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…As startup gets grant to improve transparency over STI disclosures
By Izunna Nkwachukwu
For a long time, individuals have had concerns about the disclosure of their sexual health status because of fear of the mishandling of such information.
While this persisted, recognition of the need for transparency in the conversation over sexual health status continued to grow and spurred Ifeanyi ‘Ify’ Umezulike to seek a viable solution by creating Glowcheck, which is a sexual health verification platform designed to help people keep a portable, understandable record of their testing and share verified information safely, on their own terms.
Umezulike, who has a background in marketing, communications and advocacy cutting across strategy, brand and public-facing campaigns, said in a statement that Glowcheck has a person-centred approach to behaviour change, trust and user adoption, adding that the company is building a digital trust layer that supports existing sexual health systems by reducing friction around testing, verification and disclosure.
From a personal frustration with sexual health disclosure to a funded venture, Ifeanyi is building Glowcheck around a bigger ambition: to make STI verification, routine testing and honest conversations part of everyday sexual health.
The growing success of the app has not gone unnoticed as Umezulike has secured grant funding from Hatch to advance the UK-based sexual health verification platform and support its next phase of research, product development, and partner discovery.
The idea for Glowcheck began with a personal experience that exposed a wider problem around disclosure and trust. After seeing a close friend’s lifelong STI diagnosis minimised by a partner, Ifeanyi began questioning why important sexual health conversations still rely so heavily on verbal reassurance when so much of modern life can be verified digitally.
That question became the foundation for Glowcheck: a platform designed to help people keep a portable record of their sexual health testing, understand results more clearly and, where they choose, share verified information with a partner. The model is intended to work with partnered clinics and laboratories to ensure results are reliable.
For Ifeanyi, however, the long-term ambition extends beyond the service itself. He wants Glowcheck to help shift behaviour around sexual health, making routine testing, verification and transparent conversations feel more normal, more empowering and less reactive.
“Being accepted onto Hatch was one of the moments where building Glowcheck started to feel very real. The programme gave me the chance to learn from experts, sharpen the direction of the business and be around other founders going through the same process of building something from the ground up. My dream for Glowcheck is much bigger than creating another digital health app. I want us to help make routine testing, verified information and honest sexual health conversations feel normal, part of how people take care of themselves and each other,” Umezulike said.
The Hatch grant marks an important external vote of confidence in the venture and provides additional support as the company moves from concept validation towards real-world testing.
The company’s longer-term vision is to become the global trust layer around existing sexual health services, connecting testing, verified records and disclosure in a way that gives individuals more agency while supporting stronger engagement with formal healthcare systems.
From a personal frustration with sexual health disclosure to a funded venture, Umezulike is building Glowcheck around a bigger ambition: to make STI verification, routine testing and honest conversations part of everyday sexual health.
