First Opinion operates a text-based doctor service that assigns each patient the same physician and allows unlimited health questions via text. Patients receive free responses within 24 hours, or can pay a subscription starting at $9 per month for a five-minute response. The company positions texting as a lower-cost, broader-reach alternative to video telemedicine, targeting people who lack smartphones or who are unwilling to pay higher per-visit fees. CEO McKay Thomas has argued many people will not pay $40 for half a doctor visit, and the company cites cellphone and smartphone penetration statistics to define its market. Polaris partner Brian Chee says the service can reduce doctor and patient loads and out-of-pocket expenditures, and he will join First Opinion's board. First Opinion has raised $8.6 million to date, including a $2.6 million seed and the new $6 million Series A. First Opinion operates an iOS app that pairs users with doctors they can text for medical questions, offering one free consult per month and paid packages starting at $12 for three sessions. The service emphasizes preventative care and was initially built for expectant parents; other use cases include chronic conditions, insomnia, headaches, and anxiety. To protect privacy, signup requires only a first name and email address. Doctors are available 24 hours a day, answers are usually provided within nine minutes, and the company has reduced matching time from over 15 minutes to as little as 30 seconds. The matching algorithm was created by co-founder and CTO Jay Marcyes and the operation is staffed for round-the-clock coverage with COO Dr. Vik Bakhru. The app includes doctor profiles (one doctor cited had answered more than 1,500 questions) and the company plans to use new funding to further hone its matching algorithm. First Opinion provides SMS-based access to a vetted stable of doctors, matching users to physicians based on gender, issue, parental status and pregnancy. The app offers a free first chat while keeping users anonymous to avoid HIPAA requirements, then charges a $9/month subscription for unlimited access to the same doctor. Launched in early December, it reached #4 in the App Store health category within two days and recorded 10,000 doctor "consultations" in its first month, with average chats now over 10 messages. The founders are McKay Thomas (also co-founder of Baby.com.br) and CTO Jay Marcyes from Path. The company raised capital to recruit more doctors and grow its team. The product emphasizes a personal, ongoing doctor–patient conversation via text rather than video or Q&A forums.

Total raised

$9M

Funding rounds

3

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Dec 2014