Innovative Telemedicine Startups of India Promising Connected Healthcare

What if you need to see a doctor urgently, alone, and in pain? In the era of 5G, shouldn't waiting in a clinic seem outdated? How about reaching for your phone, booking an instant video call with a doctor, consulting, and getting the help you need?

And it doesn't stop there—you can even schedule lab tests; someone will come to collect samples and deliver the test results to you.

Telehealth is reshaping healthcare as we know it, utilizing video conferencing, online chats, and messaging apps to enhance accessibility and efficiency. Its popularity stems from the convenience it offers, saving costs, and improving patient outcomes.

For those in remote areas or facing travel challenges, telehealth serves as a lifeline, bringing healthcare directly to their homes. This is particularly beneficial for patients with chronic conditions, enabling them to receive regular monitoring without enduring the hardships of frequent clinic visits.

The story of telehealth’s remarkable growth in India is shaped by the widespread adoption of smartphones, increasing internet penetration, and a rising demand for accessible healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst, addressing the critical need for remote medical consultations and services. Government initiatives and supportive policies further accelerated this transformation, making telemedicine an integral part of the healthcare landscape.

Now, let’s delve into the top telemedicine companies in the country that are making remote healthcare a reality. These trailblazing firms are leveraging cutting-edge technology to bridge the healthcare gap, ensuring that quality healthcare is within reach for all.

Top Telemedicine Startups in India

Here are some of the top telemedicine startups in India:

Plum Telehealth

Founded in 2021, by Abhishek Poddar (CEO) & Saurabh Arora (CTO), Plum Telehealth offers 24/7 access to doctors, 1:1 consultation over video calls, appointment bookings, and instant digital prescriptions all in one place. They also provide timely reminders by email, SMS, and WhatsApp.

Moreover, users can choose doctors based on language and gender. Instant digital prescriptions and easy-to-book follow-up appointments are some of the features of Plum.

Currently, Plum Telehealth houses 20+ specialties available from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week.

In May this year, Plum secured $15.6 million in a Series A funding round led by Tiger Global. Other investors who participated in this funding include Sequoia Capital India’s Surge, Tanglin Venture Partners, Incubate Fund, and Gemba Capital. With the fresh infusion of funds, the startup planned to further scale engineering, business development, and operations teams.

Tattvan Eclinic

Founded in 2016 by Ayush Mishra, the Gurugram-based startup aims to transform healthcare services in remote regions across India and Asia.

Through a straightforward franchise model, Tattvan upgrades local doctors' clinics into telemedicine hubs in small towns. These hubs seamlessly connect patients to top-tier doctors across India via Tattvan's innovative platform.

This initiative empowers patients in remote areas to access expert medical opinions from the comfort of their homes, guided by their trusted community doctors. Tattvan’s mission is to make quality healthcare a human right for everyone, regardless of their location or socio-economic status.

PharmEasy

PharmEasy is an e-pharmacy and telemedicine services startup. They offer remote consultation, prescription refills, and health checkups, allowing patients to access healthcare from home.

Founded in 2015 by Dharmil Sheth and Dhaval Shah, the healthtech startup provides consumers with on-demand, home-delivered access to a wide range of prescription, OTC pharmaceuticals, other consumer healthcare products, comprehensive diagnostic test services, and teleconsultations.

Apart from medicine delivery, PharmEasy offers virtual consultations and patient education. In FY21, PharmEasy delivered 8.8 million orders.

PharmEasy secured INR 1,804 Cr in a funding round in April, this year. The funding round was led by Ranjan Pai's Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) along with other existing investors.

The participants in PharmEasy's latest funding round included MEMG's family office, which contributed INR 800 Cr, while Prosus, Temasek, and 360 One Portfolios contributed INR 221 Cr, INR 183 Cr, and INR 200 Cr, respectively. CDPQ Private Equity, WSSS Investments, Goldman Sachs, and Evolution Debt Capital invested a total of INR 400 Cr.

Tata 1mg

Tata 1mg, formerly known as 1mg, is a telehealth startup headquartered in Gurugram, India.

Founded in 2015 by Prashant Tandon, Gaurav Agarwal, and Vikas Chauhan, Tata 1mg aims to revolutionize healthcare accessibility and transparency. The startup provides services including e-pharmacy, diagnostics, and health content.

Additionally, it offers teleconsultations with doctors along with free follow-up for three days. Currently, Tata 1mg offers services in more than 22 specialties.

In 2022, the Tata-owned healthtech major entered the unicorn club with a fresh fund infusion of $40 million led by Tata Digital.

In addition to Tata Digital, 1mg’s existing investors, including Redwood Global, Korea Omega, and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation, participated in the funding round. The startup raised $41 million, valuing it at $1.25 billion.

Mfine

Founded in 2017 by Ajit Narayanan, Arjun Choudhary, Ashutosh Lawania, and Prasad Kompalli, Mfine leverages AI to offer diagnostics and telemedicine services. The startup partners with top hospitals, offering virtual consultations and connected care programs.

Users can consult doctors online, book lab tests and X-Rays scans, order medicines, and join long-term care programs through the MFine app.

The Bengaluru-based startup raised $48 million in a Series C round led by Beenext and Moore Strategic Ventures in 2021.

The funding also saw participation from existing investors such as Stellaris Venture Partners, SBI Group Japan, SBI Ven Capital Singapore, Heritas Capital, Prime Venture Partners, Y’S Investment Pte., and Alteria Capital.

CureBay

Founded in 2021 by Priyadarshi Mohapatra, Sanjay Swain, and Shobhan Mahapatra, CureBay offers teleconsultation, medicine delivery, lab tests, and surgery.

Based in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa, India, CureBay’s hybrid model combines technology and a network of eClinics to make quality healthcare accessible to people in remote locations. Additionally, the startup has invested in data science capabilities to enhance its healthcare services.

Earlier this year, Curebay raised a total of INR 50 Cr in a Series A funding round led by Elevar Equity. Other investors who participated include InCred Wealth and Stride Ventures.

Currently, CureBay operates 15 eClinics across multiple remote districts and villages in Odisha.

Medibuddy

Medibuddy offers video consultations with doctors and assists in booking lab tests and ordering medicines.

Founded in 2013 by Enbasekar Dinadayalane and Satish Kannan, the Bengaluru-based digital healthcare platform offers a range of services, including online doctor consultations, lab tests, and medicine delivery.

Last month, the healthcare startup raised $8.4 million in debt funding from existing investors such as Innoven Capital and Atleria Capital.

Moreover, the startup intends to acquire businesses in sectors such as women's health, mental health, diabetes, and chronic disease management. This latest investment is expected to bring the startup's total debt and equity funding to approximately $218 million.

Their mission is to provide quality affordable healthcare and that is available anytime, anywhere. MediBuddy was acquired by DocsApp in 2020 for an undisclosed amount, bolstering its reach in the healthcare industry.

DocVita

Founded in 2019 by Anmol Arora and Vikram Patel, DocVita operates as an online clinic on WhatsApp, offering convenient consultations.

The telehealth platform connects individuals with therapists and psychiatrists for consultations and therapy, offering both online and in-person consultations. It also allows patients to find the right mental health care provider and receive confidential, personalized therapy.

The mental health startup raised a total of $125,000 in a Pre-Seed funding round led by Goodwater Capital and Y Combinator.

Over the course of its funding history, DocVita has received investment from a total of nine investors, including Cedric Dahl, Flat6labs, Musha Ventures, and Rupert van Millingen

MyHealthcare

MyHealthcare provides virtual consultations, digital prescriptions, lab tests, and online medicine orders.

MyHealthcare, founded in October 2017 by Aneesh Nair, Divya Laroyia, and Shyatto Raha, is a digital healthcare ecosystem that collaborates with hospitals, clinics, doctors, and caregivers. The startup’s core focus is bridging the healthcare delivery gap using data-driven care processes.

MyHealthcare enhances the patient care continuum by providing services that assist hospitals and clinics. Their mission is to make healthcare more accessible and efficient through technology-driven solutions.

In 2022, MyHealthcare secured $1.13 million in a Series A round led by Hunch Ventures. Apart from Hunt Ventures, the startup also received investment from IDS Development and Sixth Sense Ventures in previous rounds.

DigiQure E clinic

Founded in 2020 by Anmol Arora, Vikram Patel, and Enbasekar Dinadayalane, alumni of NIT Bhopal, DigiQure E clinic offers comprehensive telemedicine services facilitated by Saksham Health.

Based in Bhopal, this telemedicine platform provides video consultations with specialist doctors, digital prescriptions, access to medications and lab tests, and referrals to partner hospitals for advanced care if needed.

By enabling remote consultations, DigiQure helps patients avoid unnecessary travel to urban centers, saving them considerable time, money, and opportunity costs.

Additionally, DigiQure offers a user-friendly mobile app for patients to book appointments, maintain personal health records, and access expert health content.

DigiQure E Clinic appeared on Shark Tank India Season 2. The startup bagged funding of INR 40 Lakhs for 10% equity Shark Vineeta Singh, the founder of SUGAR Cosmetics, and Shark Namita Thappar, the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

Disclaimer: This article serves as a factual representation and does not intend to promote any specific company. The ranking order in the article is arbitrary and not presented in any particular order. The information provided is based solely on data gathered from company websites and other publicly available sources.