Sehat Kahani, a Pakistani health-tech startup, announced on Thursday that it has closed a $2.7-million Series A round with Amaanah Circle, a Singapore-based health tech fund led by Dr Razi Yousuf, spearheading the funding.
Amaanah Circle was joined by key investors including Epic Angels, a female-only investor collective, Cross Fund, USAID Investment Promotion Activity (IPA), Augmentor, Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) and the Elahi group, the statement added.
Founded by two doctors, Sara Saeed Khurram and Iffat Zafar Aga, Sehat Kahani says its technology ensures a virtual connection between doctors and patients within 60 seconds.
The platform offers on-demand, at-home or on-premises laboratory services and online medicine delivery, catering to a nationwide patient base, including B2B clients, B2C consumers, and the underserved population in rural areas.
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Managing partner Amaanah Circle Dr Razi Yousaf said, “Sehat Kahani is an incredible health-tech story led by Dr Sara Saeed Khurram and Dr Iffat Zafar Aga. Amaanah Circle is delighted to become a small part of this incredible story.”
“This funding infusion marks a pivotal moment for Sehat Kahani,” said Dr Sara. “It will enable us to develop advanced features, including decision support systems, precision medicine tools, and predictive AI models to help our patients live fully by knowing their disease better. Grateful to our investors for supporting our mission and championing female founders, setting a powerful example.”
Sehat Kahani has expanded its corporate application into a comprehensive OPD management solution. Corporate employees and their families benefit from cashless access to specialists, online medicine delivery, and claims management.
Additionally, Sehat Kahani runs a well-being programme for corporates, focusing on health promotion and preventative care. The consumer application, operational in over 350 cities across Pakistan, is integrated into banking and lifestyle platforms.
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“Sehat Kahani has shown significant average year on year growth of 141% in the last 3 years, overcoming the myth that telemedicine was only beneficial during covid as we have seen 5x cumulative growth in the post covid era. This gives us the confidence to expand operations to other countries and take Sehat Kahani global as our next move for expansion,” said Dr Iffat Zafar Aga.
The startup said that it has a global network of over 7,500 healthcare professionals.
“With services extended to over 800 corporations and 62 e-health clinics nationwide, Sehat Kahani has provided more than 2.6 million consultations to date. With this new round of funding, Sehat Kahani says it wants to accelerate bridging gaps in healthcare, empowering women in the medical profession, and expanding its impact globally.”
The development comes at a time when Pakistani startups are struggling to attract investment. In the third quarter of 2023 (July-September), investment in Pakistani startups dropped to $6.8 million, lower by 87.7% as compared to the same period last year, according to data shared by Data Darbar. The figure for nine months stood at $35.1 million, which is 89.4% lower compared to the same period of the previous year.