500 Startups has announced today a partnership with Planned Parenthood Federation of America to offer more opportunities for both growth and technology to be applied to Planned Parenthood’s digital health offerings.  Planned Parenthood will be sending its Spot On app team through the 500 Seed Program in 2017, which is known for its tactical approach to rapid customer acquisition, also known as “growth hacking”.

Spot On is Planned Parenthood’s free, award-winning birth control and period tracking mobile app that empowers people to take control of their period, their birth control, and their sexual health.  The goal of this partnership is to enable and empower more people to use Planned Parenthood digital tools to take charge of their health. The first project will be focused on Spot On. Subsequent projects will focus on other Planned Parenthood assets.

“We realized that 500 can help non-profits gain more reach and have an even bigger impact on the world by offering the same growth hacking resources we provide our startups,” said Rebecca Woodcock, EIR at 500 Startups. “Rather than do nothing, we decided to take action to positively affect the trajectory of the non-profits like Planned Parenthood, who has a mission we believe in.”

To kick off this ongoing relationship, Planned Parenthood and 500 Startups are planning a “growth hackathon” April 22-23 to help more people access the Spot On app. The partnership is part of Tech Stands with Planned Parenthood, an effort by tech leaders and innovators to show their support for Planned Parenthood’s health centers and patients and calling on their peers to do the same.

“We’re incredibly grateful for 500 Startups’ support of Planned Parenthood and thrilled to work with them to find new and innovative ways to share Spot On, our popular period tracker and birth control app,” said Jenny Friedler, Senior Director, Digital Product Lab at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.  “Planned Parenthood was founded on the radical idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams. Technology helps us bring that information and care to the millions of people who rely on us — whether they’re on their phones or in a health center.”  

500 Startups recently launched a digital health accelerator as part of their core seed program, lead by Rebecca Woodcock their Entrepreneur-in-Residence, a startup founder with direct experience in building healthcare and digital health related startups.

ABOUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With approximately 650 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood organizations serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.