We just launched our care connector app—here’s what the journey looked like...
A little photo diary to reflect on the last 18 months. It's a little long but bare with me, because it's actually very wholesome.
In June 2023, I was laid off from my job at Planned Parenthood. It was about 12 months into the job and with nothing lined up, I was completely clueless on what to do next.
July 2023: With fear and confusion deep in my heart, I travelled around Spain with my cousins, did some soul searching and revisited my dream journal from 2022. Right there was an action item from when I was thinking of rebranding my consulting LLC called Tara into Fluid Health, a health tech start up providing inclusive and accessible sexual health care for queer women and gender expansive people.
August 2023: Deciding to take the plunge, I started talking to a lot of people in the start up world. I spent 6 months educating myself on start up jargon (but what really is GTM), dreaming about new systems of care for everyone regardless of gender and actually talking to community members on their existing health care experiences.
September 2023: I travelled to San Francisco to work with a friend on creating the first product plans for Fluid. The uncertainty of how I could do this was overwhelming. Big picture, I was envisioning a health dashboard that allowed people to learn more about their health and access care on their terms. BIG ideas.
October 2023: I fell into a deep depression and struggled with med changes. Life did not feel fun and I took a break from Fluid.
In November 2023, as a birthday gift, William invested the first $8000 in the company, to help me build my dreams. I no longer felt alone. This is us in Paris, during our annual thanksgiving trip.
December and January 2023: I create a logo on Canva, a basic website on Squarespace and set out to work with an engineer in San Francisco to create the first MVP.
By February 2024, I finally put forth the expensive paperwork to register My Fluid Health as a c-corp in the state of Delaware.
March 2024, I put together an advisory board and raise another 10,000 USD from family. By the end of April 2024, I talked to many CEOs, founders, and investors to learn more about what makes a start up successful. While our initial feedback to our MVP was positive, we needed more data to iterate and build on it.
During May 2024, I made the decision to stop working on Fluid alone and in the shadows. It was getting crazy lonely. I needed more people for the start up and to actually put this out there.
Wanting to establish a brand identity, I invested in an actual logo, brand identity, photoshoot, put together an expert review board, share a queer health database resource I had built from my time as an educator, and launch a website.
June 2023: I attend a lot of New York tech events with the goal of growing the team. We launched on social media, people deeply resonated with our vision. It all felt so real.
We hosted an event at The Standard in NYC, attended by 60 people and had a press feature in Conde Nast's publication Mixed Feelings
July 2024: I found a great team of engineers and we went back to work on the MVP to refine it. Between August and October, we decided to become more niche, connecting women and sexual minorities who have issues related to chronic pelvic pain syndromes with sex therapists. Did you know 81% of chronic pelvic pain patients experience sexual dysfunction, with rates even higher among LGBTQIA+ individuals? Yet many can't find affirming care that truly sees them.
November 2024: We open our app with one sex therapist to a small group of beta testers. We begin to test our approach in solving a critical healthcare problem - helping patients effectively communicate their needs and make the most of limited time with providers - while building the foundation for better patient-provider relationships.
As of December 2024, two person have established care, and others have felt the potential of our work in finding real culturally competent care. We need more data and to iterate the app, but a few early success in making patients feel comfortable and prepared suggests this model fills a critical gap in healthcare navigation.
As of March 2025, we’re up and live to the public. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Our care navigator app connects people experiencing sexual pain with affirming, expert sex therapists who actually listen and know how to help. No more medical gaslighting. No more searching alone. Just real care, real answers, and real healing.
We just launched, and I’d love for you to check it out—or share it with someone who might need it.
Book a free 15-minute consultation today
I’m excited to grow with you all and take Fluid Health to the next level.
To a queer and inclusive future!!!
Varuna Srinivasan, CEO and Founder, Fluid Health