Healthlane, a YC-backed healthtech startup that provides preventive healthcare tests, is now in the process of changing its business model. This follows a 6-month operational pause and some operational struggles which TechCabal reported at the time. The company shared the decision to change its business model in an internal email to its community on Tuesday night. “We apologize for the lack of communication from our team in recent months and would like to inform you that we are making changes to our business model,” the email, sent by CEO Alain Nteff, read.
Nteff also shared Healthlane’s plan to discontinue its in-person lab testing at its physical locations. These locations powered Healthlane’s hybrid service delivery model: an app to onboard, book appointments, and assess results; and a lab where the doctors’ appointments and medical tests were carried out. “We understand that this may come as a surprise, and we want to assure you that we are doing our utmost to make sure this transition is as smooth as possible,” the email read
Three of Healthlanes’ ex-employees told TechCabal via chat that the company has plans to restart at a new location by the year’s end and delete its old database of customer data. They painted a picture of a company that’s seeking to reinvent itself after the barrage of allegations bordering on founder impropriety and funds mismanagement. The ex-employees also said that most of the Nigerian staff who were with the company at the time have now been fired.
“Furthermore, you have until the end of this year to download your health data and care plan from the mobile app,” is how Nteff closed the aforementioned email, corroborating the ex-employees we spoke to, who maintained that the database would no longer be accessible to users after the year ends.
Pivots and the future of Healthlane
Healthlane’s brand name was suggested by YC’s Talia Frenkel when the startup, formerly called Gifted Mom, got into the accelerator’s winter batch in 2020. After graduation, Healthlane went on to raise $2.4 million on the promise of becoming a telemedicine and medicine-ordering app. But a few months after the raise, Nteff pivoted the company toward its preventive healthcare play, which focuses on providing preventive healthcare checks. According to some ex-employees, Nteff had said that some investors were not happy about this pivot, as it was not raised during the investment process.
Now, after what seems like a turbulent phase for Healthlane, the company seems to be on the verge of another pivot. Perhaps, one that will bring the startup to its initial dreams of being a telemedicine company with an e-commerce catch.
Alain Nteff did not respond to an email from TechCabal at the time of publishing.
