Uber is one of the most well-known examples of a startup disrupting an entire industry by solving customer pain points (some taxis only accepted cash, drivers may not have been that pleasant, people didn't know if a driver was going to stop) and empowering the end-user (the ability to leave a review, automatically conduct a transaction, call a car on-demand, track the vehicle's whereabouts).
If one considers the many annoyances of healthcare, it's easy to see why it's an industry to watch. Where there is a problem, there is a solution.
Problem: The 2017 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates indicates that it now takes an average of 24 days to schedule a new patient physician appointment in 15 of the largest cities in the U.S.
Solution: Solv is a mobile-friendly service that lets you find and book a same-day doctor's appointment at an urgent care clinic and skip the wait (whether it's last-minute physicals or treatment for illnesses).
Investors see Solv's vision, as the San Francisco-based startup (with a veteran team of product, engineering and operations leaders from Trulia) has secured
Series A financing of $6.25 million led by Benchmark Capital, with participation from Theresia Gouw of Aspect Ventures and Malay Gandhi of Ensemble Labs, formerly CEO of Rock Health.
Solv will use the funding to open up its private beta to more patients and providers in Dallas Fort Worth, Texas, as well as expand to more cities and grow its world-class team.
"How consumers travel, invest, shop and even how we buy homes has been improved dramatically by technology over the past 10 years, but healthcare has been resistant," said Bill Gurley of Benchmark Capital who, as part of the funding round, will join Solv's Board of Directors. "With this shift, innovative healthcare providers are increasingly focused on both the quality of care and convenience for their patients. Solv's marketplace approach, combined with their proven leadership team, is poised to improve how millions of Americans get seen for everyday health issues, same day and on their terms."