In a bid to promote healthcare accessibility across Nigeria, MDaaS Global, which operates a network of tech-enabled medical evaluation centers across the country, has raised $3 million in pre-Series A funding.
Aruwa Capital and Newton Partners took the lead in this funding round, with Newton Partners having previously been the primary investor in MDaaS’s $2.3 million seed extension back in 2021. Ventures Platform also contributed follow-on capital, bringing MDaaS’s total investment to an impressive $6.8 million.
MDaaS Global has outlined ambitious plans for utilising this investment, including the launch of BeaconOS, its proprietary technology platform introduced last year. Additionally, MDaaS intends to significantly expand its healthcare network, aiming to establish a presence in all Nigerian states through a combination of company-owned clinics and affiliate partnerships.
Access to healthcare in Nigeria and across Africa remains a challenge, with millions of individuals facing barriers to receiving essential medical services. Despite some existing access, there is a prevalent tendency to prioritise disease treatment over prevention, leading to delayed detection of life-threatening diseases, particularly non-communicable ones. MDaaS Global has gained recognition for its focus on improving access to diagnostics and preventive care.
By expanding its network and leveraging its innovative technology platform, MDaaS Global is optimistic about making significant progress in enhancing healthcare access nationwide. Through a comprehensive approach that prioritizes preventive care and early detection, the startup aims to mitigate the impact of life-threatening diseases and improve overall health outcomes for communities across Nigeria.
The Startup has expanded with a current network of 17 diagnostic centers across 10 states within Nigeria. Going forward, the company has set its sights on constructing an additional 23 centres in the future.
Founded in 2017 by CEO Oluwasoga Oni, alongside co-founders Opeyemi Ologun and Genevieve Oni, MDaaS Global has at the heart of its operational model a dedication to providing comprehensive healthcare solutions tailored to meet diverse medical needs.
Within its diagnostic centers, MDaaS offers extensive services designed to cater to various healthcare requirements. These encompass state-of-the-art imaging technologies, including digital x-ray and ultrasound, alongside cardiac services such as ECG and echocardiography.
Additionally, the company delivers an array of essential lab services, spanning chemistry analysis, immunoassay and hematology.
Patients use the SentinelX app to access these facilities. The app acts like a personalized care program. It lets patients pay one fee for a whole year of seeing a doctor. Originally, MDaaS made SentinelX for customers. But now, it’s changed to focus more on businesses.
BeaconOS and an integrated care network are essential for MDaaS’s work and growth in Nigeria.
BeaconOS is like the operating system for MDaaS’s diagnostic centers. It helps MDaaS see how its centers work each day. It also helps the teams manage patient visits and see clinical results more easily.
MDaaS’s care network involves working with over 1,300 doctors across more than 1,000 groups. These include hospitals, pharmacies, health tech startups, companies, and 34 health management organizations (HMOs).
Since it started, MDaaS has helped over 275,000 patients. It uses its care network and BeaconOS to do this. Just last year, MDaaS helped 108,724 patients. Most of these patients were women, making up 60.8% of the total. MDaaS also did over 240,000 diagnostic tests. The most common tests were chest X-rays, urinalysis and full blood count tests.
“Oni emphasised, ‘We tend to screen a lot of people who work with corporates, and what we’ve noticed is a concerning prevalence of hypertension in the country.’ He shed light on some of the most common diagnoses seen on the platform, stating, ‘We often encounter workers struggling with lifestyle-related and non-infectious diseases such as cancer, hypertension and diabetes. These issues are on the rise, as evidenced by our data, and we strive to connect them with the necessary care.”
To enhance communication between its diagnostic centers and clients, MDaaS introduced Olewerk to optimize diagnostic workflows and Beam to aid partners in managing occupational health for their teams. With the recent investment, MDaaS aims to develop new applications on the BeaconOS platform. These include an affiliate clinic portal for real-time patient referrals and results management.
Additionally, MDaaS plans to integrate with Health Management Organizations (HMOs) to streamline authorisation processes and create a patient-facing app. This app will facilitate appointment booking, result access and health insurance management.
“We are excited to collaborate with MDaaS Global in their mission to transform healthcare delivery in Africa. MDaaS’ consistent and remarkable growth, along with their commitment to providing high-quality diagnostics to underserved patients, deeply resonated with us,” expressed Adesuwa Okunbo Rhodes, founder and managing partner at Aruwa Capital, regarding the investment.
“As a gender-lens investor, we are particularly thrilled to support a company that is driving positive change for women across Nigeria—over 60% of BeaconHealth patients are women, primarily of reproductive age—and MDaaS shares our dedication to fostering gender-diverse teams.”
