SeedBlink Blog

• First of all, thank you for your time. You’re a core member of SanoPass team. What’s the vision behind SanoPass?

Our purpose is to become a unique point of access to a healthy lifestyle, improving users’ experience, and promoting a different way of life.

How are we achieving that? By bringing together all preventative medical services, making them more convenient and easy to access. Basically, we democratize the access to doctors.

Our mobile app gives you instant access to over 850 partner medical clinics, the most advanced Telemedicine solution, online pharmacy and health insurance, electronic medical history, and appointments management. Soon you’ll also get access to over 150 fitness centers and nutrition services, in person or online, via the app.

• How do you want to add up to this project’s success?

For the last 10 years I have been working in the health and fitness industry and had the opportunity to lead extraordinary teams which contributed to improving the lives of many people. I am using this experience, the lessons learned from past projects – some about successes and some about failures, but also my connections, to build an unbeatable commercial team. Together with Andrei, our Co-founder and co-Managing Partner, we aim to build a lasting, super-strong company, ready to become international in 2021.

• What kind of a mark did you leave on the community?

The influence of technology in medicine and healthcare services is not something new, but we are observing an acceleration of this tendency in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Small companies – such as SanoPass, aim to solve big problems through technology and adoption of digital tools. The biggest problems of our society are: difficult access to health services, the fact that we get to the doctor only when in pain (and it’s often too late), the fact that we have a very high cost at patient level, or the fact that the online information is not verified, but still we end up self medicating.

Our purpose is to address these problems and make a difference in the lives of our users.

• How important is to get connected with people of different development competences, and how to stay in touch?

I believe it is crucial. I am somehow attracted by people with complementary skills; they fascinate me and I am keen to listen to their opinion as often as possible. I always said that I do my best to get out of the „self fulfilling prophecy” bias, and this is one great way to do it.

How do I keep in touch? I am a social person, but not the most social. My colleagues from MSM’s RO6 Cohort (my MBA cohort at Maastricht School of Management) – an amazing group of people with similar values but different skills sets, form my Mastermind group. We created this arrangement and we connect digitally these days, but can’t wait to meet in person soon. It is a great support group: a place of trust and leveling up that keeps me grounded.

• What’s been your biggest accomplishment with SanoPass?

SanoPass is a constantly evolving product. If at the beginning of last year we had 300 medical clinics, we ended the year with over 850, plus the opening toward the B2C area through a partnership with Mastercard.

At the moment we are preparing a big surprise for Romania: the integration in SanoPass app of an artificial intelligence system, a symptom checking tool aimed to replace the well known and too-widely spread „Dr. Google”. I think this is one of my biggest prides because it solves a big problem that exists in the market at the moment: something hurts, but I don't know which doctor to go to.

• What was the biggest lesson of 2020 for SanoPass?

We have learned to adapt and I think that a proper adaptation process should come with a specific progress. That's what happened at SanoPass: in the midst of the pandemic, we decided to pivot from a classic provider of medical subscriptions to a platform capable of integrating all medical prevention services. This change made SanoPass capable to get involved in partnerships with big players from the Romanian market: Mastercard, Dr. Max, NN etc.

• What are your top priorities for next 12 months?

We’ve ended 2020 with approx. 10.000 subscribers on our platform and with a fiscal value of 1 million RON. Currently we have more than 16.000 subscribers and we want to double this number by the end of 2021. The plans for 2021 include increasing our portfolio of clients and extending the partners network, as well as integrating AI solutions, personalized nutrition, and developing a network of gym facilities. We also work very hard to launch SanoPass outside Romania very soon.

• You’ve recently returned to SeedBlink for a Pre-Series A round. What are the main benefits of using platforms like SeedBlink vs. traditional VC funding?

SeedBlink is a transparent solution that connects entrepreneurs with great business plans, with investors, at different stages in their development. It is a great tool for us, a democratization of access to funding, I would say. It is a business model on which SanoPass also operates, and the model of service integrators is welcome in an increasingly fragmented market.

• Do you think your investors invested in the idea, the product, the founders, or the team?

There is definitely a mix between all four, that investors are looking at. A good idea needs a market fit product, built on a solid business plan made by the founders, that must be supported by a capable and effervescent team. So, I would say that they are all equally important.

For us, I would say that the great idea and the team behind must have been the main attraction.

• If there were three pieces of fundraising advice you could give other founders, what would they be?

First of all I would say they need to have the courage to go out there and share their vision. Then, be prepared to get feedback. The market gives you feedback, and the ability to listen to your customers, partners, and competitors is of crucial importance. Then, know your numbers and the business plan. Fundraising is a great test because it brings along amazing learning opportunities and great rewards. Last, but not least, this is a team game: work on your team at least as hard as you work on your product. The team can make you or it can easily break you, so build it strong and you will be successful.

Thank you for your time. Any Key-Takeaway you’d like to leave the readers with?

I would like from those reading this article to remember the name SanoPass and check the evolution of the company from time to time. We promise great things and we are well known, as a team that always keeps its word.

More about Delia Iliasa | SanoPass | SanoPass Pre-Series A round on SeedBlink

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