Seattle startup 98point6, whose app lets consumers consult with a primary-care doctor via text messages, has raised $50 million from investors.
The company launched its virtual primary-care service to the public this spring, allowing people to schedule consultations with 98point6's full-time staff doctors and communicate with health-care providers mostly through messaging, with video and voice calls if necessary. The service costs $20 for the first year, then increases to $120 annually, and does not require insurance.
98point6 has now raised more than $86 million since it was founded in 2015. Part of the reason to raise the latest funding round, said CEO Robbie Cape, is so the company can act less like a startup and more like an established firm.
"It's one thing to be nimble and be scrappy, and it's another thing to be delivering the highest quality of health care," he said. "We need to be delivering the highest quality of health care, and substantial funding enables us to do that."
Goldman Sachs led the funding round for the company.
The startup has 126 employees, including 15 doctors, mostly located in its downtown Seattle office. 98point6's service is now available in 40 states, and the company plans to reach the remaining 10 by the end of the year.
98point6 also partners with a few companies, including Seattle Children's Hospital, to provide the service for employees as part of their health care coverage.
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