CTA graduate streamlines healthcare processes across borders
Just about everyone has experienced the frustration of waiting for a health care appointment or service. That is why one Canadian Technology Accelerator in Boston graduate took matters into their own hands, and with the help of the Consulate, expanded the market for their innovative services that proved not only efficient, but in the past year, extremely timely.
Rémi Richard and Yan Raymond-Lalande first got the idea behind Pomelo Health when Richard’s father put a nail through his hand while working on a home-renovation project and waited seven hours to be seen in a crowded emergency department. Richard explained he wished there was a way to leave his number and be called back when they could see his father. There had to be a better way but adding to the workload of busy healthcare administrators wasn’t an option. The two, who ran a service that built websites for businesses, got the idea to create an electronic kiosk that would allow patients to register and wait for such appointments remotely.
With the onset of COVID-19, this offering quickly went from a vast improvement in efficiency, to an essential tool for providers and patients alike. In 2020, it is that original concept that is helping patients meet with their doctors in a safe manner. The suite of software tools and apps have continued to grow and mature, helping to handle the flow of patients as well as vaccine distribution. Most recently, the company has seen its vaccination system be implemented in Texas, New York and California.
While they are extremely proud to be helping people across North America, Richard said it would not have been possible without the support and guidance they received along the way. After a successful expansion across Canada and having raised $3.5-million in Series A funding, the pair set their sights on the U.S. They entered the Boston CTA in 2018 to scale up their product offerings and market.
The program brought “another level of confidence,” Richard says. He said networking in the Boston area not only allowed them to vet their services in one of the top healthcare markets, but also gave them access to high quality resources and mentors. “The program surrounds you with high quality people,” Richard said of the CTA. “It’s hard not to feel confident when you have such smart and successful people who want to help you.”
His advice for other founders is to not be intimidated and to dream big. He explained that it would be typical to assume that Americans already have access to a particular service, or you are not the first to market. This was true in Pomelo’s case, however he noted that their biggest competitor, a multimillion-dollar company, had about 1% of the market share. “That’s when we decided to go get our own 1%.”
“You’re in a rich environment and the information comes very fast,” said Trade Commissioner Serban Georgescu. “We open doors to potential customers, partners and collaborators.” Richard agreed and said the Consulate has continued to support Pomelo long after their time in the CTA.
Richard explained another top value he experienced from participating in the CTA was physically being there and being part of the community. Of course, this is not possible right now which makes his relationship with the Consulate even more valuable. “Being part of the community was the best way to keep trends and needs of the U.S. market top of mind,” Richard said. “We are grateful the Consulate continues to connect us to the community.” Richard does hope to resume in-person meetings with their provider and health system customers in the future. For now, he remedies this by hanging American-themed pennants and signs with U.S. city names all around their Canadian offices.
Since its CTA experience, the company has raised $20-million in Series B funding from Full In Partners, one of the largest female-founded venture capital firms in the U.S. Pomelo opened a U.S. subsidiary in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in addition to its offices in Montreal as well as Toronto, and currently has a total team of nearly 100 employees. Some 12 million patients across North America use its products today, and the company has signed a partnership with ELLKAY, a leading U.S. health-care connectivity firm.
