CEO Says Soothe Has 'Zero Tolerance Policy' for Harassment
*By Jacqueline Corba*
The massage on-demand app Soothe recently raised $31 million in a Series C round of funding, the company's new CEO Simon Heyrick announced Wednesday in an interview with Cheddar.
The new funding comes even as the company has faced scrutiny after a [Kentucky woman told police last month](http://www.wdrb.com/story/38048901/woman-says-massage-appointment-in-louisville-hotel-room-turned-into-sexual-assault) that she was sexually assaulted by a licensed massage therapist she booked with Soothe's on-demand service.
Heyrick said the company has recently introduced additional trust and safety features.
"Soothe has a zero-tolerance policy for any kind of harassment," said Heyrick. "Trust and safety we take very seriously, and we will continue to invest in that going forward."
Heyrick said Soothe's process of screening therapists differs from competitors. It conducts background checks and in-person interviews and administers practical exams. Soothe rejects 30 percent of applicants because they do not pass its screening process, Heyrick said.
Soothe therapists can earn up to three times what they'd make at traditional spas, and Heyrick said some therapists in the network earn $100,000 a year through the app.
Soothe is currently available in 60 cities in the U.S., Britain, and Australia.
On which country is the most stressed out across the globe, Heyrick says it is definitely the United States.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/soothe-ceo-on-restoring-consumer-trust).
An analyst at JP Morgan is predicting massive future growth for Apple in its music and gaming divisions — to the tune of more than $8 billion in revenue by 2025. Cheddar News anchors Kristen Scholer and Hena Doba discuss the glowing forecast for the tech giant.
U.S. stocks closed Thursday at their lowest levels of the trading day, as investors continue to eye inflation ahead of the May CPI report out Friday. Art Hogan, Chief Market Strategist for National Holdings, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
U.S. markets opened sharply lower on Friday on hotter-than-expected inflation data. The May CPI showed an 8.6% jump in consumer prices year-over-year, higher the expected 8.3%. Mark Howard, Senior Multi-Asset Specialist at BNP Paribas joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
U.S. stocks closed Friday at session lows after May CPI data showed inflation in the U.S. has not peaked and is still rising rapidly. For the week, the S&P fell 5.06%, the Dow lost 4.58%, and the Nasdaq dropped 5.60%, marking the worst week since January for all three major indexes. Mike Zigmont, Head of Trading and Research at Harvest Volatility Management, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Benefits brokerage, Nava Benefits, raised $40 million in a Series B round. Nava says it's on a mission to fix healthcare, one benefits plan at a time. The startup is working to bring benefits to small business that are normally available to only Fortune 500 companies. Brandon Weber, Co-Founder and CEO of Nava Benefits, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.