NEW YORK – Teal Health said Thursday that it closed an additional $10 million in seed funding to support the launch of its Teal Wand at-home cervical cancer screening device.
Emerson Collective and Forerunner led the investment round, which brings Teal's total funding to $23 million. Other investors included Serena Ventures, Metrodora, and Laboratory Corporation of America.
The Teal Wand detects the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer. It is an investigational device currently under review by the US Food and Drug Administration, which granted it breakthrough device status last year.
San Francisco-based Teal said earlier that it received the designation following review of data from its SELF-CERV clinical trial, which compared HPV detection via the Teal Wand to that detected by standard-of-care collection performed by a healthcare provider.
Customers using the wand collect their own samples and send them to Teal's lab, where they are processed. Results are reviewed by a company clinician before being shared with the customer.
Teal aims to acquire customers through direct marketing, as well as through partnerships that leverage providers, employers, and payors to expand access.
"Cervical cancer is detectable and treatable if you can catch it early enough," Matt Bettonville, an investor at Yosemite, which manages Emerson Collective’s oncology investments, said in a statement.