Grace Ashiru
Contro, a South African telehealth company, has completed its oversubscribed pre-seed financing round, raising R10.1 million ($5.6 million).
Four international and local VCs, including iCubed Plug & Play, iCubed Capital, WZ Capital, Jozi Angels Network, and well-known local and international Angels, contributed to the investment. Contro also got a grant from the i3 fund, which the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation backs.
An Overview of the Startup’s Activities
When it came out in June 2021, Contro focused on sexual health and treatment for low confidence. Currently, the company offers six services, such as birth control subscriptions, erectile dysfunction and hair loss treatments, and one-time treatments for STIs, thrush, and UTIs.
Since it started, the site has helped over 2,000 people in South Africa get therapy, and it keeps getting better and better. The team behind Contro paid for the platform’s development out of their own pockets in 2019, hoping to show that the product and market fit before looking for outside funding, which they did.
So far, our success has shown that putting the customer first is the best way to do a successful direct-to-consumer business in South Africa.
Alex Schmid, the founder of Contro, said, “By understanding the barriers to entry and pain points people face when looking for sexual health care services, we were able to build a service that makes access cheaper, more private, and easier than ever before.”
“I’m so proud of our team’s work, the hours they’ve put in, and the weekends they’ve given up to get the company to where it is now.”
Investors have seen how determined Contro is and how much potential it has. We are proud that great VCs, Angels, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are supporting us and our platform because of this.
Contro intends to use the funds to improve its platform, expand its offerings, and expand its personnel, to permit targeted expansion across South Africa.
30% of Contro’s customers are from South Africa’s townships and rural areas. Contro intends to build on its current momentum in those markets and beyond.
Our most significant accomplishment has been doing a service that all South Africans can use and that doesn’t cost a lot.
“Schmid said, “The platform is used in urban and rural areas, like Khayelitsha, Alexandra, Soweto and Khaye,” Schmid said.
We are one of the few companies in South Africa that can help with consultations and medication delivery anywhere.
As South Africans who started the company, this has made us feel small, and this success keeps us working to improve our platform and company so that everyone can get health care.
