There are over 300 million men with reported cases of erectile dysfunction throughout the United States, and a booming industry to help these men reclaim their sexuality.
For years, this intimate problem would cause serious medical, marital, and emotional issues, which were too often confined to the doctor’s office. Now, after disrupting the transportation, hospitality, and marketing industry, some Silicon Valley startups are trying to take a Silicon Valley approach to combating erectile dysfunction.
“When I was 17, I experienced erectile dysfunction,” said Zachariah Reitano, who is now 26. “I think in a good way I’ve become numb to the embarrassment. I remember the embarrassment of having the condition with no solution, and that’s much worse than sharing the fact that I had it and was able to fix it myself.”
According to Tech Crunch, Reitano’s new company, Roman, recently launched in New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, and California.
Roman is funded by a $3.1 million round led by General Catalyst, Slow Ventures, Box Group, Benchmark’s Scott Belsky, and the CEOs of Casper, Code Academy and Pill Pack.
Originally, Reitano kept his ED problem a secret, only silently discussing ways around it with one or two doctors over his late teenage years and years as an early twenty-something. But over the last few months, Reitano has opened up to his girlfriend, his business partners, and, more recently, the world.
“[The ability to achieve an erection] is associated with being a real man,” Reitano added.
Since ED is often associated with other health concerns, heart issues in Reitano’s case, it’s important that anyone experiencing these issues should contact a health professional right away and get to the bottom of any underlying problems.
“Many patients don’t seek care because they’re embarrassed or don’t know where to go,” said Doron Stember, an assistant professor of urology at Icahn School of Medicine. “Some patients have been told it’s a problem in their head so they suffer but don’t follow up for years.”
While medications, vacuum pumps, and therapy can all help men suffering from ED, Reitano hopes that technology can play an important role as well.
