Meddy, a startup based in Dubai, one of the emirates of the United Arab Emirates, recently completed a $2.5 million Series A funding round to support its online doctor appointment booking platform.
The money comes from New York City-based Modus Capital, as well as 212 Capital, QSTP, Kasamar Holdings, Dharmendra Ghai (Health Tech Angel), Innoway and others.
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In a blog post, the CEO of the company – Haris Afghadi – wrote that the startup founded in 2016 has filters through which people can find the doctor best suited for their needs and help to book an appointment with that person. Aside from a consumer-facing product, Meddy also helps doctors to boost their online presence that help them to manage appointment books, patient reviews and analytics.
In an email response to questions, Aghadi said that the platform is being used by 2000 doctors from 150 hospitals and clinics in Dubai and Sharjah, two of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. The plan is to use the money raised in the Series A to expand to other emirates within the United Arab Emirates. Meddy is also being used in Qatar, also in the Middle East but not part of the UAE.
The blog post claims that Meddy has facilitated more than 100,000 online appointments and has generated $50 million in revenue for participating hospitals and clinics.
The U.S. has a plethora of doctor booking platforms like ZocDoc and Atrium Health, which helps people to book appointments at nearby urgent care locations. Many companies also allow e-visits. And hospitals and clinics patient portals using which appointments may also be booked online
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Meanwhile, in the UAE, Meddy is not alone in its endeavor to help patients find doctors and book appointments with then. Aghadi explained that Okadoc – which, like Meddy is also based in Dubai, is a competitor in the UAE. Vezeeta is another and it operates in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE, among other Middle Eastern nations, per its website. Vezeeta, based in Saud Arabia startup seems further along having raised $12 million in a Series C funding round back in September 2018.
Meddy may have some competition from outside the Middle East as well. Aghadi pointed to an Indian startup – Practo – that may also enter the UAE to give Meddy and others in the space a run for its money. The startup based in Bengaluru, India, has raised a whopping $251.2 million according to Crunchbase. Other than India, Practo has offices in San Francisco, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore.
Photo: bymuratdeniz, Getty Images
