For Reitano, the CEO of the New York-based men's health startup Roman, the focus of his company is very personal. Knowing a patient has erectile dysfunction can help doctors better check for other health concerns such as diabetes or heart disease. It's something Reitano refers to as a "check-engine light." In Reitano's case, erectile dysfunction signaled a heart condition.
It's personal too for Reitano's two cofounders, Schutz and Rahmanian, who watched their wives go though doctor's visits upon doctor's visits throughout pregnancy. When it came to their own health, it wasn't something they spent much time thinking about.
The three met while Reitano and Rahmanian were working at Prehype, a venture development firm that works with corporations to create startups. Schutz had been working for Bark & Co., the company behind Barkbox, which happened to be in the same building. The three put their heads together and realized that their experiences with men's healthcare could be turned into a startup.
Roman, which launched in November with $3 million in funding, has both a telemedicine practice and a pharmacy to distribute medications specifically for erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra and Cialis. The company hopes to expand beyond erectile dysfunction to treating other health conditions the "check-engine light" alerts Roman users to.
"One thing we're excited to do is apply best practices from e-commerce into healthcare," Schutz said.