Though it may be uncomfortable to openly discuss, hair loss is a unique problem that affects the majority of men over 40 — and many under that age, too. Keeps, a new healthtech company, aims to open an honest dialogue about this issue, while offering proven solutions based on medical research and data.
Founded in 2017, Keeps uses a streamlined e-commerce model to offer an efficient and FDA-approved treatment. The Keeps app begins by asking users questions to better understand their hair-related issues and goals. Keeps’ team of doctors then create a customized treatment plan specifically for each user’s needs — this first consultation even comes completely free.
After a plan of action is put in place, users shouldn’t expect any obscene upcharges or outlandish prescription prices. Because Keeps works directly with doctors and medical suppliers, they manage to avoid the unruly costs of the average treatment and can offer monthly prescriptions as low as $10.
Keeps' website is filled with images of men in their late 20’s and early 30’s, praising the rejuvenating power of the company. The brand encourages younger men who may be prone to hair loss to begin their Keeps regimen early: “There’s no magic cure for baldness,” says the site. “But you can prevent hair loss from happening in the first place. The earlier you take action, the more hair you keep.”
Keeps co-founders Steven Gutentag and Demetri Karagas both attended New York University’s Stern School of Business, from which they graduated in 2010. Investors clearly believe these sharp co-founders are on to something big, as evidenced by an undisclosed funding round in January 2018. Leading the round was none other than Maveron, the VC firm spearheaded by Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz. Schultz also serves on the board of directors for eBay and Drugstore.com, indicating his familiarity with the e-commerce and healthtech spaces.
We worked with [...] two of the world’s leading authorities on hair loss, to develop Keeps.”
While some may remain skeptical about using a web-based platform to solve such a personal problem, Keeps assures that it is backed by the leading research. “We worked with Dr. Jerry Shapiro and Dr. Antonella Tosti, two of the world’s leading authorities on hair loss, to develop Keeps,” writes co-founder Karagas on the Keeps site. “The treatments we sell are FDA-approved and proven to help prevent loss and regrow hair. In fact, they are the only drugs proven and approved to treat hair loss in men.”
While losing your hair may not be the most exciting topic of conversation — it’s one that Keeps is making that much easier to have. When it comes to trying a company like Keeps, the only thing you really have to lose is, well — you know.
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