Japan, Singapore funds invest in Vietnamese healthcare startup
Japan, Singapore funds invest in Vietnamese healthcare startup
A Vietnamese startup that provides users with a directory of healthcare facilities and doctors in Vietnam has received capital funding from Japanese fund CyberAgent Ventures and Singapore-based Pix Vine Capital.
Launched in January, ‘ViCare’ is a web database aimed at assisting users in locating medical and healthcare facilities in the quickest and most convenient manner.
After six months of operation, the site has put together a database of over 19,000 facilities and 20,000 doctors across Vietnam, which users can access.
The startup has just finished its second round of seed funding, having inked investment deals with CyberAgent Ventures and Pix Vine Capital, the value of which has not been disclosed.
CyberAgent Ventures is a venture capital firm headquartered in Tokyo and present in a number of East and Southeast Asian countries. It specializes in Internet businesses and provides support for start-up companies with the potential to have a substantial impact on the world.
Pix Vine Capital (PixVC) is a Singapore-based investment house providing early-stage venture capital for start-ups looking to commercialize innovative solutions in the areas of Info-Tech, Med-Tech, and Fin-Tech.
PixVC has invested in more than 40 high technology ventures across Israel, Singapore, China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand.
ViCare had previously succeeded in drawing capital from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City-based angel investors in its first round of seed funding.
According to statistics provided by ViCare, on a monthly basis the site enjoys around 200,000 visitors, 3,000 comments, and 6,000 questions submitted by users asking for information on healthcare facilities as well as health-related issues.
“Vietnam’s healthcare service is currently overloaded due to lack of infrastructure and medical workers, hence there is a search for startups that can solve these problems, and ViCare is one that’s looking to do just that,” said Nguyen Manh Dung, chief representative and investment director of CyberAgent Ventures in Vietnam and Thailand.
ViCare was co-founded by Pham Anh Duc and Bui Anh Dung, who had both worked with other startup projects in Vietnam, the UK, and Australia, and as consultants at global management consulting firm McKinsey in Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia.
