
Roberto León Velasco, CEO of Healthatom.
Photo: Courtesy
Some data to understand this business: “85% of dental clinic ventures in Latin America fail or never start before 3 years.” In Colombia “there are 65 thousand dentists for a population of more than 50 million inhabitants, which is one dentist for every 90 people. The WHO says it should be one for every 2,000 people. There are more dentists in Colombia than are needed.” There are “34 dental schools in 25 faculties, today there are 18,000 people studying dentistry and 2,500 graduates each year”.
The data was published by Andrés Cordero, a dentist who called himself “the guardian of the experience”, who was responsible for introducing the journalists who attended the official presentation of Healthatom in Colombia, a startup led by Roberto León Velasco and which from Chile, in an interview for El Espectador’s Entrepreneurship and Leadership, answered 23 questions for entrepreneurs and their ventures:
1. How old am I? That I studied?
Follow El Espectador on WhatsApp
My name is Roberto León, I am 37 years old and I studied Industrial Civil Engineering (Business)
2. What was my idea and when was it born? What was it that I created?
I have always been an entrepreneur, from a child with simple things to an adult with more sophisticated things. Leaving the university at the end of 2009, I decided to create with two colleagues a company dedicated to SaaS technologies called Healthatom (Software-as-a-Service: Online Software as a monthly payment service). We initially created a dental clinic management software called Dentalink, which was responsible for managing all the clinical and administrative information of health centers in a simple way, helping to improve the clinic’s profitability as well as the patient experience. Then we expanded our services to the medical sector with a new SaaS called Medilink and integrated both solutions with the health ecosystem: insurance companies, financiers and others, currently having more than 8,000 customers in 24 countries, always aimed at improving the quality and access to people’s health through technology.
3. How did I manage to make it a reality and put it into practice?
We managed to do it between the three of us: Daniel and Guillermo as developers and me as salesman and company administrator. It took us several months to have an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) which we then went out to sell and polish with the same customer feedback and leads. It was a difficult journey since in Latin America in those years there were not many other companies doing SaaS in the region. It was a new concept that we had to bring to the market, which after much persistence and persistence we managed to integrate as an industry standard.
A text to read and reflect on: ChatGPT and the decline of critical thinking
4. Where did I get the money to start it and how did I pay it?
Initially, we used the capital each of us had raised during university in various projects and jobs, while during the venture itself we took classes at three different universities in the afternoons/evenings to keep our operations and lives minimal.
5. What am I achieving with my venture? What am I changing with my idea?
We are succeeding in revolutionizing the healthcare industry by improving management within the region’s more than 8,000 providers, in addition to their interface with their environment: insurance companies, funders and others. Currently, we serve more than 40 million patients per year through our clients (clinics) and our goal is to improve the quality and access to people’s health, thanks to our technologies that minimize efficiency and allow new opportunities in the promotion company sector of health. and financiers.
6. Am I happy?
Yes, and it is constantly challenged.
You may be interested in: The accountant who created an app to help other accountants with their daily tasks
7. Would I sell my venture, my company?
We’ve had offers throughout history, and although eventually over time it could be sold, for us it’s not the intended goal. It is important that the company continues on its way to achieving its goal without distorting itself.
8. How hard was it for me to start a business?
Entrepreneurship requires personal sacrifices that affect all aspects of life and more than defining it as “difficult”, it has been a journey full of challenges, victories and defeats.
9. Did I fulfill my dream? What am I missing?
I believe that dreams are not an arrival point and I think that enjoying the day to day is more important. This must be the dream, right?
10. Now what? What is expected next?
We have just raised a Series A to continue our expansion across Latin America and implement our Fintech and Insurtech strategy in the region. We will be a pioneering company in the development of several new initiatives aimed at improving people’s access to health. After that, continue around the world.
11. Is my business scalable?
Yes, we have more than 8,000 customers in 24 countries.
12. To grow, would you take investment from a foreigner? Shall I give you a piece of my company?
A stranger after a few conversations becomes an acquaintance, and an acquaintance after certain interactions becomes an ally. We have already received investments and we have new allies on this path.
13. What would you not do again?
Everything we have done is good, it is part of learning. I wouldn’t change a thing.
A story not to be missed: The four coastal residents who launched a fintech to accelerate the speed of money
14. Who inspired me? Who would I like to follow?
My father always believed that I could start my own company.
15. Have I ever failed? Have I thought about throwing in the towel?
Too many times and it will never end. It’s something that happens to us with most things in life, right? The important thing is to be resilient and fight for what you want to achieve.
16. Am I part of some kind of community that helps me on this entrepreneurial path?
Yes, the communities of entrepreneurs connected to our investors or the networks created during these years.
17. Does what I’m doing transcend? Can it affect new generations?
Absolutely, our goal is to grow it to the point where it is a company that is able to transcend time and continue to help people improve quality and access to health.
18. How do I see myself in 10 years and how do I see my enterprise, my company, in the future?
I see myself supporting Healthatom from different positions, depending on what the company needs from me later, in a more managerial sense. I think Healthatom is well on its way to being one of the relevant health technology players in the region.
19. What role have my family and friends played?
Without them I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have even made it the first year, simple as that.
20. I did it. Would you help other entrepreneurs achieve it?
I am always open to advise, listen and participate with other passionate and good-spirited entrepreneurs.
Another to read: The brothers who invented the way to shop online without having a bank account
21. What role did my team play? Who is it?
A key role in compensating for personal “decline”, working side by side (intellectually and emotionally).
22. What is my personal seal? What sets me apart from others?
I believe that we are all different and that everyone’s actions should speak for themselves.
23. What have I learned from all this?
That life is not so serious. It is more important to enjoy life every day than to reach the top of the mountain.
If you know stories of entrepreneurs and their ventures, write to us at Edwin Bohórquez Aya (ebohorquez@elespectador.com) or that of Tatiana Gómez Fuentes (tgomez@elespectador.com). 👨🏻💻 🤓📚