Egyptian healthtech Almouneer raises $3.6M to scale its platform for treating diabetes and weight problems

Weight problems and prediabetes are main well being considerations in Africa and the Center East, affecting over 40% of the inhabitants. In Egypt, 20% of adults have diabetes; the determine in Saudi Arabia is 30%. In Nigeria, 1 in 17 adults has diabetes. The difficulty of prediabetes and weight problems is much more widespread. But, it’s important to acknowledge that these well being challenges are largely preventable by way of life-style administration and monitoring.

The importance of Almouneer, an Egyptian healthtech firm, on this context, can’t be overstated. The platform, on a mission to revolutionize healthcare for people grappling with diabetes and weight problems, has secured $3.6 million in funding.

Dubai-based World Ventures led the seed spherical. Different worldwide buyers, together with Proparco and Digital Africa through the Bridge Fund, Wrightwood Investments — the household workplace of Diane & Henry Engelhardt from the U.Okay., and different distinguished worldwide funds participated. Almouneer has disclosed that the funds raised might be primarily allotted to assist the event and growth of DRU, which it characterizes because the “first patient-centric, digitally-enabled life-style and diabetes administration platform within the Center East and Africa.” The platform performs a vital function in diabetes, prediabetes, and weight problems prevention and administration by connecting sufferers with docs and an in depth community of healthcare suppliers by way of its app.

Co-founder and CEO Noha Khater shared with TechCrunch that the seed funding will help in attracting prime expertise to hitch Almouneer. Additionally, it’s exploring potential product growth into neighboring markets throughout Africa and the Center East. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nigeria, and Kenya are prime of thoughts for the healthcare firm subsequent 12 months. 

The capital increase comes on the heels of serious development for Almouneer. The Giza-based startup serves over 120,000 sufferers by way of a community of 9 hospitals and clinics in Egypt. The healthtech additionally reported a doubling of its enterprise volumes and income numbers inside the previous 12 months, in line with Khater.

From ophthalmology to diabetic care

In 2017, Khater launched Almouneer as a cluster of tech-enabled clinics with a powerful emphasis on ophthalmology. The chief government instructed TechCrunch that she began the corporate primarily based on first-hand expertise as an ophthalmologist and working towards doctor. In the early 2000s, Khater pursued coaching within the U.S. and was deeply impressed by the standard of healthcare companies. Sufferers had easy accessibility to all their medical information, and the communication with their healthcare suppliers was excellent. The meticulous documentation of even essentially the most simple medical procedures left a profound influence on her.

Witnessing this stage of healthcare excellence within the U.S. motivated her to try for related advantages for the Egyptian inhabitants. This drive led her to ascertain Almouneer with Rania Kadry. Kadry serves because the CTO and brings her background in economics and social science computing to the startup.

“Most of my sufferers have been diabetics, whilst a retina specialist. And as you already know, the journey of a continual affected person might be harrowing. Diabetes is a illness numerous individuals have for all times. And with many having ups and downs, there’s at all times a necessity for reassurance,” stated Khater. “Whether or not when it comes to connecting with the physician, asking a query, or ensuring that your information or medical information are tremendous. So, it was apparent that this type of service didn’t exist and was very fragmented in Egypt. A typical diabetic or continual affected person would have a number of docs coping with them in other places and lose their information. So, having all this in a single place in your pocket was one thing that was lacking. In Egypt, we’ve gone nearly 110 million; you possibly can think about how many individuals this downside impacts.”

The DRU app

After working tech-enabled ophthalmology clinics, Almouneer expanded to serve diabetes and continual illness sufferers. Subsequently, it shifted from managing digital clinics to offering operational assist for exterior docs and healthcare suppliers. On this capability, Almouneer deploys complete apply administration software program, encompassing monetary, digital medical information, and reserving programs which might be all interconnected.

This transformation additionally coincided with the launch of its patient-centric app, DRU. With DRU, sufferers can add their medical information, together with important metrics comparable to blood sugar and blood stress. The app offers entry to their most up-to-date medical information and present drugs and permits docs to view these information. Moreover, the subscription-based app provides teleconsultation choices, enabling sufferers to attach with healthcare personnel through chat or cellphone.

“We’ve got many sufferers from Africa and the Center East that come to Egypt for remedy due to two issues. One is the nice medical experience right here within the area—two, due to its affordability. So one of many largest challenges when these sufferers return house after getting remedy is that it’s arduous to keep up contact with the docs or healthcare supplier,” the CEO stated. “Even when they do, they don’t have the identical care or consideration they’d have once they fly in. So, the app permits them to add medical information or the most recent exams. It additionally helps with conversations with the docs in order that they don’t need to fly again to Egypt at times for a follow-up.”

Increasing product choices

But, Almouneer goals to develop and improve its service choices, Khater says. Within the subsequent few months, the six-year-old healthtech plans to launch patient-customized remedy and diet plans. Sufferers can subscribe to personalised plans for uncontrolled diabetes and weight problems, specializing in blood stress and blood sugar enchancment. Almouneer’s revenues come from subscriptions and these personalized plans. The healthtech additionally takes a proportion from the charges it fees docs for referrals and is about so as to add market income to the combo. {The marketplace} will join sufferers with important consumables comparable to glucose displays, blood sugar strips, care merchandise for his or her extremities, and diet plans. 

In the meantime, the seed funding might be instrumental in driving the adoption of the just lately launched DRU app. It’ll additionally give attention to increasing the supplier ecosystem to incorporate docs, well being coaches, labs, and nutritionists (amongst which it’s launching the DRU app for docs in Q1 2024.)

“Through the years, we’ve had the privilege of working with a stellar group of healthcare entrepreneurs who’re materially enhancing the lives of sufferers worldwide, enhancing entry, high quality and price of care,” Noor Sweid, Founder and Managing Associate of World Ventures, commented “Noha and Rania at the moment are a part of this group. We’re excited to work alongside them as they leverage their specialised experience throughout business-building and continual care to deal with a prevalent well being difficulty throughout the Center East and Africa. On its mission to turn out to be the lifelong companion of diabetic sufferers within the area, Almouneer is a singular and vital innovation.”