Contxto – Mexican healthtech startups, Happinss and Midoconline, are putting the “perfect” back in “perfect storm”. Both companies have seen the rise of telemedicine from upfront, and now they’re joining forces and going in for the kill—or rather, to make a killing.
The alliance fuses both companies’ specialties, providing 24 hour GP, psychologist, and nutritionist services as of this past Monday (25).
But, how is it that these two healthtechs have done so well? It would seem, for once, government regulation has created a great space for growth.
Gobbling up the opportunities of NOM-035
Unlike companies in other countries, businesses in Mexico were looking for medical professionals long before coronavirus hit.
This was due NOM-035-STPS-2018, something that sounds equally infectious to Covid-19, but which is actually a law passed in 2016 by the Mexican government. The new regulation states that companies must prove that they are looking out for the physical and mental health of their employees.
This was the world Happinss and Midoconline as B2B telemedicine startups were aiming to win in, but coronavirus has just put their business model on steroids.
Post-Covid healthtech: B2B is meant to be
I said in the past that “nice-to-have” is dead. Much of what used to be nice to have has either become essential or a waste of resources in tough times.
- Related article: Finnovista’s fintech Demo Day marks the death of “nice-to-have”
Telemedicine is now one of the former: from a perk to an essential service.
This is because now, beyond NOM-035 which comes into full force soon, the government has additionally asked companies to have a doctor on hand to make sure that they do not become coronavirus infection spots.
This ruling opens up a conundrum for business owners. Do I need to have a doctor on-site? Do I need to actually hire a doctor to carry out the daily checks needed to keep my employees safe and virus free?
We’ll, the alliance by Happinss and Midoconline seems to have squared that circle. They are offering all their previous services, but now with a special covid slant. Each employee of companies that hire these healthtechs’ services will now have access to:
- Professional, remote assessments of vulnerable population to mitigate risks by Covid-19
- Mindfulness meditation program for those in isolation
- Checkups for up to three employee family members for free
- A price comparison feature for medication
- The location of their nearest hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies
- A digital clinical history
Not a bad deal for interested companies, but an amazing deal for these two medical and psycho-social platforms.
-AG