The healthtech sector has been revolutionizing healthcare globally, making significant strides in accessibility, affordability, and convenience. From telemedicine to digital pharmacies, healthtech innovations have enabled patients to manage their health more efficiently and have transformed how healthcare services are delivered. In this dynamic landscape, women entrepreneurs are making a profound impact by addressing critical healthcare challenges through innovative solutions.
Chefaa, an online pharmacy co-founded by Doaa Aref and Rasha Radi in 2017, is a prime example of such pioneering efforts. These two visionary women leveraged their expertise and passion to develop a comprehensive mobile app that not only simplifies the process of ordering medications but also enhances patient care with features like dosage reminders and 24/7 pharmacist consultations and an Arabic-language pharmaceutical blog aimed at public education.
Chefaa in making:
Doaa Aref co-founded Chefaa, a healthcare startup, along with Rasha Radi in 2017. They founded Chefaa to address the challenges they faced in Egypt. Leveraging her digital marketing expertise and desire to help the community, Aref developed a mobile app now serving 75,000 users in Egypt. Chefaa’s app, available on the App Store and Play Store, enables users to consult with pharmacists, scan prescriptions, and have medications delivered to their homes.
How Chefaa works:
Chefaa enables users to conveniently order, schedule, and refill both non-insured and insured prescriptions. It provides a range of services for all healthcare stakeholders. Through the mobile app, patients can scan their prescriptions to obtain genuine and affordable medications. Additionally, the platform offers daily reminders to help customers keep track of their dosage times.
Chefaa also offers telemedicine options for online consultations with healthcare professionals, supplemented by educational content on various health topics. Integration with insurance providers enables seamless management of claims, enhancing convenience and efficiency for users. The platform emphasizes data security and privacy, ensuring that users’ medical information is handled with the highest standards of confidentiality. Overall, Chefaa aims to improve healthcare outcomes by leveraging technology to enhance accessibility and user experience.
Chefaa’s standing in finance:
Chefaa has raised $5.25 million in a strategic investment round involving both new and existing investors. This round was co-led by Newtown Partners from South Africa and Global Brain from Japan, along with participation from GMS Capital Partners LLC in the US, Verod-Kepple Africa Ventures from Nigeria, and Japan’s M3, Inc.
This investment follows Chefaa’s successful expansion into Saudi Arabia, where it now operates in eight cities. The funding will help Chefaa scale its models for digitizing the supply chain and empowering industry stakeholders, enhancing user experience and treatment compliance. Chefaa’s primary mission remains to lead the safe digital transformation of healthcare through a patient-centric, comprehensive approach.
Awards and Recognitions
Chefaa has received numerous prestigious awards, recognizing its leadership and innovation in the healthcare technology sector. Dr. Rasha Rady was honored as a Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) fellow in 2020, acknowledging her visionary leadership in advancing healthcare solutions through technology.
In 2023, Chefaa was awarded the Women in Tech accolade by Falak Hub, celebrating its impactful contributions to healthtech under the guidance of Dr. Rasha Rady and co-founder Doaa Aref.
Chefaa’s commitment to pioneering healthcare solutions was further highlighted by receiving the Vivatech First Africa-Health Tech Award in 2022, affirming its role in revolutionizing healthcare across the continent. Additionally, the Cartier Impact Award in 2022 recognized Chefaa for its significant social impact through innovative healthcare technologies.