From Mexico all the way to Chile, Latin America is stepping up its healthtech game, and the results are already showing.
The sector had a strong year, with some 44% of healthtech startups experiencing a positive impact on their business due to the pandemic in 2021. VCs have taken note and remain particularly bullish in the region.
Latin America Reports recently analyzed healthtech companies in LatAm to spotlight founders on the cutting edge of change in the region. Here are four that stood out:
Mike Hoey
Mike Hoey is the founder of Source Meridian and IPSUM Clinical, among other companies. He focuses on marrying startup and enterprise growth with innovative pharmaceutical and healthcare solutions.
Hoey brings his background in Accenture consulting and experience at publishing startup ESPS to Source Meridian, which supports the development of software platforms for medical devices, connected health technologies, and large data analytics capabilities.
Hoey’s other venture, IPSUM Clinical, is a site management organization operating in Colombia. IPSUM Clinical has created a network of INVIMA approved sites for conducting clinical trials in tropical medicine, metabolic disorders, Alzheimer’s research, and more.
Laura Mendoza
Laura Mendoza is the founder and COO of Unima, a Mexican-based biotech company focused on the development of fast and low-cost diagnostic devices to control diseases that affect the lives of billions around the globe.
Unima’s goal is to enable those even with little technical training to diagnose diseases directly at the point of care, fast, and at a fraction of the traditional costs.
Mendoza holds three master’s degrees in bioprocesses, plant genetics, and marketing, and uses her wide expertise to fulfill her personal mission of creating a world where, “We enjoy a healthy life free of preventable and curable diseases, regardless of our ability to pay,” she said.
Ramsés de La Rosa
Ramsés De La Rosa, a principal at ZS, leads the management consultancy’s nearshore operations in Argentina where he helps some of the largest drugmakers and medical device producers in the region implement long-lasting tech-enabled solutions.
Before joining ZS, De La Rosa worked with P&G as a process and operations engineer. Before relocating to South America, he was managing ZS’s Toronto and Evanston offices. After that, he was responsible for developing ZS’s business in Brazil and co-led the launch of the office in São Paulo.
David Barac
Today, about 60% of the Guatemalan population struggles to access basic public healthcare services, affecting primarily those living in rural areas. With the majority of patients financing care out of their own pocket, smart AI-powered telehealth solutions could alleviate the problem—particularly for those living below the poverty line.
Enter, David Barac.
Barac is an entrepreneur with an economics and management background who co-founded Bitmec, a Guatemalan-based tech startup developing telemedicine tools in hardware and software to facilitate access to high-quality, cost-effective, and scalable primary healthcare services.
