Wally Health, which provides dental cleanings and preventative care, has raised $3 million in a seed round led by Bling Capital. Other investors include Myelin VC, GFR, and Jack Abraham, the founder of Atomic, which built the digital-health company Hims & Hers.
Burnett had launched media and fintech companies in his native Canada years before Wally. However, his unfortunate dental experience sent him down a rabbit hole of industry research. Burnett has also had personal experience with dentistry, as his wife is a dentist.
Tyler Burnett had a nagging toothache seven years ago in Boston and nearly ended up with a mouth full of dental fillings when he only needed one.
Wally hopes to differentiate itself from other dental startups by focusing solely on preventative care. Wally offers dental checkups, including X-rays, cleaning, and diagnostics, for $199 per year, as well as free at-home teeth whitening. However, for other procedures, such as cavity fillings or root canals, it refers patients to other dentists.
Burnett and his cofounders began building Wally’s proof of concept in an Upper East Side office about a year ago after raising a pre-seed round.
The startup now has over 3,000 members who pay a yearly fee. That traction aided fundraising the second time around, according to Burnett, as investors raised the bar for investing in startups. Wally recently opened a new flagship location in New York’s Tribeca neighborhood, with plans to expand nationally.
