Healthcare’s Newest “Unicorn” Aims to Untangle Patient Chaos
A $130 million investment signals a growing belief that navigating the healthcare system shouldn’t require a medical degree.
- Solace Health secured $130 million in Series C funding, valuing the company at over $1 billion.
- The company provides patients with access to over 2,000 trained healthcare advocates.
- Solace was founded after the CEO’s mother, a radiologist, struggled to manage her own cancer diagnosis.
- Currently, Solace supports more than 20,000 patients each month.
The healthcare system is notoriously complex, and a new company is betting that patients need a guide. Solace Health, a patient advocacy network, has raised $130 million in a Series C funding round led by IVP, with participation from Menlo Ventures and SignalFire. This influx of capital propels Solace to a valuation exceeding $1 billion—a “unicorn” status that underscores the increasing demand for assistance navigating the often-bewildering world of medical care.
The Problem With Being Your Own Advocate
Solace Health functions as a “human layer” designed to simplify the fragmented healthcare experience. The company connects over 20,000 patients monthly with more than 2,000 trained advocates—many of whom are nurses—who handle the logistical headaches of appointments, insurance claims, and other administrative hurdles. It’s a service born from a deeply personal frustration.
The company’s origin story centers on CEO Jeremy Gurewitz’s experience watching his mother, an accomplished radiologist, struggle to manage her own pancreatic cancer diagnosis in 2022. He and CPO Sara Sargent realized that even with extensive medical knowledge, navigating the system was an overwhelming challenge. “Medical literacy isn’t enough,” Gurewitz explained. “The friction of the administrative system is so high that even insiders get stuck.”
Rapid Growth and a Clear Mission
Today, Solace serves patients through a HIPAA-compliant platform, offering support via text, phone, and video. The company has experienced 10x year-over-year growth and, with the backing of IVP, is poised to expand its reach nationwide. The goal? To shorten time-to-diagnosis, reduce unnecessary hospitalizations, and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
“The healthcare system has normalized leaving patients to figure things out themselves in their vulnerable moments,” Gurewitz said. “That failure is costly, dangerous, and preventable.”
