The Playbook for Building in Health for LatAm of Thomaz Srougi, Dr.Consulta and Carecode

If you're Brazilian or have lived in Brazil but you've never heard of Dr. Consulta, you've probably been living under a rock. So many people in the world don't have access to healthcare plans, and this is definitely the case in Brazil.

Over a decade ago, Thomaz Srougi started working on this problem. And now, Dr. Consulta has already supported over 6 million Brazilians. Thomaz recently embarked on a new startup journey to disrupt healthcare once again. With the help of artificial intelligence and backed by a16z, Carecode is a personal assistant for those who already have health insurance.

But to every A side, there's also a B side. This episode wouldn't be a masterclass on how to build a startup serving large and complex markets in LatAm without Thomaz sharing both ups and downs. As many who have attempted to build world-changing startups know, it's now always that you see hockey-stick growth in your first two years – but things can suddenly fire up with the right approach. 

What you'll hear in this episode:

– Why Thomaz entered the startup and health worlds;
– How he views building in the US vs building in LatAm; 
– The challenges faced at the beginning of Dr. Consulta, including how Thomaz worked through its initial growth problem;
– Thomaz's view on traditional healthcare and the challenge of making preventive care a habit;
– Thomaz's new healthcare startup built with the help of artificial intelligence, Carecode;
– And the gaps and opportunities he still sees in LatAm healthtech.

I'm Gina Gotthilf and this is the Latitud Podcast. Vamos, LatAm!

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