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Traveling abroad comes with its unique set of accent , and for many , one of the biggest is what to do if you find yourself seedy . Can you discover a Dr. who speaks your speech , will accept your insurance , and allow you debar the cost and emphasis of inflict an unfamiliar hospital emergency way ?
A inauguration calledAir Doctorhas build a weapons platform to help hoi polloi in this very quandary , and it has now put forward $ 20 million in a Series B round after visualize warm adhesive friction .
Air Doctor ’s product is part directory , part algorithmically - ram location - based service of process provider , and part account statement tech . At its heart , it is a directory of vetted doctors in different land along with profile detailing what they address and what languages they talk . This directory is provided to users to graze and practice for either in - person or remote consultations .
affected role do not have to pay the doctors or get their claims covered by insurance providers . Air Doctor matches up customer ’ policy policy with the help fork up , and manages the reimbursement defrayal to doctors from insurance companies .
Air Doctor charges a service fee and delegation as part of that process , but all the same , it take that its endeavor leave in 50 % savings on outpatient claims overall , 60 % savings for medical help providers , and cut back handling and processing fourth dimension by 75 % .
The startup lay claim it has more than 80,000 customers , which has been boosted by contracts with 18 major wellness insurance providers , and it put up a directory of 20,000 doctors across 84 countries . It started off with a B2C focal point , but now operates a B2B2C good example with insurance policy company in the center , referring individuals to Air Doctor , along with others using the divine service directly .
CEO and co - founder Jenny Cohen Derfler said the troupe ’s taxation is growing by 2.5x annually . But when you compound that adhesive friction with the ballooning number of international traveller ( 790 million people traveled internationally in the first seven calendar month of 2024 , perUN approximation ) , “ the potential is much larger , ” Derfler said .
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It should be mark , though , that there are other startups aim travelers ’ health needs : Featheris ramp up an indemnity platform for expats , for example .
The investors in Air Doctor ’s new round underscore the opportunity the troupe is targeting : aMoon , an Israeli VC firm focused on health and life sciences , is moderate the round , with other new backers including indemnity giant Tokio Marine Holdings and Samsung Ventures ( SVIC ) . late backers Lightspeed Venture Partners , Vintage Investment Partners , and two more diligence top banana — Phoenix Insurance and Munich Re Ventures — are also participating .
The investor spelled out another prospect of the possible tech the ship’s company has been build : “ Air Doctor is … leveraging advanced algorithms and app - base solutions to supply timely , quality aesculapian precaution for travelers worldwide , ” Todd Sone , general partner at aMoon , said in a statement .
Derfler ’s stake in ramp up Air Doctor comes partially from her and her son ’s ( who is also her co - laminitis ) background . Derfler described herself as a “ nomad ” : she in the first place hails from Uruguay , has traveled around South America , spent fourth dimension in other countries , and currently lives in Israel .
Her son , Yam Derfler , originally come up with the estimation for the company when traveling .
In South America , he fell ill and realized he had no idea how to sail the local health system to find a doctor . He went to a hospital instead , which evidence to have its own dramatic bit .
Back at home in Israel , when he and Jenny start to look deeper at the job , it was clear that Yam and other consumers were not alone . indemnity companies also did n’t have a clear route to commend doctors in res publica outside their abode soil .
And so began the summons of building Air Doctor . That attempt was filled with challenges , Derfler recalled . The co - founders realized that to be very closemouthed to the trouble and root , they would have to travel to the first country they harness , Greece , to find doctors to start building a internet .
“ We started to go to confab doctor in Greece through recommendations , ” she said . “ We learned that when you call a doctor in Greece , the receptionist usually does n’t know English . And when you go to the address , the missive are not Romance letters , so we could n’t see which floor a clinic was located on . We want to understand the indigence ourselves and what we need to say our exploiter to do . ”
The two also used other methods to build up its database , let in contact embassies for recommendations , and then leveraging word - of - mouthpiece through existing doctors on the web . Before the COVID-19 pandemic , Air Doctor had amassed 10,000 Dr. , and in the last two years , another 10,000 have link , she say .
And now that the startup is working more closely with insurance companies , it be given on them , too , to understand where mass travel and what are the most mutual ailment to focus its web growth .
The fellowship has now raise a sum of around $ 50 million ( includingthis Series A in 2020 ) and it is not disclosing its evaluation .
