personally been asked this question countless times for over 20 years, but I’ve never been able to provide a real answer to it.

In September 2020, I went through StartOut's HackOut competition (a weekend hackathon for LGBTQ+ founders). I created a fictional company called Pride Dr., a LGBTQ+ telehealth platform where LGBTQ+ patients were matched with culturally competent providers. To my surprise, my team ranked in the Top 5! That fall, I took Pride Dr. to the University of Virginia where I competed against other Virginia-based startup companies, and we won first place!

Despite vowing never to return to healthcare after serving as a healthcare trial lawyer in DC many years ago, the pandemic made it clear that I had an opportunity to return to the healthcare sector, only this time as a healthtech entrepreneur. More than an opportunity, I felt I had an obligation to create equalityMD given I could activate my vast, pre-existing networks and relationships to grow and scale our mission-driven company.

In December 2020, I took what started as a fictional company in a StartOut hackathon and made it a real company by transforming Equality Rewards into equalityMD.

Equality Rewards taught me that data analytics can (and should) be utilized in every sector—especially healthcare—so patients, providers, payors, and companies can make informed, data-driven decisions. Only then can DEI (finally) be embedded into the DNA of America’s existing healthcare system.

equalityMD is the DEI change agent the LGBTQ+ needs and the DEI solution healthcare entities and companies require.

B2B SaaS (telehealth): $129-$179 PEPM

B2B SaaS (data insights): $5K-$15K/month (TBD over time)

B2C SaaS (telehealth): $49-$79/individual/month (B2C is an early milestone, our destination is B2B)

This revenue flywheel repeats and compounds as we become trusted community anchors in each new market we enter. We’ll grow and scale organically by capitalizing on our vast networks and pre-existing relationships.

2023: Revenue = $199,497 | EBITDA = $(996,253)

2027: Revenue = $307,727,175 | EBITDA = $232,890,312

After closing our $250,000 pre-seed round and going to market in southern California this summer, we’ll activate our local networks throughout the region, onboard early B2C customers, work closely with them to ensure we’re delivering on the promise we’re selling, and demonstrate early product-market fit.

This progress will enable us to open a Seed Round enabling existing investors to reinvest and VCs we have established relationships with (e.g. – Rock Health Ventures, Virginia Venture Partners) to join in. We anticipate closing our Seed Round by December 2023, enabling us to focus on growth efforts in 2024 (new hires, marketing, sales, customer success, pilots, enterprise clients, etc.).

We’ll join regional LGBTQ+ chambers of commerce in southern California (LA, Long Beach, San Diego, Palm Springs)—we’re already active members of the LA LGBTQ+ chamber and the Richmond, VA LGBTQ+ Chamber (the latter organization I founded in 2012). We’ll establish partnerships with the LA LGBT Center, join other CA-based LGBTQ+ chambers, and join other LGBTQ+ chambers in VA/DC/MD. This slow, controlled organic growth campaign will enable us to capture B2C and B2B customers quickly and inexpensively.

We’ll continue to expand our reach in regions that have strong LGBTQ+ chambers and/or high concentrations of LGBTQ+ individuals (e.g. – NYC, Boston, South Florida, Seattle, Austin, Chicago, etc.). We’ll continue working with the NGLCC’s corporate partners through my participation on the NGLCC’s National Mentorship Committee (I’m the only non-corporate member on the committee) and learn how we can make our product offering suit the needs of various corporations (AMC, Boston Scientific, Kellogg’s, Shell, Wells Fargo, etc.).

We are working with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) to create a 12-month pilot program that helps the payor create a more inclusive experience for its LGBTQ+ members. In December I received a call from BCBS to help them design an RFP for this very purpose. Just last week, our team submitted equalityMD’s application for the RFP that I helped create. While I can’t guarantee that we’ll be offered the position, I believe we have a very good chance of starting a pilot program with BCBS on July 1, 2024.

Similarly, Cedars-Sinai reached out to me last December indicating a desire for equalityMD to help their entire health system authentically engage LGBTQ+ patients. They encouraged us to apply for their healthtech accelerator which starts on July 31, 2023. Regardless if we get accepted, executives within Cedars-Sinai have expressed a desire to potentially create a pilot program for equalityMD to do work similar to the work we may be doing with BCBS.

Even if only one of these opportunities comes through, it would be a game-changer for equalityMD and accelerate our growth and ability to become financially sustainable (and profitable).

Our dual certifications as a LGBT Business Enterprise (NGLCC-issued supplier diversity certification) and a B-Corp are third-party validations of our authentic connection with and devotion to the LGBTQ+ community, as well as a steadfast commitment to sustainable ESG/DEI best practices. Importantly, they’ll open doors for enterprise clients (they already have with AmerisourceBergen).

Our plan to achieve financial sustainability has been successful insofar as that we’ve raised $760,000 to date from friends and family, angel investors, and three venture funds: Gaingels, Startup Health, and Chasing Rainbows.

Our early fundraising efforts paid for the development and testing of our initial product as well as our pivot to the new business model we’re employing today.

All three VCs from our “early days” have indicated that they will re-invest in our Seed Round whenever we open that this fall. Gaingels—our strongest supporter—is also starting a new LGBTQ+ healthcare fund and they’d like equalityMD to be a portfolio company of that fund. This is in addition to re-investing in us through one of their general funds.

Moreover, our contacts at Rock Health Ventures, Virginia Venture Partners, and several other VCs we’ve been in touch with for 1-2 years have indicated strong desires to invest in our Seed Round, so long as we can demonstrate early traction metrics—something we’re working on doing right now in southern California.

We’ve effectively lined up the players we’ll need for the next several years—from fundraising to enterprise clients. We’re even in talks with potential exit partners like Amazon and CVS/Aetna (Amazon believes equalityMD would pair nicely with their recent acquisition of One Medical). Our goal is to sell the company to one of these larger entities sometime in the next 5-7 years.