For too long, women’s health issues have been swept under the rug, with women’s concerns being dismissed and diminished. In fact, 85% of women have reported they have faced multiple experiences of not being listened to by healthcare professionals. Hello Eve was created to ensure that women from all walks of life no longer face the challenges and frustrations of feeling invisible when seeking treatment and support for their various health conditions. We identified a gap in the market for women to access the contraception, menopause and period support and products they need easily and safely, and Hello Eve was established to do just that.
Tell me about the business – what it is, what it aims to achieve, who you work with, how you reach customers and so on?
Hello Eve is a women’s wellness and lifestyle brand dedicated to providing healthcare products tailored specifically for the everyday, underserved, and underrepresented woman. Our mission is rooted in championing women’s health, empowering them to lead vibrant and fulfilling lives by offering products designed for every stage of life.
Our business revolves around making healthcare accessible to women aged 18 and above through a safe and convenient fully online consultation process, where we can deliver medication quickly and discreetly.
Facilitating women’s choice is a huge driver for us. We believe that women should be given the choice to choose what is right for their body and make an informed decision. At Hello Eve, we can provide the clinical guidance but also work with the patient to ensure that the treatment they are looking for is right for them. An example of this being that we know that some women can experience unwelcome side effects on certain daily contraceptive pills. We want to empower them with the information to choose the right one for them without it being “dictated”.
The process begins with an online consultation, where we gather essential information for tailored product recommendations. After selecting a product, our clinical team verifies its suitability for each customer. The final stage of the process is the delivery of the selected product. We offer flexible home or workplace delivery options to ensure convenient access to our healthcare products.
We’ve also recently partnered with the period poverty charity, Freedom4girls in which we make donations based on patient referrals to Hello Eve. This partnership aligns with our Hello Eve brand mission and we are excited to be giving back and supporting such an incredible cause.
At Hello Eve, we understand that female healthcare is complex and nuanced. Therefore, our goal is to ensure that our customers feel like their voices are not only heard but also validated.
How has the business evolved since its launch?
At the start of 2023, Hello Eve was acquired by Phlo Technologies, one of the UK’s leading online pharmacy service providers. Before the acquisition, Hello Eve focused exclusively on oral contraceptives, catering to UK women aged 18 to menopause with a product lineup including daily, mini, and emergency (morning-after) pills.
In October 2023, Hello Eve expanded its product offerings beyond contraception. While initially remaining within the women’s reproductive health space, we started offering a broader range of products, including oral contraception, period delay, and menopause-related solutions. This marked a shift from being solely contraception-centric to broadening into a women’s lifestyle and wellness brand.
Tell us about the working culture at Hello Eve
Everyone on the team is incredibly passionate about the work we’re doing to improve women’s healthcare, and this enthusiasm is evident in our work environment. We’ve really tried to create an inclusive culture where everyone feels respected and heard. A key value for us here at Hello Eve is that no idea is too ‘silly’ which is how we’ve managed to create an atmosphere that encourages creative thinking and innovation from all team members. I’m inspired by Hello Eve’s vision for the future of women’s health and our collective commitment, as a team, to progress towards our vision every day.
How are you funded?
Hello Eve sits within the Phlo Technologies family of brands. Phlo Technologies raised £10M Series A round in February 2023.
What has been your biggest challenge so far and how have you overcome this?
The online medication delivery sector is rightfully highly regulated, and the Hello Eve team has worked tirelessly to ensure that our systems and protocols are fully compliant and safe. Navigating through policy ‘grey areas’ and regularly updated rules can prove challenging, but it’s a top priority for me and the team.
As well as this, access to the medications in the overall supply chain has also been a struggle. Whilst we cannot influence the drug and medication manufacturers, we are great at anticipating our customer demands, have a dedicated buying specialist within the clinical team, and we have recently implemented an internal stock system to ensure we have eyes on our stock levels at the touch of a button.
How does Hello Eve answer an unmet need?
Hello Eve addresses an unmet need by offering a convenient and accessible way for women to meet their contraception, menopause and period delay needs.
Whether it’s due to a lack of time or various anxieties, many women find it challenging to visit their doctors for these specific health concerns, leaving them in uncomfortable and unhappy situations. Hello Eve bridges that gap by providing women with a judgment-free consultation service and clinically-prescribed products delivered right to their front door, ensuring convenient access to the advice, medications, and treatments they need.
What’s in store for the future?
The long term vision for Hello Eve is to create a comprehensive online women’s healthcare service that caters and addresses a range of women’s healthcare needs. Our focus will be building out our menopause offering and adding new services such as STI testing and treatments for vaginal infections and UTIs. Women shouldn’t have to put up with year long waiting lists to get the treatment they require now and we are laser focused on driving that. We will also be shortly launching a same-day delivery service UK-cities for emergency contraception which will be a gamechanger for women who don’t feel comfortable or don’t want to visit their local GP or pharmacy. For us it’s about providing clinically safe treatments, patient choice and fast discreet delivery.
We also want to build our Hello Eve women’s wellness community. It’s important for women to be able to share knowledge and educate themselves on their own bodies. So much of this isn’t taught and we want to be able to share and provide clinical knowledge to help inform women to make the best decisions for them and their bodies.
What one piece of advice would you give other pharmacists who want to work in digital health?
One piece of advice I would offer to other pharmacists who aspire to venture beyond traditional pharmacy roles is to simply take the leap. There are so many causes out there that need our expertise and knowledge as well as countless opportunities for your work to make such a positive impact in people’s lives, you’d be doing them – and yourself – a disservice if you don’t take that leap of faith.
We all know the future is digital, so I’d recommend embracing the learning curve and putting yourself out there. By leveraging your pharmaceutical knowledge and experience alongside the advancements in healthtech, we as Pharmacists can significantly contribute to innovative solutions – enhancing patient care and helping to advance the digital landscape. It really is an interesting, fun and rewarding journey and I’d strongly recommend it!
And finally, a more personal question! What’s your daily routine and the rules you’re living by at the moment?
Like most individuals at the start of the new year, I’m trying to build some more positive habits into my daily routine. I have a rule that I have to engage in some form of movement during the day – even if it’s just a walk. My day-to-day is mostly dedicated to work at Hello Eve – where I handle online consultations, recommending the most suitable products for each client, and strategising the addition of new treatments for future offerings. In the evenings, I unwind by preparing a home cooked dinner and my 3-step skincare routine, without fail!
Jaanki Kotecha, Pharmacist Independent Prescriber at Hello Eve.