Uber Eats alum lands $14M seed from a16z to fix WhatsApp chaos for LatAm’s doctors

Caroline Merin, who spent astir a decennary processing on-demand velocity arsenic the archetypal Latin American General Manager for Uber Eats and aboriginal the COO of Rappi, recognized however severely healthcare tech lagged behind. While patients expected doctors to respond arsenic rapidly arsenic their transportation apps, astir aesculapian professionals connected the continent are forced to trust connected WhatsApp for each diligent communication.

“I thought, arsenic a patient, particularly arsenic an American, however unthinkable that I tin substance my doc connected WhatsApp, and they’ll respond,” she told TechCrunch.

But Merin besides realized conscionable however overwhelming this connection method had go for physicians. “A doc who sees 20 patients during the day, gets home, has 100 messages and is expected to reply instantly and retrieve who the diligent is without the wellness grounds successful beforehand of them,” she said.

Merin, who had agelong been funny successful gathering her ain startup, saw an accidental to amended doctors’ connection challenges. So, 2 years ago, she launched Leona Health, an AI-copilot integrated with doctors’ WhatsApp accounts.

On Tuesday, Leona revealed that it raised $14 cardinal successful effect backing led by Andreessen Horowitz, with information from General Catalyst, Accel, and the CEOs of Maven Clinic (Kate Ryder), Nubank (David Vélez), and Rappi (Simón Borrero). The startup besides announced that its work is present disposable to doctors successful 14 Latin American countries crossed 22 aesculapian specialties.

With Leona, patients proceed to nonstop messages connected WhatsApp, but doctors person and negociate that connection done the startup’s mobile app. The app sorts each messages successful bid of priority, suggests responses, and allows different squad members (like doctors oregon nurses) to reply to patients connected the doctor’s behalf.

The startup volition besides soon motorboat a afloat autonomous cause that volition grip conversational scheduling and elemental intake.

Solving the WhatsApp connection situation successful Latin America is captious because, according to Merin, patients successful Latin America often take their doctors based connected their willingness to pass utilizing this channel.

“These mediocre doctors they’re receiving requests for precise superior aesculapian consults to, ‘I request a missive for my kids’ school,’ or, ‘I privation a receipt for my assignment past week’,” Merin said.

Since these messages tin get successful the evenings and connected weekends, physicians are often forced to show their WhatsApp astir the clock. Leona solves this by instantly alerting doctors lone to the astir superior wellness requests and allowing them to deprioritize much regular oregon administrative questions.

“The thought is to assistance the doc regain time,” Merin said. “We’re proceeding from our users that they’re redeeming 2 to 3 hours a time by utilizing Leona.”

While Leona is starting by serving Latin America, the company’s semipermanent ngo is to grow its services to different geographies, where, dissimilar successful the US, patients besides request to pass with their doctors via WhatsApp, alternatively than done physics aesculapian records systems.

Leona’s squad of 13 is presently divided betwixt Mexico City and Silicon Valley, where, according to Merin, the champion AI engineers are located.