Grindr is expanding beyond dating into healthcare, agreeing to acquire PurposeMed, the parent company of HIV prevention telehealth provider Freddie, in a $250 million deal reported by PinkNews.
Grindr users in the United States and Canada can now access free or low-cost PrEP care through the app’s Health centre. Through Freddie, they can see a clinician, get tested and have medication delivered discreetly.
Founded in 2020, Freddie is a physician-led telehealth and pharmacy platform focused on HIV prevention and sexual wellness. It says most of its patients can get PrEP free through insurance.
It is Grindr’s first major acquisition since its 2009 founding. The company says roughly 650,000 Americans use PrEP, though an estimated 2.2 million could benefit.
CEO George Arison said new infections “should be close to zero”, whilst Freddie’s Dr Husein Moloo said the partnership could bring care to millions more.
