Health Tech is Heating Up. Here’s What Hims & Hers Got Right
The digital health space is on fire right now. Investors are watching closely. Startups are racing to launch and raising to scale. Patients are finally starting to trust the idea that their healthcare can begin online, not in a waiting room, but on a screen, on their time and terms.
One of the most defining signals in this shift has been Hims & Hers. Launched in 2017 and going public just two years later, they did something few companies have managed in healthcare: they moved fast and built trust. They understood something fundamental that most people don’t engage with the healthcare system unless they have to, and even then, it’s often uncomfortable, expensive, and slow.
So they picked categories where the pain was obvious and the demand was real. Hair loss, erectile dysfunction, anxiety, birth control, areas where traditional medicine created stigma, long delays, or unnecessary gatekeeping. They reimagined the access point: not a doctor’s office, but a direct-to-consumer platform that felt more like a premium lifestyle experience than a clinical transaction. They replaced sterile interfaces with stylish design, outdated systems with intuitive access, and reactive care with proactive guidance.
At first, Hims & Hers felt like a premium Shopify store. But they’ve since proven they’re far more than that, a trustworthy, modern force in digital health. A company that feels calm, branded and approachable.
This wasn’t just a marketing win, it was infrastructure. They built a full-stack care platform with integrated pharmacy delivery, telehealth services, and asynchronous care. And they wrapped it in a brand that understood modern consumers. Their aesthetic is clean warm, their tone is casual but responsible. For a large segment of people, particularly millennials and older Gen Z — Hims & Hers feels like health care they could finally say yes to.
They also did something incredibly difficult: they scaled a health platform that didn’t feel like “healthcare.” That’s not an easy line to walk. Many try and either end up feeling like an infomercial or lose trust by seeming unserious. Hims & Hers struck the balance. Their users feel safe, seen, and served, not oversold to.
It’s important to acknowledge that success. Because what they’ve built is more than a company, it’s proof. Proof that people will engage with digital-first care, that frictionless health access doesn’t have to feel cold. When done right, convenience and care can co-exist under unified, people forward brands.
However, healthcare is a wide landscape, and not all care can (or should) be solved with transactions. There are layers that go deeper than delivery of meds, conditions that require longitudinal care, deep personalization, or emotional connection over time. Not every person connects with a company that begins the relationship through a transaction, ordering medication, clicking “buy now.” And that’s not a flaw. It’s an opportunity to go deeper.
That’s where our vision comes in. ClaraWell isn’t built to just sell products, she’s being built to understand people and meet them where they are. To listen before suggesting, engage before advising and lead with care, not conversion. One day, she may introduce you to ClaraMeds, but only if that’s what your health truly calls for.
The Market is Wide. So is the Opportunity.
Hims and Hers proved they could win trust in stigmatized categories, but their growth story is still just beginning. There is untapped potential in expanding their medication offerings, building deeper clinical pathways, and reaching global audiences who are hungry for the same kind of accessible care. As regulatory landscapes shift and digital health adoption accelerates worldwide, they are well-positioned to enter new markets and broaden their impact beyond the categories that made them famous. I’m genuinely excited to see where they go next, especially as they have recently announced a major strategic addition to their team, COO Nader Kabbani, bringing deep global expertise from nearly two decades at Amazon.
As the founder of a health tech company, I see Hims & Hers as a signal. The public is ready to engage with digital-first healthcare. They’re open to change. That alone offers real hope for the future of wellness, not just in the U.S., but globally.
At Godly Labs, we’re building ClaraWell for people whose health needs can’t be reduced to a single moment, symptom, or transaction. Someone seeking clarity. A person ready to engage with their health in a more meaningful way. Someone looking for a trusted guide to move forward with confidence, now and into the future.
ClaraWell is more than a symptom tool or a virtual clinic. She’s a health assistant designed to learn, adapt, and help people stay deeply connected to their care.
Every tool we launch, like ApneaRisk.com and ADHDRisk.com is a step in her training. Clara is learning how to listen with intent, how to guide with context, and how to build real continuity over time. Her brain is growing, quietly, carefully, and with every interaction, she gets better at knowing what truly helps.
Healthcare is deeply personal, every journey is different, and I believe every individual deserves care that reflects that. ClaraWell is being built with intention, to rise steadily, one step at a time. With each conversation, each connection, she grows more capable of understanding the people she serves.
Hims & Hers is showing us what’s possible when healthcare meets people where they are. Their journey is one to watch, and one worth learning from.
When Trust Is the Real Infrastructure
It’s easy to get caught up in momentum. Growth, media attention, the rush of launching quickly. But without strong foundations, none of it holds. Hims and Hers moved with intention. They understood the moment and delivered where it mattered. That deserves credit. They built a brand that meets people where they are, in categories that matter, especially in areas people don’t always feel comfortable talking about. That’s what real market fit looks like: clear demand, thoughtful delivery, and impeccable timing.
What comes next will require clinical depth, structured data, and a focus on what truly impacts lives — chronic conditions, underserved communities, and health behaviors that evolve over time. It will call for trust that builds slowly, through presence, precision, and care that remembers who you are.
Health tech is still in its early chapters. The momentum is growing. The need is undeniable. But what comes next won’t be led by speed alone. It will be shaped by those who build with purpose, stay grounded in care, and earn their place over time.
Hims & Hers may be the beginning of digital health as we know it. A first chapter in a much longer story still unfolding. They’re hot right now, but the embers they’ve sparked will burn for a long time. What they lit is real, and it’s changing how care shows up in people’s lives.
