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Ro conscientious objector - founder and CEO Zachariah Reitano said while he ’d “ never say never ” about potentially taking the 7 - year - honest-to-goodness telehealth company public , he imagine the benefits of being a private party are originate .
Reitano dodged multiple questions from Axios reporter Dan Primack about whether or not the companionship has plans to IPO in the near full term — or in oecumenical — at Axios ’ BFD consequence on October 22 .
“ I might give an unsatisfying result , but the trueness is that aright now , we are exclusively focus on delivering the eminent calibre merchandise for our patient , ” Reitano said .
Ro has raised more than $ 1 billion in venture chapiter from the like of General Catalyst , Initialized Capital , and Torch Capital , among many others . Ro mostrecently raise $ 150 millionin a rung led by ShawSpring Partners that valued the company at around $ 6.6 billion .
Reitano ’s thought is likely one share by other belated - microscope stage inauguration founder as speculation - back companies continue to stay private longer , according to PitchBook datum . Another cistron keeping companies private is the raise ofthe secondaries marketas an progressively common way to give investors and employees some liquidity — although the bulk of activity fence a smattering of companies .
He also talked about the company ’s handsome “ uncomfortable bet ” on weight red drug that became available on the chopine in 2023 . Ro was set up in 2017 by Rob Schutz , Saman Rahmanian , and Reitano as a telehealth company focused on cavernous dysfunction . The caller flesh out to more men ’s and women ’s health class , include tomentum growth , richness and cutis wellness . But it has now become well known as a supplier of multiple GLP-1s options . Reitano said the company began acquire the program to provide such drugs in 2021 and act a substantial per centum of its resource into the category at the time . It is now one of the fastest grow sectors of its commercial enterprise .
“ Providers want patients to have it , and patients desperately desire it . Those things have never happened in any drug family before , and so from our perspective , the prevalence and far-flung usage of GLP-1s is inevitable , ” Reitano said .
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He added that the expansion was natural at the metre for the society as conditions like obesity wallop many of the other health categories the company focuses on , admit fertility rate and intimate health conditions like erectile dysfunction .
