Evaro, a UK-based digital health startup providing AI-powered clinical and drug prescription services for minor conditions, announced it secured $1.5 million in Seed funding today.
Evaro was founded in 2018 by Dr Thuria Wenbar, an emergency doctor and software developer, and their husband, Dr Oskar Wendowski, a pharmacist researcher, after realising that 25 percent of A&E consultations and 40 percent of GP appointments focused on minor health conditions.
In response, Evaro aims to help 10 million people get faster treatment for their minor health conditions by offering direct-to-patient AI-driven asynchronous consultations and private prescription services.
Its developed a plug-and-play product allowing consumer brands to offer pharmaceutical services to their customers on top of their product lines.
With a B2B "pharmaceutical infrastructure as a service" approach, the company works with consumer brands to offer drugs relevant to their existing product lines and consumer demographics - i.e. dermatology treatments for cosmetics companies.
Their model allows brands to expand their offering and increase consumer engagement through prescription offerings that can traditionally only be acquired through very long wait times within the NHS.
Dr Wenbar, CEO of Evaro, commented: "
The NHS is in crisis: you can now wait up to four weeks for a GP appointment, which is made worse by funding cuts and staff shortages.
The information overload triggered by AI tools' broad availability means the risks of patients self-medicating is only getting greater.
We aim to help people get faster treatments for their minor health issues safely, as and when needed. And we will achieve this by turning digital clinics into a viable commercial opportunity for big brands."
Dr Wendowski added:
"We're already helping 350,000 people access healthcare as easily and securely as they access online banking.
We now want to scale this. Our B2B strategy focuses on empowering brands in sectors such as cosmetics, sex health and travel to venture into the digital health space without the complexities of technology, regulation and fulfilment, thanks to our plug-and-play service.
We hope this will help relieve part of the burden of non-urgent appointments from GPs and emergency care."
Evaro uses an artificial intelligence and machine learning model trained on 13.5 million patient records to provide access to AI-driven asynchronous consultations and private prescription medication.
It also uses a stringent regulatory-compliant patient safety process through which online treatment requests require an asynchronous consultation, with mechanisms to detect answer manipulation and drug orders are scrutinised for safe dosages and quantities, with GP notifications when necessary.
Cornerstone VC led the round with participation from Exceptional Ventures, Catalisi's investment arm, Syndicate Room and the University of East Anglia.
Rodney Appiah, Founder and Managing Director at Cornerstone VC, commented:
"I'm inspired by Thuria and Oskar's vision to democratise access to healthcare by providing the software needed for brands to meet their customers' most common healthcare needs, freeing up valuable time for doctors and nurses without compromising treatment.
Imagine a world where your favourite cosmetics company can offer prescriptions for acne, eczema and psoriasis, or an over-50s company can offer tailored insurance services alongside healthcare services relating to menopause, erectile dysfunction or regular health screenings.
That is what they're building, together with redefining the safety and efficiency standards in online healthcare. We couldn't be more proud to back them".
The funding will see Evaro's medication catalogue grow from 200 to 2,000 treatments, covering 70 percent of minor health issues typically addressed by NHS doctors. The company also aims to acquire its Care Quality Commission (CQC) licence, enabling more comprehensive patient care, including diagnosis and therapy initiation.
Lead image: Evaro co-founders: Dr Thuria Wenbar and Dr Oskar Wendowski. Photo: uncredited.
Would you like to write the first comment?
Login to post comments