Just six months after launching, LEAGUE, the personal health care startup led by former Kobo CEO Mike Serbinis, is now available in the US with a Seattle-focused launch.
In a blog post from Serbinis, the founder stated that the decision to launch in cities specifically, rather than nationwide, is deliberate, and that Seattle is the perfect city to begin a US expansion.
“Health is hyperlocal,” Serbinis told BetaKit over email. “People use health and wellness services that are close to their home or to work, so when it comes to building out our health provider network, we are taking a hyperlocal, city model approach.”
“Health and wellness is core to living in Seattle, and that’s reflected in health spending and the kind of benefits that employers offer.” -Mike Serbinis
Seattle itself is home to large tech companies, and its temperate weather and landscape make it easy to enjoy outdoor activities year-round. “Health and wellness is core to living in Seattle, and that’s reflected in health spending and the kind of benefits that employers offer,” said Serbinis. “Seattle is also home to progressive tech and industry giants like Starbucks, Microsoft, Amazon and Costco that view employee health and wellness as a priority.”
LEAGUE wants to use Seattle as a starting point before expanding to 20 cities across North America, and Serbinis said the company is taking the opportunity to test its new LEAGUE business platform. “As employers play a bigger role in health care funding in the US, we hope to test our new LEAGUE for Business platform, which includes personal spending accounts—a digital wallet for employee health spending.” said Serbinis.
In its home city of Toronto, LEAGUE has already established itself as one of the largest regional health provider networks, with over one thousand health and wellness small businesses and professionals on the platform, over 50 employers and “triple digit monthly growth,” according to the company.