Paris-based Doctolib, a platform that helps make appointments with specialist doctors nearby, announced on Thursday, March 2, that it has acquired Amsterdam-based Siilo, a startup that offers an instant messaging app for communication between healthcare workers.
In a statement, Doctolib mentions that combining the e-health leader with the biggest medical messaging app in Europe will help provide a total solution to care teams and offer them new collaborative services to improve patient care.
Dutch “WhatsApp” for healthcare professionals
Siilo was founded in 2016 by former surgery residents Joost Bruggeman and Arvind Rao. Realising that the methods of communication in the field are dated, the duo came up with a secure, easy-to-use messaging app designed specifically for healthcare professionals.
Siilo’s platform allows healthcare professionals to seek advice and collaborate on patient cases with their trusted network – wherever they are at the time. Currently, the startup has over 450,000 members who have exchanged over 1 billion messages to date.
Bruggeman says, “I am excited about this exciting new chapter for Siilo. Joining forces with Doctolib gives us the opportunity to offer secure and smooth collaboration to healthcare professionals across Europe.”
What does Doctolib offer?
Founded in 2013 by Stanislas Niox-Chateau, Steve Abou Rjeily, Jessy Bernal, and Ivan Schneider, Doctolib offers health professionals with new-generation services to improve their business, gain time and efficiency, assist patients, and strengthen cooperation between colleagues.
With its new-gen technology and services, Doctolib claims to improve the daily life of more than 340,000 healthcare providers.
The company also helps patients access treatment faster, allowing them to find a suitable doctor and book visits with professionals, clinics and hospitals.
Currently, Doctolib is operational in more than 30 cities in France, Germany and Italy.
Aim of this acquisition
With nearly half a million healthcare providers exchanging 40 million texts each month, Siilo will expand Doctolib’s reach and mobile expertise. This expertise and knowledge will be beneficial to Doctolib as it broadens its service offering and enhances the user experience for patients and care teams across Europe.
In 2022, Doctolib launched “Doctolib Team” as a secure messaging service for healthcare teams that can be integrated into Doctolib’s desktop booking management system and electronic patient records. This service aims to improve communication and collaboration between healthcare providers.
Now, Doctolib claims that after combining Siilo’s reach and expertise in mobile communications, and its own “Doctolib Team”, it can offer an unmatched user experience to care teams and expand its effect further by putting more than 800,000 healthcare providers in touch with one another.
Elise Bert-Leduc, Doctolib’s Commercial Director, says, “Effective collaboration between care teams is not only essential for the delivery of high-quality patient care but can also bring significant benefits to caregivers in their daily work routine. With this strategic step, we are better equipped to make the care journey even more seamless and efficient for everyone.”
After the acquisition, Siilo’s software will remain a standalone product and will also be integrated into Germany, Italy and France “Doctolib Team”.
