At the Healthcare Dealmakers Conference Health Innovation Pitch Competition this spring, Rosy Wellness, Inc. came out on top, earning $14,000 and office space with Healthcare Wildcatters as well. Rosy is a women’s health company that addresses decreased sexual desire to improve libido with evidence-based resources and community.
Low sexual desire impacts 31 million women in the U.S. alone, double the number that suffer from erectile dysfunction, yet there is just one drug and a lack of evidence based comprehensive solutions. The low desire impacts women and their relationships, as 69 percent have a worsened body image, 67 percent feel less connected, 51 percent have lower self-confidence, and 35 percent worry their partner will cheat.
Rosy includes content meant to educate and improve desire, and includes informative videos, three levels of sexy short stories, and practical guides from psychologist Laurie Mintz, author of Becoming Cliterate.
Founded by Dr. Lyndsey Harper, an OBGYN who had been in practice for seven years when she attended an International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health conference, and began to learn the process of care around low desire. “I felt like I was on a different planet,” Harper said. “I need to download into my brain all these things I could be doing – no one knows about them.”
She finally had evidence-based solutions for her patients who would express low sexual desire, which includes 24-36 percent of women ages 30 to 59. Menopause and childbirth are the most common reasons women have decreased sexual desire, but it can occur at any time. Harper said patients wouldn’t have anyone to talk to about the problem, and often thought they were the only ones with the problem.
With a goal of getting 100 doctors a month to sign up for materials about Rosy, 1800 have already signed up since they launched. Built with the support of technology, research, and design firm Dialexa, where Harper’s husband is CEO, the app is free for seven days and then $10 a month or $50 for six months.
Harper has raised $700,000 so far, but her passion for the product makes raising money easy. “I feel like this is a thing we are obligated to do,” she says. “I feel like this is something bigger, and that is what motivates me.”
