Indonesian digital health clinic Newman’s helps men solve hair loss and other stigmatized health issues

Posted By: e June 15, 2020


Indonesian Y Combinator-backed consumer health startup Newman’s recently launched its end-to-end men’s health care platform, first targeting the sensitive category of hair loss. Newman’s allows customers to consult specialist hair loss doctors and get medical-grade treatments delivered right to their doorsteps, all with a few taps of their smartphones. Hair care is a multi-billion dollar market in Indonesia, and according to a 2019 report by Google, search terms related to hair loss and hair growth jumped 3.2x.

After the launch of the hair loss category, the company plans to target other sensitive health issues faced by men, namely sexual health (erectile dysfunction) and smoking cessation. A 2019 report by Euromonitor International pegged the market for men’s personal care to grow between 15-20% per annum for the next 5 years. As the pioneer in the men’s digital health clinic space, the company is poised to capitalize on this growth. 

Products and offerings:

  • Hair loss and growth: Consultation with specialist doctors + finasteride, minoxidil, ketoconazole, daily shampoo
  • Sexual health (erectile dysfunction): Consultation with specialist doctors + sildenafil
  • Smoking cessation: Consultation with specialist doctors + nicotine replacement products

Company history:

Newman’s was founded in 2019 by three who graduated from University of Southern California — Elsen Wiraatmadja, Alfred Ali and Anthony Suryaputra who wanted to solve their own hair loss problem. 

Unlike the US where effective hair loss solutions such as minoxidil are widely sold, usually under the Kirkland or Rogaine trade name, in Indonesia such products are difficult to access and the majority of men do not know how to solve their hair loss problems. 

With the encouraging uptake of demand from its first few months of launch, the company is aiming to expand into the sexual health (erectile dysfunction) and smoking cessation verticals, providing a more holistic health and personal care experience for all Indonesian men. 

The company is based in Jakarta, and is backed by several leading local and global venture capital funds, including Y Combinator, the world’s preeminent startup accelerator that has backed the likes of Airbnb, Stripe, Dropbox, Coinbase and other startups that are collectively valued at over US$155 billion as of October 2019.