October 15, 2015
Waterloo startup PopRx gets $100K on Dragon’s Den
On-demand prescription drug app could be a game-changer in the pharmaceutical industry
Two Waterloo alumni successfully pitched their company PopRx on the season premiere of the Dragon’s Den webisode series Next Gen Den.
The Master of Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) alumni Dr. Ali Esmail and Vejey Gandier left the Den with a joint investment of $100,000 from two dragons, Nicole Verkindt, founder and CEO of OMX, and Harley Finkelstein, CPO of Shopify.
PopRx is an on-demand prescription app in which a user can order, refill, and transfer prescriptions from their smartphone with same-day delivery. It was developed in Waterloo’s MBET program, where the two co-founders met.
PopRx already has significant traction, gaining around 100 users a week in Manitoba, the only province in which they are currently offering the active service. They have partnered with pharmacies in British Columbia and Manitoba to offer full coverage in these provinces, and are on track to do the same in Ontario by the end of November.
Startup is second venture for MBET grads
The dragons were impressed with PopRx and the previous success Gandier and Esmail have had in the medical technology industry. PopRx is the pair’s second venture. During their MBET studies, Esmail and Gandier also launched Koronis Health. Their product, Medlinx, is a secure mobile collaboration platform that allows medical professionals to easily access and share information across medical teams and with patients.
Medlinx currently has more than 600 users in seven countries at 26 different hospitals and clinics. The Medlinx platform was inspired and informed by Esmail’s background as a medical doctor. He took one year off of his residency in head and neck surgery to pursue the MBET program.
Now, the team will be growing PopRx with the backing and guidance of two prominent Canadian investors.
