Canadian expat Raffi Elliott founded his startup GetTreated in Armenia to help patients find the best medical treatment they can get – anywhere! Here’s how it works:
Describe GetTreated in 50 words or less.
GetTreated is a PaaS which helps patients find cost and time-effective medical treatment opportunities abroad. GT automatically books consultations, operations dates, flights, hotels and more, all while offering easier, safer, and better-informed alternatives for patients than medical tourism agencies.
Why should customers use your service? What’s the benefit for them?
Our platform allows patients to find compare, and book inexpensive, and quick medical solutions around the world easily. Making it safer, cheaper, and easier than alternatives.
7 years from now: How did your startup change the world?
We will allow people to regain their freedom in choosing the best medical treatments for them by choosing from a larger set of alternatives. In the next 7 years we aim to turn medical tourism as a real global competitor to traditional medical solutions with safe and secure exotic destinations across the world. We aim to positively impact developing economies with the countries which patients visit.
In what ways do you measure your success and how do you make sure you don’t lose track?
We measure our success by the number of people that we treat – the ones who go home happy and healthy, or when they tell their friends and family about the experience they got, recommending us to their loved ones. We also track the number of new clinics that apply to work with us, the growth of destinations and treatment options we offer, as well as the number of new and returning patients.
Bootstrapped or financed: What fuels your startup now and what will in the future?
Our startup was initially bootstrapped through the revenues we have made from our web development studio. Since then, as we are in our beta phase, our company is primarily financed by sheer revenue. As we scale into other countries, we will be looking for other sources of financing.
What were the biggest challenges you faced building your startup?
Challenges have appeared in varying forms, from confidence in our idea, to financing, management issues and much more. Startups are exciting because of these challenges. None of us has ever done this before, we are often learning on the job. The successful growth of our business, and the help we offer to our patients will be enough gratification for us, however.
With ferocious competition and a booming trend to build new companies: How do you make sure you don’t get lost in the shuffle?
The global medical tourism market is huge, at over $50 billion yearly, and growing at up to 10% a year. There is enough room for us to grow. Our innovative method for allowing medical tourists to reach, and interact with medical professionals around the world, provides us with a competitive edge against traditional medical tourism agencies, while our location-based growth helps us develop at a steadier pace.
What do you look for in team members?
Our team is looking for members who are ready to take risks. We need people who are okay with the idea that they may not get a paycheck this month. We need innovative people who think outside of the box, who can think of better ways to solve issues, without being afraid to challenge decisions.
Why would a talent join your team?
This may sound cliché but we offer an exciting work environment in a young, but dynamic Armenian startup. We are small enough that we offer space for all our team members to take part in the decision-making as well as shaping the company culture. We also offer stock options.
Why did you pick Armenia as the location to found your startup?
Though I am born in Canada, I decided to found our company in my ancestral homeland. Sentiments aside, Armenia has proven to be an ideal place for startups. The country’s small size, and historical circumstances have made technology a central part of Armenia’s development strategy. There are currently almost 100 tech startups based in Yerevan, contributing to an interesting and dynamic startup scene. Yerevan boasts of some of the best software engineers in Eastern Europe, is an extremely cheap place to live, and is currently the easiest place in Europe to start a business according to The Heritage Foundation. Yerevan’s low cost of living and modest costs of running a business make failure less risky.
What was your most memorable moment so far?
When our first patient from Canada arrived in Armenia, a country she had never heard of, she was nervous, as one would be when undergoing medical treatment far from home. Thankfully, she had enjoyed her experience with us so much that upon her return, she went on a radio talk show in her native Montreal, praising our service, and the advantages of Medical Tourism in general. The next day, we had been contacted by so many Montrealers inquiring about our services that we had a lot of difficulty managing all this new traffic.
What advice would you give fellow founders for their startup?
My advice is that you make sure that this is what you want to do, because once you start, you will have to make this your priority. You need to believe that your idea will make the world a better place, and concentrate all your efforts into turning it into a reality. It is also important to pick the right team. Your original team members, and co-founders need to be as passionate about your project as you are if they are to be expected to leave what they are doing and take such a big risk.
