Leda Health

Last updated
Leda Health
FormerlyMe Too Kits
Company type Private
Industry Healthcare
Founded2019;5 years ago (2019)
Founders Madison Campbell, Liesel Vaidya
Headquarters
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
,
US
Services
  • Early evidence kit
Number of employees
1–5 (2024)
Website leda.co

Leda Health, formerly known as MeToo Kits, is an American company founded in 2019 with its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [1] Leda Health aimed at providing early-evidence kits for DNA and other services for sexual assault victims. [2]

Contents

History

Leda Health was founded in 2019 by Madison Campbell and Liesel Vaidya in Brooklyn, New York [3] [4] as MeToo Kits and later rebranded as Leda Health after the Greek myth of Leda. [5] Campbell's decision to start Leda Health was driven by her own experience as a survivor of sexual assault, as she sought to help survivors face challenges in collecting evidence. [6] Leda Health developed an "early evidence kit" that would allow sexual assault survivors to collect evidence without the need to visit a hospital or police station. [7] The company introduced an at-home alternative to standard hospital rape kits, allowing assault survivors to collect DNA evidence themselves. [6] [8] In 2021, Leda Health expanded its services to include Plan B, STI testing provided in partnership with an external distributor. [6] [9]

In 2022, Leda Health was included in the Fortune's Change the World list. [10] As of November 2022, Leda Health raised $9.2 million in venture capital from investors including New York Ventures, Asymmetry Ventures and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center. [2]

In 2023, a significant breakthrough came when a bill was passed in Maryland, acknowledging the existence and potential benefits of self-administered evidence collection kits. [11] However, Leda Health was later accused of misleading consumers and harmful marketing practices for misrepresenting the bill and marketing direct to consumers. [12] In February 2024, the state of Maryland introduced a house bill BH1047 which states that selling, offering for sale, or distributing a certain self-administered sexual assault evidence collection kit is an unfair, abusive or deceptive trade practice.

In October 2023, Campbell announced that Leda Health had relocated its headquarters to Lawrenceville, one of the largest neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. [1] Construction of the new headquarters is expected for completion by November, 2023. [13] The company was previously headquartered in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. [13]

Regulatory action

Leda Health's kit faced criticism over potential evidence contamination and possible inadmissibility in court. [14] [15] Over these concerns, the kits were banned in Washington and cease and desist letters in several other states were sent to the company asking to stop selling their kits. [16] [17] [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

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The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline, and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice through victim services, public education, public policy, and consulting services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgeville, Pennsylvania</span> Borough in Pennsylvania, United States

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Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence that includes child sexual abuse, groping, rape, drug facilitated sexual assault, and the torture of the person in a sexual manner.

A rape kit or rape test kit is a package of items used by medical, police or other personnel for gathering and preserving physical evidence following an instance or allegation of sexual assault. The evidence collected from the victim can aid the criminal rape investigation and the prosecution of a suspected assailant. DNA evidence can have tremendous utility for sexual assault investigations and prosecution by identifying offenders, revealing serial offenders through DNA matches across cases, and exonerating those who have been wrongly accused.

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References

  1. 1 2 Heyl, Eric (October 24, 2023). "Miss Pittsburgh's Tech Company Aids Sexual Assault Victims". Patch.com.
  2. 1 2 Farivar, Cyrus. "A DIY Rape Kit Startup Has Been Accused Of 'Deceptive' Practices By Washington Attorney General". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. ↑ ""We Help Survivors of Sexual Assaults" – Interview with "Leda Health" co-founders". KyivPost. 2022-12-02.
  4. ↑ "The Leda Story" . Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  5. ↑ "Inside the hard business of selling DIY rape kits". Quartz. 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. 1 2 3 "'Call Me a Scammer to My Face'". The Cut. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  7. ↑ Williamson, Alex (2019-09-05). "DIY rape kit startup's 23-year-old founder says she is a sexual assault survivor". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. ↑ "Forensic Science Institute Partners with Leda Health to Explore Feasibility of Early Evidence Sexual Assault Kits". College of Arts & Sciences at Syracuse University. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  9. ↑ Staff Reports (2021-08-18). "Leda Health offers fast, discreet DNA collection kits to sexual assault survivors". Florida Politics . Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  10. ↑ "Leda Health". Fortune. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  11. ↑ "Maryland creating new guidelines for storage of sexual assault evidence". Yahoo News. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  12. ↑ Lilly, Shannon (2023-11-11). "Maryland AG warns of misleading claims by at-home rape kit manufacturers as recommendation deadline looms". WBFF. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  13. 1 2 Ritenbaugh, Stephanie (2023-10-24). "Tech startup for sexual assault survivors moves to Lawrenceville". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  14. ↑ Burbank, Megan. "Washington state considers banning over-the-counter rape kits | Crosscut". crosscut.com. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  15. ↑ "Utah lawmaker seeks ban of at-home rape kits, saying they provide false hope". Deseret News. 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  16. ↑ Cabahug, Jadenne Radoc (2023-02-14). "WA Legislature considers ban on at-home sexual assault evidence kits". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  17. ↑ Nashrulla, Tasneem (2019-09-12). "The 23-Year-Old "MeToo" DIY Rape Kit Founder Says She'll Fight Law Enforcement's Demands That She Stop Advertising". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  18. ↑ "Attorney General Dana Nessel, ordered MeToo Kit to cease and desist" (PDF).
  19. ↑ Shamus, Kristen Jordan. "MeToo Kit CEO says Mich. AG has it all wrong. She didn't want to profit from rape victims". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
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