Zencape Health - a platform to connect patients with coordinated specialist care for chronic pelvic conditions, including pelvic floor physical therapists, pain psychologists, nutrition experts, and gynecological surgeons has been closed down.
The reason for the closure are financial: the platform could not achieve unit economics to meet VC funding standards.
The platform was widely praised for its inclusive, affirming & comprehensive healthcare treatments.
Despite women being much less likely than men to receive venture capitalist funding, the founder of Zencape Health managed to raise venture funding, although this sometimes came with sexist attitudes in the industry.
The closure of Zencape Health showcases the enormity of obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs to achieve startup success and how the odds can feel stacked against them.
The author is proud of what Zencape Health achieved, in terms of healthcare outcomes and offering a space for people with chronic conditions, despite time and funding running out.
The author reflects that the key takeaway from building Zencape Health is that every avalanche leads to a valley of opportunities, and reflects positively on the experience.
The startup was started by the author as a response to years of frustration and disappointment from a lack of access to personalized, comprehensive specialty care.
In conclusion, the founder of Zencape Health expresses gratitude to the many extraordinary individuals who helped build the company and seems excited for the future.
This article provides a recount of the author’s experiences, reflections and insights on building, growing and closing a startup, with a particular focus on her time running Zencape Health, a health-tech company.