Name: Patricia Puiggros
Business Name: IKI HEALTH GROUP SL
Location: Palma de Mallorca , Spain
Establishment (Year): 2022
Category: Health & Wellness
Profession/ Specialty: "Anesthesiologist, sports medicine Director, and entrepreneur."
Website: https://www.iki.health/
Social Media : Linkedin
Company Detail:
Expanding on IKI Health's mission and social impact, this innovative eHealth startup, under the leadership of Dr. Patricia Puiggros, focuses on addressing critical challenges within the healthcare sector, such as professional burnout, staffing shortages, and poor patient adherence to treatments for chronic diseases.
By integrating a holistic health approach and employing AI to create personalized care plans and real-time monitoring, IKI Health aims not only to improve the daily operations of healthcare professionals but also to significantly enhance patient outcomes.
Through its commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technology, IKI Health is at the forefront of revolutionizing access to healthcare, making it more democratic and accessible for all, underscoring its deep commitment to social impact and technological disruption in the healthcare industry.
Unique Selling Proposition or Competitive Advantage:
IKI Health's unique value proposition lies in its salutogenic approach, which shifts from the traditional pathogenic approach focused on treating disease to actively promoting health and wellness.
This proactive and positive model of care, embodied in the "wellness technology pill" prescribed by healthcare professionals, ensures a double impact: improving the wellbeing of patients and supporting the health of caregivers themselves. This innovative approach provides a seamless turnkey solution that enables healthcare professionals to offer comprehensive and personalized care to their patients through the IKI application, allowing effective monitoring of health progress. Highlighted at a lifescience immersive program in Boston in November 2023, the lifestyle-centric, AI-powered platform focuses on B2B interactions, offering comprehensive health tracking. This positions IKI Health as a unique and holistic solution in the eHealth sector, bridging the gap between technology and self-care.
The value proposition lies in creating a double positive impact: streamlining the workflows of healthcare professionals, improving both their well-being and the clinical outcomes of their patients by empowering self-care.
This approach fosters significant social impact and democratizes access to healthcare, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 3 for sustainable development.
Challenges Faced During the Journey:
In her newsletter on digital health entrepreneurship, Dr. Patricia Puiggros shares the challenges and hurdles encountered during the journey. Transitioning from a salaried medical officer to an entrepreneur broke her out of her comfort zone. Her journey started in the operation rooms of renowned hospitals, blending precision with knowledge. Beyond medicine, her passion for sports led her to create the Mallorca Sport Medicine unit, offering comprehensive care to athletes and establishing a reference center in Mallorca. Despite accomplishments in medicine and sports, she felt a calling to contribute more significantly to healthcare. This drive led to the founding of IKI Health, overcoming the challenges of transitioning to entrepreneurship, balancing motherhood and sports, and securing funding to bring their vision to life. Each step, from developing their MVP to navigating the pre-seed fundraising landscape, taught invaluable lessons in resilience, leadership, and the power of aligning personal passions with professional goals.
Embarking on the pre-seed journey for IKI Health meant navigating uncharted waters, transitioning from healthcare to entrepreneurship. Through APTenisa Launch, she learned the new "language" of investment, turning "nos" into steps toward her dream. Securing €190K in funding and an additional €100K from Consell de Mallorca for transformative women-led projects was a significant achievement. The challenge then shifted to securing a €138K ENISA loan and building an international sales team, culminating in successfully bringing onboard clients and marking their market debut.
Advice for Women Entrepreneurs:
Dr. Patricia Puiggros's advice to young women entrepreneurs is to approach entrepreneurship as climbing Everest: Imagine embarking on a journey to Everest, where each step is a leap towards entrepreneurial dreams. Picture packing the "backpack" with essentials—knowledge, passion, and resilience. The journey begins with setting foot in Kathmandu, symbolizing the first steps in business. Then, reaching Base Camp marks the establishment of the startup. Each camp higher up embodies milestones achieved, challenges faced, and lessons learned. Surround oneself with mentors and peers—sherpas—who guide and support. Persist through the climb, fueled by the discovery of ikigai. With every small victory, draw closer to the summit, where vision becomes a breathtaking reality.
Sharing her journey through forums, social media (https://www.instagram.com/drapuiggros/) and a dedicated newsletter on digital health entrepreneurship (Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7137641092841103361), she aims to motivate and empower women to step out of comfort zones and pursue passions.
