Eidos

What Eidos does

Eidos is a non-profit social innovation initiative embedded within the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, founded in 2021 by Dr. José Bauermeister. It operates as a cross-sector convening hub that develops science, products, public policy, and interventions aimed at reducing health disparities and advancing equity for LGBTQ+ communities. Eidos draws on interdisciplinary faculty from all 12 Penn schools and works with academic institutions, community organizations, healthcare providers, startups, and financial partners to translate research into practice.

Eidos's core offerings are packaged as advisory services spanning discovery, advising, education, and evaluation, supported by proprietary frameworks including the Queering Design Thinking Workbook, an LGBTQ-Affirmative CBT framework, Peer Mentor Training Programs, and a Digital Health Engagement Measurement Framework. It also conducts original research through studies such as SEEN, iReach, STARS, and HealthMpowerment, and publishes reports including the LGBTQ+ Health History Photobook and the Better Together Social Connection Report.

The revenue model relies on research grants from federal agencies (NIH, NIMHD) and Penn Global, foundation and nonprofit funding, and fee-for-service advisory engagements with startups, healthcare organizations, and corporate partners. The initiative is not incorporated separately from UPenn and does not generate commercial product revenue; instead, it distributes impact through academic publications, training programs, community-center provider training (notably via the CenterLink partnership reaching 400+ LGBTQ+ community centers), and digital health collaborations.

Name

Eidos

Legal name

Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative

Website

https://penneidos.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Eidos is the University of Pennsylvania's social innovation hub that develops research, advisory services, and intervention frameworks to advance LGBTQ+ health equity through cross-sector collaboration with academia, healthcare providers, community centers, and corporate partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

LGBTQ+ Health Equity Research and Advisory

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Social Assistance (624), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• LGBTQ+ health equity
• Public health research
• Human-centered design thinking
• Health disparities research
• Community-based participatory research

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Grants: Funded by federal agencies including NIH, NIMHD, and Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program for LGBTQ+ health research
2. Foundation & Nonprofit Funding: Support from foundations and nonprofits focused on LGBTQ+ health, social innovation, and health equity
3. Corporate Partnerships & Advisory Services: Fee-for-service advisory work with startups, healthcare organizations, and corporations seeking LGBTQ+ health expertise

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Eidos convenes and collaborates with experts and organizations across academia, business, law, philanthropy, community organizations, and public sector to develop science, products, public policy, and solutions addressing LGBTQ+ health disparities. Its deliverables include applied research, advisory and consulting engagements, practical toolkits (e.g., the Queering Design Thinking Workbook), provider training programs (e.g., LGBTQ-Affirmative CBT via CenterLink), and published reports on health and social connection for LGBTQ+ communities. The initiative operates within the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing as an intersectoral innovation hub for LGBTQ+ health equity.

Product overview

Eidos LGBTQ+ Health Initiative is a social innovation hub at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Nursing that operates as a consulting and research organization rather than a traditional product company. Its offerings consist of research-driven resources and advisory services. The core products include the 'Finding a Way Forward' Human-Centered Design Thinking Workbook (a practical toolkit for applying inclusive design methods), the LGBTQ+ Health History Photobook (archival documentation of community history), and the 'Better Together' Social Connection Report (research on loneliness and belonging in LGBTQ+ communities). These resources support Eidos's advisory services practice area focused on discovery, advising, education, and evaluation work with cross-sector partners. The organization also conducts research studies (SEEN, iReach, STARS) and collaborates on digital health initiatives including the imi app for LGBTQ+ youth mental health support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Finding a Way Forward: Human-Centered Design Thinking Workbook A practical workbook inspired by queer community culture that guides users through design thinking methods centered on inclusivity and innovation for addressing LGBTQ+ health challenges; intended for practitioners, researchers, and organizations seeking inclusive design methods.
• A History of LGBTQ+ Health in Photographs A curated photobook of historical photographs documenting LGBTQ+ health history, featuring archival images from Philadelphia and beyond that showcase moments of care, resistance, and community; intended for educators, historians, and community audiences.
• Better Together: LGBTQ+ Health and Social Connection Report A research report produced in response to the U.S. Surgeon General's 2023 advisory on the loneliness epidemic, examining how isolation uniquely impacts LGBTQ+ health and how belonging and social connection can drive healing; intended for policymakers, advocates, and practitioners.
• Advisory Services Consulting and advisory services providing an integrative, humanistic approach through discovery, advising, education, and evaluation work with startups, healthcare organizations, and corporations seeking LGBTQ+ health expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Anxiety and depression decreased among LGBTQ+ youth of color who engaged in creative narrative interventions (SEEN study)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Florida State University Institute for Digital Health & Innovation (IDHI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 September 2025Collaboration with FSU researchers Dr. Lisa Hightow-Weidman and Dr. Kate Muessig on National Institute of Mental Health-funded study analyzing engagement across five iTech trials for HIV prevention in youth
• Point of PridecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2025Advisory partnership supporting Point of Pride's National Trans Health Survey, created by and for transgender people. Eidos provides scientific guidance on survey design, research infrastructure, and capacity-building with a trans-led community advisory board
• Ewha Womans UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2025Collaboration with Dr. Sook Jung Kang at Ewha Womans University in South Korea for culturally adapting the HealthMpowerment digital intervention to address HIV disparities among Korean MSM
• CenterLinkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Partnership with national network of over 400 LGBTQ+ community centers to train providers on delivering LGBTQ-affirmative CBT, including online/in-person training modules and supervision tools
• Yale School of Public HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Research collaboration with Dr. John Pachankis on LGBTQ+ mental health disparities and LGBTQ-affirmative CBT interventions, including Grand Rounds and ongoing scholarly exchange
• ProChange Behavior SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2024Collaboration on NIMHD-funded Bridges study to develop workplace belonging program for LGBTQ+ employees, achieving improved belonging, resilience, and professional fulfillment
• TRACE AppminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 January 2023Advising social networking app for transgender and non-binary people to better understand user experience, accessibility, sustainability, and health needs
• HopelabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2022Commissioned research partnership to examine effectiveness of imi app in improving mental health for LGBTQ+ youth, with findings showing effectiveness in helping teens cope with stress

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• GMHC (Gay Men's Health Crisis): GMHC is a longstanding NYC-based HIV/AIDS service and advocacy organization combining direct services, research, and policy work. It is comparable to Eidos in mission and constituency (LGBTQ+ health, HIV prevention) and in reliance on philanthropic and government funding, though it is more service-delivery than research-led.
• Whitman-Walker Health: Whitman-Walker is a Washington DC-based community health center specializing in LGBTQ+ care with a strong research and policy arm. It is comparable to Eidos in integrating clinical care, research, provider training, and advocacy for LGBTQ+ communities, and is a regular collaborator and grant competitor in HIV and sexual health research.
• The Trevor Project: The Trevor Project is the leading US nonprofit focused on LGBTQ+ youth mental health, providing crisis intervention, research, and advocacy. It is comparable to Eidos in mission, target population, and federal grant reliance, and operates adjacent research outputs (national surveys, RCTs) that overlap with Eidos's SEEN-style intervention research.
• CenterLink: CenterLink is the national network of over 400 LGBTQ+ community centers in the US. It is a current strategic partner of Eidos (training delivery channel for LGBTQ-affirmative CBT) and is directly comparable as a central infrastructure player aggregating community-based LGBTQ+ health and social services providers.
• Callen-Lorde Community Health Center: Callen-Lorde is a New York-based LGBTQ+ focused community health center providing primary care, mental health, and research. It is directly comparable to Eidos in serving LGBTQ+ populations with culturally competent care, training providers, and publishing research, and competes for similar philanthropic and federal funding.
• Fenway Health: Fenway Health is a Boston-based LGBTQ+ focused health care, research, and advocacy organization that operates the Fenway Institute. It is the closest peer to Eidos in combining LGBTQ+ clinical care, research, and provider training, and competes for the same federal grants, advisory engagements, and academic partnerships in LGBTQ+ health equity.
• Hopelab: Hopelab is a social innovation lab that develops evidence-based digital health interventions for young people, including the imi app co-developed with Eidos. It is comparable as a research-to-product social innovation hub focused on youth mental health and uses similar academic and clinical partnerships to validate and scale digital interventions.

Emerging players

• OutRight Action International: OutRight Action International is a global LGBTQ+ human rights organization producing research, advocacy, and capacity-building for LGBTQ+ movements worldwide. It is comparable to Eidos's research-and-policy orientation and its international footprint (East Asia, Africa, Latin America), though it focuses on rights rather than health interventions.
• SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders): SAGE is the largest US nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ elders through advocacy, services, and research. It overlaps with Eidos's segment focus on LGBTQ+ elders and its intersectional research agenda, but operates primarily in aging services rather than academic intervention science.

Broad incumbents

• HRC Foundation: HRC Foundation is the educational and research arm of the Human Rights Campaign and the largest US LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. It is comparable to Eidos as a research-producing entity influencing health policy and corporate practice, though it operates as a broad policy and advocacy incumbent rather than a focused academic research hub.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCCxGkk2DicfBw8I0KeVE3fw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eidos-lgbtq-health-initiative
• Instagraminstagram.com/penneidos
• Xx.com/PennEidos

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Eidos