The fear of getting sick while traveling is as legitimate as it is likely to occur when least convenient. Every day, travelers around the world tread lightly during overseas trips for fear of having to find medical help in a foreign land.
Air Doctor, an Israeli medical care and travel start-up, provides an answer. The company’s platform connects travelers who fall ill abroad with local private doctors by means of an easy-to-use mobile and web app. The app currently covers 74 countries and includes more than 20,000 medical professionals who provide either in-person or telemedicine consultations.
Their platform has so much potential, they’ve managed to raise $20 million in a funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, which they aim to use to scale their company globally. In addition to bringing more developers on board to work on product customization, Air Doctor wants to use the investment to hire new employees and open additional offices internationally. The company also has plans to expand the product, marketing teams and the vetted medical professional network, particularly in the US and Europe.
“Air Doctor addresses a major pain point for the health and travel insurance industry, and Lightspeed is excited to lead the company’s new $20 million funding round,” said Lightspeed partner Yoni Cheifetz. “Air Doctor continues to prove itself as an innovator in travel health by digitizing a significant aspect of the travel experience.”
The desire for quality travel insurance has seen an increase in recent months, as the COVID-19 pandemic has waned and travel becomes more enticing to those inflicted with the itchy sensation of wanderlust. According to a recent World Economic Forum survey, the travel industry is expected to fully recover by 2024. Additionally, many countries might mandate travel insurance coverage. These two factors will create a dramatic surge in the need for better travel insurance.
All considered, that looks pretty good for Air Doctor.
Jenny Cohen Derfler, CEO and founder of Air Doctor, said, “As the world emerges from COVID-19, people have resumed travel, with a greater demand for suitable travel insurance and digital solutions. The pandemic has forced the industry to reassess local medical treatment available for travelers.
“Air Doctor has become one of the fastest-growing start-ups, with tens of thousands of registered users and many more accessing the network worldwide,” she said. “Today the company offers a unique and distinctive digital product with almost no competition worldwide.”
Recently, Air Doctor started an initiative to assist Ukrainians experiencing health crises. The company has partnered with Cover-More Group to offer free online medical consultations along with free prescription and medication to residents of Ukraine in need of medical assistance.