Aartas, a tech startup founded by two Indian doctors in the US, has launched its medical co-working space in New Delhi. It recently raked in $5 million in a funding round led by QRG Holdings, which is a promoter of Havells, an India-listed electronic equipment manufacturer. 

WHAT IS IT

The Aartas Clinishare provides both established doctors and budding practitioners with a co-working space under a pay-by-the-hour plan. It is equipped with consultation rooms, a waiting lounge and a trained support staff. The startup has a mobile app where their client's patients can check-in, register through QR code, receive online consults, make digital payments and check-out. Its app can also sort, organise and arrange the delivery of patients' medications.

WHY IT MATTERS

Based on Havell's press statement, Aartas built its co-working space to encourage physicians to continue their private practice during the pandemic. 

"The core idea of Aartas Clinishare is to build emotive technology, leveraging the patient experience that ensures physical care and makes healthcare easy, independent, spontaneous for everyone in the society," the statement read.

Aartas will be using its new funds to "create a parallel healthcare ecosystem where doctors practice their idea of care that works best for their patients". It targets to establish 100 technology-enabled multi-speciality clinics across India. 

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Startups operating under a hybrid model of care delivery have sprung up in American just before the pandemic. Following its partnership with tech-enabled workspace provider Convene, Eden Health has opened an in-office clinic in New York to complement its provision of digital care. Carbon, which offers a hybrid of digital and in-person care services, has raised $30 million in Series B funding for its expansion across the US. 

Another coworking space but for medical and health tech startups was launched two years ago in Singapore. The Catalyst coworking space provides these startups with access to events, programmes and partners to accelerate their development.

ON THE RECORD

"With the launch of Clinishare, our purpose is to leverage technology in helping make doctors more independent and empower them to give their best care, provide them [with] an alternative ecosystem that is free of corporate pressures, at the same time still be part of something greater than themselves," Drs Ankur and Ayush Sharma, founders of Aartas, said. 

"With CliniShare, we are working to bring patients and doctors together in a whole new way. We have woven technology into the very fabric of our spaces to make each step of patients care journey easier and seamless," they added.

Havells Chief Managing Director Anil Rai Gupta also commented: "We are delighted to deepen our relationship with Aartas Clinishare. It is a privilege to be part of Dr Ankur and Dr Ayush Sharma’s innovative healthcare tech startup, introducing the concept of co‐working space and trying to cater [for] the needs of the doctors and patients."