Columbus-based healthcare benefits platform Healia has launched with $18 million in total funding, including a $14 million Series A round led by 111° West Capital. The round included participation from Y Combinator, First Round Capital, Pioneer Fund, GoAhead Ventures, and North Coast Ventures, as reported by citybiz.
Founded in 2021 by CEO Priyang Shah, Healia targets structural inefficiencies in employer-sponsored health insurance for dual-income households. Roughly 30 million American dual-income families have access to two employer health plans, but traditional benefit systems rarely help them evaluate both options side by side. Healia's flagship Total Care Option allows employers to pay for out-of-pocket costs and premiums when an employee chooses to enroll in a spouse's health plan instead of their own.
Software and AI for Dual-Coverage Analysis
Healia's technology ingests employer benefits booklets to compare plan options across different companies. In a Healia Demo, Shah demonstrated how the platform parses benefit booklets within 30 minutes and delivers a coverage recommendation to employees in under two minutes. According to Ohio Tech News, the company uses artificial intelligence to speed up claims adjudication across various carrier combinations, parse side-by-side plan comparisons, and assist brokers with quote requests, with human review at each step.
Pulse 2.0 reported that Healia's model can save participating families up to $26,000 annually while reducing employer healthcare spending by up to 76% per enrolled household. The platform has enabled employers to provide approximately $33 million in additional coverage across more than 50 customer accounts representing over 40,000 employees.
Leadership and Midwest Operational Focus
Prior to founding Healia, Priyang Shah was the 15th employee and first product manager at Root Insurance, helping scale the business to 1,500 employees and a $6.5 billion initial public offering. He was also the 20th employee at Olive AI. Shah holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Public Policy Studies from Duke University.
Healia requires all employees to work in person five days a week at its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. As noted in Ohio Tech News, Shah selected Ohio to leverage regional insurance talent from companies like Progressive and State Auto while building a venture-scale company in the Midwest.
Hiring in Columbus
To support its growth, Healia is filling multiple in-person roles across operations, finance, and sales in Columbus.
On the operations and finance teams, Healia is hiring a Business Operations Specialist ($65,000 to $75,000) to handle customer claims end-to-end, build scalable processes, and implement AI-driven operational solutions. The company is also recruiting a senior Controller ($140,000 to $190,000) to own accounting, reporting, forecasting, and financial operations while acting as a strategic partner to leadership.
Healia is also expanding its go-to-market team with an entry-level Sales Development Representative ($60,000 to $75,000) to generate pipeline through outbound campaigns, a mid-level Account Executive ($160,000 to $200,000) to manage the sales process from SDR-qualified leads to close, and an Account Manager ($160,000 to $170,000) to advise client portfolios and identify account upsell opportunities. All listed roles require full-time, five-day in-office attendance in Columbus.
Open Roles at Healia
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | Columbus, OH, US | Onsite | $140,000 - $190,000 |
| Sales Development Representative | Columbus, OH, US | Onsite | $60,000 - $75,000 |
| Account Manager | Columbus, OH, US | Onsite | $160,000 - $170,000 |
| Business Operations Specialist | Columbus, OH, US | Onsite | $65,000 - $75,000 |
| Account Executive | Columbus, OH, US | Onsite | $160,000 - $200,000 |
