# Sesame

> Sesame is a direct-pay, cash-only healthcare marketplace that lets patients shop for doctor visits, labs, imaging, prescriptions and specialty care online without insurance. Often called 'the Expedia for medical care,' it lists transparent prices from thousands of providers across all 50 states, with one-time visits starting around $39 and memberships from $19. Founded in 2018 by David Goldhill, Michael Botta and John Fontein, Sesame aims to strip bureaucracy out of healthcare so patients and clinicians transact directly.

- **Founded:** 2018
- **Headquarters:** New York, United States
- **Founders:** David Goldhill (Co-founder & CEO), Michael Botta (Co-founder (PhD Health Economics, Harvard)), John Fontein (Co-founder (Operations))
- **Team size:** ~140 employees
- **Products:** Pay-per-visit marketplace, Sesame Plus membership, Prescriptions & GLP-1 / weight loss, Labs, imaging & specialty care, Sesame for Business / employers
- **Notable:** Built one of the first transparent, cash-pay national healthcare marketplaces, Reached 2,500+ providers across all 50 states, Became Costco's official telehealth partner

## Products & services

- **Pay-per-visit marketplace** — Online marketplace to book one-time telehealth or in-person doctor visits with upfront, transparent pricing - visits starting around $39.
- **Sesame Plus membership** — Subscription that unlocks discounted visits (from ~$19), labs, imaging and prescription savings.
- **Prescriptions & GLP-1 / weight loss** — Cash-pay access to medications including GLP-1 drugs; 'Success by Sesame' weight-loss program with provider messaging and Quest lab testing.
- **Labs, imaging & specialty care** — 40+ specialties plus dentistry, mental health, labs and imaging available at marketplace prices.
- **Sesame for Business / employers** — Cash-pay healthcare benefit offering for employers and partners.

## Achievements

- Built one of the first transparent, cash-pay national healthcare marketplaces
- Reached 2,500+ providers across all 50 states
- Became Costco's official telehealth partner
- Raised $84.8M from GV, Virgin Group and General Catalyst
- Top-rated by both patients and providers in net promoter scores

## Latest updates

- **2024-04** — Launched discounted weight-loss program with Costco, including GLP-1 drug access for members.
- **2024-08** — Closed new enrollments to the original discounted weight-loss program; existing members retained benefits.
- **2025-03** — Introduced 'Success by Sesame' weight-loss subscription ($99/28 days) with Quest lab testing; Costco members access Wegovy/Ozempic at ~$349/month.

## Links

- Website: https://sesamecare.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/sesamecare
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Sesamecare
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sesamecare/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/sesamecare

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/sesame
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-06