Yaeher Health Secures Over RMB 10 Million from Matrix Partners China, Prepares to Launch First Maternal and Child Health Clinic

Recently, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that Yihe Health has not only secured RMB 10 million in financing from Matrix Partners China, but its first maternal and child health clinic, located in Futian District, Shenzhen, is also set to open soon.

Yihe Health’s founder, Pei Honggang, commented on this financing round as follows: “Although Yihe Health has secured funding, fundraising is not my goal; it is merely a new starting point for us. With the support of this capital, we will continue to uphold our medical philosophy, further validate our ideas regarding healthcare, and make greater efforts to drive change in the medical industry.”

In March 2016, Pei Honggang resigned from the hospital to start his own business, specializing in maternal and infant health consulting. In his spare time, he also wrote about his entrepreneurial experiences; his article titled “I Quit My Job,” written at that time, is still frequently discussed today.

When Yihe Health was first established, its goal was to open clinics. Although it did not directly launch a clinic as initially planned, it has been continuously validating its healthcare philosophy: If physicians can deliver more reliable and professional services, would patients still recognize their value even if the service fees were higher?

Over the past two years, he has been recruiting physicians who share his philosophy to join Yihe Health’s online platform, while simultaneously organizing them to produce popular science articles on health topics.A total of over 300,000 consultations were completed, and online lectures were delivered to more than 80,000 listeners. In his view, “I have been consistently putting my medical philosophy into practice, reaching a number of doctors and patients far beyond what a single clinic could achieve.”

To achieve this, we selectively onboard physicians who have at least five years of experience working in Grade A tertiary hospitals, subscribe to the principles of evidence-based medicine, and demonstrate a strong service orientation. Every physician registering with Yihé undergoes a rigorous multi-stage screening process. Prior to going live, they must study our operational protocols, complete assessment quizzes, and participate in simulated consultations. Only those who pass all evaluations are permitted to begin providing services. Once active, physicians are subject to ongoing quality control reviews; failure to adhere to operational standards may result in suspension or removal from the platform.

“I hope the knowledge disseminated by Yihe is evidence-based, so that readers will not need to seek verification elsewhere.” Pei Honggang stated.

To achieve this, Yihao Health meticulously verifies the key knowledge points in every article and requires physician authors to provide references for their key conclusions. This rigorous approach demands significant time and effort for each piece, ultimately enhancing the articles’ vitality and reach.

Due to stringent standards, only one in four doctors who register with Yihe Health is currently approved to go online. In an era where everyone is pursuing scale, Yihe Health’s approach seems counterintuitive, making the entrepreneurial journey arduous, marked by loneliness and uncertainty, but above all, anxiety.

“We persevered through these anxieties. By maintaining quality control, our business gradually gained momentum, with an increasing number of people seeking consultations at Yihe and a growing roster of affiliated physicians,” Pei Honggang admitted frankly.

To date, Yihe boasts over 300 high-quality physicians from both China and abroad, who have gained increasing recognition and trust among parents. Its standardized operational protocols have also become a benchmark for many other consultation platforms to learn from and emulate.Meanwhile, doctors on Yihe can earn a decent income without prescribing medications or ordering tests, with many earning more than they do in hospital settings.

Over the past two years, Pei Honggang has consistently upheld his medical philosophy of delivering trustworthy healthcare. The widespread recognition he has garnered from both physicians and users serves as strong validation of their initial concepts, while also clarifying their goals and strategic direction.

Pei Honggang stated that since the company’s inception, numerous investors have approached us; however, we have not pursued financing. The reasons are multifaceted, ranging from occasional factors to differences in philosophy, but primarily because we have been continuously focused on our online business operations., and there are many ready-made free tools available on the internet. Our business revenue is sufficient to sustain Yihe’s operations and development, so there is little incentive to seek external financing.

But as he had planned when resigning, to better put medical philosophy into practice ultimately requires face-to-face consultations between doctors and patients, and it is essential to test the feasibility of their ideas in offline clinics. Given the substantial investment required for offline operations, fundraising remains inevitable.

After several rounds of discussions, they recently secured financing from Matrix Partners China. This funding, amounting to over RMB 10 million, will enable them to pursue their next initiatives, such as opening clinics. Matrix Partners China is a renowned investment firm that has invested in many well-known enterprises. More importantly, they align with Yihe Health’s philosophy on healthcare and are committed to providing the company with ample time to operate at its own pace.

“Consumption is voting for the world you want.” Over the past two years, by repeatedly sharing Yihe’s articles, seeking consultations and attending lectures on Yihe, and recommending friends and family to follow Yihe, you have not only gained more professional and reliable medical services but also supported Yihe Health’s philosophy and growth, thereby driving change in the healthcare industry.

Investment represents a more significant form of consumption. This investment from Matrix Partners China will enable Yihao Health to recruit more like-minded physicians to provide services, as well as to attract superior management talent to enhance service quality. It will also support the realization of innovative “Internet Plus Healthcare” initiatives, thereby benefiting more parents and physicians.