US dental startup Wally has raised $25 million, about 33.6 billion won, in its Series A round, an early-stage funding round, for a subscription model that lets members use dental care without insurance for just an annual fee. The company will use the money to grow from its current 15 locations to 100 by the end of 2027.
Wally announced the funding in a press release on October 7 (local time). The round was led by venture capital firm Maveron, with participation from Bling Capital and angel investors including Jack Abraham, co-founder of the online health platform Hims.
What the Annual Membership Includes
Wally's membership costs $249 a year, about 330,000 won. For that fee, members can get unlimited cleanings, whitening, digital X-rays, 3D oral scans, and saliva testing for a year. It also covers treatment that reverses early-stage cavities not yet requiring a filling. Wally said custom mouthguards and clear aligners purchased on top of the membership cost up to 50% less than elsewhere.
Wally said it has more than 50,000 members, who visit an average of three times a year. Member satisfaction stands at 4.9 out of 5, and hygienist retention is 97%. Having operated 15 locations in New York, Philadelphia, Jersey City, and Chicago, Wally will use the funding to expand into Washington DC, Atlanta, Austin, and Miami.
Why Wally Raised Money and Its Critique of Private Equity-Led Dentistry
In the press release, co-founder and CEO Tyler Burnett said, "For fifty years, dentistry has run on simple math: get someone in the chair, find something to fix, bill the insurance, repeat. Private equity-run dentistry perfected it. It works. Just not for people." Private equity's practice of buying up dental chains and scaling them quickly has also produced debt-laden parent companies like Aspen Dental, and Wally has made clear it intends to take the opposite path.
Jason Stoffer, the Maveron partner who led the investment, said, "Wally does something no one else in dental has pulled off: pain-free cleanings in half the time, on a single AI-driven platform that runs scheduling, operations, and guides clinicians through every appointment." Wally cited as its rationale that only 40% of US adults visit a dentist at least once a year, and more than 80% want more frequent care but put it off because of cost and inconvenience.
Swiss Cleaning Technology and Expansion Plans
Wally has also partnered with Swiss dental equipment maker EMS Dental. Its AIRFLOW device sprays a mix of water, air, and fine powder to remove biofilm and stains from the tooth surface rather than scraping off tartar. The company says this causes less pain than scraping with metal instruments.
Wally said it also plans to use the funding to hire clinical staff who can work with its AI platform and operations leaders, in addition to opening new locations.
This news has not yet directly reached dental clinics in Korea, and no plans for Wally to enter the Korean market have been confirmed. Still, much of the problem Wally is trying to solve is already addressed in Korea through the national health insurance system. According to the National Health Insurance Service, insured adults aged 19 and older can get one scaling session a year with a 30% copay, about 15,000 won. That is a different situation from the United States, where regular care is difficult to access without employer-provided insurance.