Pulse 63's Innovative Approach to Healthcare in Emerging Markets
Ely Bautista
About writer: Koharu Muroguchi is a Musashino university student from Japan. She majors in entrepreneurship.
Pulse 63’s Journey:
Founded by healthcare optimists Paulo Campos III, Abetina Valenzuela-Mader, Stefan Mader, Constantin Robertz and led by its managing director, Abdul Paravengal, Pulse 63 Healthcare Ventures is pioneering healthcare innovation across emerging markets, with a mission to address healthcare challenges in countries with similar economic structures.
Through its leadership, Pulse 63 has rapidly expanded its operations across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Africa. The venture studio and its portfolio companies have a combined presence in the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, and India, and are now expanding into South Africa and MENA (Middle East and North Africa).
Pulse 63’s venture studio model focuses on tailoring healthcare solutions to meet the specific needs of each market. By studying the economic conditions and healthcare systems in target countries, Pulse 63 ensures the relevance and sustainability of its ventures.
Understanding the Challenges:
Pulse 63's expansion into diverse regions like South Africa is rooted in their understanding of the unique challenges these economies face. These emerging markets, while different geographically, share common issues such as inefficient healthcare systems and rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Pulse 63's approach involves identifying these challenges early and crafting solutions that are both innovative and scalable.
Venture Building Strategy:
Pulse 63 operates through a three-tiered venture-building model: Build, Co-Build, and Rebuild.
In the Build model, Pulse 63 begins by identifying a healthcare problem in a specific market, such as the Philippines. The venture building team conducts market research and builds an MVP. If the MVP demonstrates sufficient demand through validation, it is developed into a fully operational business and initial capital is invested. The Co-Build model sees Pulse 63 acting as an institutional co-founder, partnering with startups that need assistance with scaling up. This can involve anything from hiring key personnel to providing strategic direction. Lastly, in the Rebuild model, Pulse 63 steps in when healthcare ventures have run out of runway. In these situations, Pulse 63 absorbs and operates these ventures, ensuring their survival and growth.
This comprehensive approach has enabled Pulse 63 to build a diverse portfolio of healthcare companies, ranging from women's and men's health ventures to pet care, insurance-based businesses, and healthcare financing. Among these is bonanza benefits, a venture focused on managing HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) for employees.
Spotlight on bonanza benefits:
Bonanza benefits exemplifies Pulse 63’s ability to create synergies within its ecosystem. As an HMO provider, bonanza aims to reduce healthcare costs for employers while keeping employees healthy. They achieve this through proactive measures, including regular health check-ups, fitness tracking, and preventive care, all at no additional cost to employers.
Bonanza also collaborates with other healthcare ventures within the Pulse 63 ecosystem, offering HMO services that contribute to the overall well-being of their employees. This integration not only benefits individual ventures but also strengthens Pulse 63’s market position.
Tackling Global Healthcare Issues:
During the interview, Ely Bautista (the Pulse 63 representative) highlighted two major challenges in the healthcare industry: the rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and inefficiencies within healthcare systems. NCDs, such as diabetes and heart disease, often result from lifestyle choices, making them difficult to address without significant interventions. Pulse 63 sees this as a global issue and is committed to creating ventures that offer sustainable solutions for these chronic conditions.
Additionally, Pulse 63 aims to streamline complex healthcare bureaucracies, especially in countries like the Philippines, making healthcare more accessible and effective.
The Role of Technology:
Technology is central to Pulse 63’s approach to healthcare innovation. The company believes that technology is key to solving healthcare problems and turning innovative ideas into viable businesses. By leveraging technology, Pulse 63 not only improves the efficiency of healthcare delivery but also creates new opportunities for growth and expansion.
Future Aspirations:
Looking ahead, Pulse 63 plans to deepen its presence in other emerging economies beyond the Philippines. The venture studio is also committed to extending the reach of its ventures such as bonanza– helping more companies provide better healthcare benefits to their employees.
For aspiring healthcare entrepreneurs, Bautista offered valuable advice: focus on understanding the problems first. A deep understanding of the healthcare system’s issues is essential to devising innovative solutions that can be transformed into successful businesses.
Why Ely Bautista came to be in this line of work:
Bautista shared a personal story about their inspiration: “My mother worked in healthcare and always focused on helping those in need. Her dedication to improving people’s lives has always motivated me. At Pulse 63, I want to continue that legacy by working with startups and future entrepreneurs to create solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives.”
Pulse 63 Healthcare Ventures’ journey is a testament to the power of combining entrepreneurship with a commitment to improving healthcare. As the venture studio continues to expand its reach, its impact on global healthcare will likely grow, offering new hope and solutions to emerging markets around the world.
Ely Bautista grew up in a family deeply involved in the healthcare industry. His family members are active in various healthcare-related fields, such as plastic surgery, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare information systems, which inspired the interviewee to enter the healthcare industry. Currently, he works at a venture studio called "Pulse 63 Healthcare Ventures." This studio focuses on healthcare innovation in countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and South Africa. Influenced by his family, he developed an interest in healthcare and is tackling healthcare issues from an entrepreneurial perspective. They aim to deeply understand the problems within the healthcare system and devise new solutions based on that understanding. He is passionate about solving challenges in the healthcare industry and is committed to providing sustainable solutions through technological innovation.
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