Practo, that provides an app and web service for scheduling appointments with doctors has acquired Genii, a technology services start-up focused on product design and development.
The founders of the Mumbai-based firm Varun Vohra and Aditya Anand and their 11 member team will move to Bengaluru to join Practo.
An alumni of Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani Dubai, Vohra and Anand will lead product teams at Practo. They will help Practo tap the enterprise space with products focused around hospitals and diagnostic centers. Practo which already lists over 8,000 hospitals on its platform aims to reach to 20,000 hospitals by the end of this year.
“We believe acquisitions are a fantastic way to add world class, like-minded talent to our team,” said Shashank ND, 27-year-old cofounder and chief executive of Practo. “We continue to look at acquiring great talent and technology.”
An alumnus of National Institute of Technology, Surathkal, Mr. Shashank founded Practo in 2008 along with his college batch mate Abhinav Lal. He declined to reveal the amount spent on this acquisition.
“We’re thrilled to join the Practo team. They are passionate, talented and extremely motivated to fulfil the vision of the company,” said Mr. Vohra of Genii that counts Axis Bank, healthcare management provider Medi Assist and HDFC Real Estate Destination among its top clients.
Genii is the second acquisition for Practo which raised $30 million (Rs. 190 crore) in February from venture capital firms Sequoia Capital and Matrix Partners. In April it acquired Delhi-based fitness tech start-up FitHo for an undisclosed amount.
“This is the second of several acquisitions we are exploring. It is the next step in our mission to make Practo your health app,” said Mr. Shashank.
Healthcare has emerged as a hot sector for mergers and acquisitions and venture capital investments. This week Lybrate, a company which connects doctors and patients through mobile and desktop raised Rs. 64.7 crore ($10.2 million) from Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, Tiger Global Management and Nexus Venture Partners.
