In a move to transform the way people access medical information online, Roon, a startup based in Silicon Valley, has raised $15 million to build a comprehensive video-based platform featuring advice and insights from real doctors.
The company was founded by Vikram Bhaskaran, whose personal experience caring for his father’s rare neurodegenerative condition inspired him to create a better solution. Bhaskaran, along with his co-founders Rohan Ramakrishna, a neurosurgeon, and Arun Ranganathan, a former Pinterest engineer, are on a mission to replace the commonly used “Dr. Google” approach with a platform that delivers clinically accurate information from medical experts.
Roon’s platform currently hosts over 16,000 short videos covering a wide range of health topics, including ALS, glioblastoma, dementia, PCOS, and fertility. In the coming months, the company plans to expand its content to include women’s health, pediatrics, cancer, neurology, and metabolic health.
“Doctors own in their brains billions of bits of privileged information that they share with you in the clinic, but it doesn’t really scale outside of their own medical practice,” said Dr. Ramakrishna, one of Roon’s co-founders.
By inviting thousands of doctors from top medical institutions to share their expertise on the platform, Roon aims to make this valuable information more accessible to patients and caregivers. The company’s approach is not to turn doctors into social media stars, but rather to provide them with a platform to efficiently share their knowledge and improve patient outcomes.
Roon has already attracted significant investor interest, raising $15 million in a funding round co-led by Forerunner Ventures and FirstMark. Previous investors, including Sequoia Capital and TMV, also participated in the round.
“You don’t have a lot of time with your surgeon or your doctor, and so when they say, ‘Do you have any questions for me, you panic,'” said Eurie Kim, managing partner at Forerunner Ventures. Kim believes Roon’s platform can empower patients to be more knowledgeable and prepared for their medical appointments.
While the company has not yet determined its business model, investors see potential in various revenue streams, such as advertising, subscription services for healthcare providers, and even the possibility of expanding into a doctor directory to help patients find specialists and seek second opinions.
Roon’s mission to bring reliable, doctor-curated information to the forefront of online healthcare represents a significant step forward in addressing the challenges faced by patients and caregivers when searching for accurate medical advice. With its innovative approach and strong investor backing, the startup is poised to redefine the way people access and consume healthcare information online.
