Durban – Health technology company Healthbridge has acquired a strategic stake in Durban-based healthtech innovator Alchemed, deepening a four-year partnership and accelerating the development of AI-powered software for South Africa’s specialist surgeons.
The strategic investment converts a successful distribution relationship into an equity partnership, bringing together Healthbridge’s national healthcare technology footprint and Alchemed’s specialist clinical software expertise to better serve a market segment with complex clinical, operational and billing requirements.
The investment forms part of Healthbridge’s broader strategy of partnering with and scaling South African healthtech innovators rather than building every solution internally.
Since February 2022, Alchemed has been Healthbridge’s chosen Orthopaedic specialty partner.
The closer relationship enables deeper collaboration on product development and creates new opportunities to expand specialist-focused healthcare technology across South Africa.
“We invested in Alchemed because it combines deep clinical insight with a modern AI-first approach to innovation,” says Luis da Silva, CEO of Healthbridge.
“Having established a strong foothold among orthopaedic surgeons alongside Alchemed, we are now well positioned for expansion into other surgical specialties.
“By combining Alchemed’s specialist expertise with Healthbridge’s scale, our joined clinical, technology and AI capabilities will accelerate the development of practice management solutions designed specifically for the needs of specialist surgeons.”
Founded in 2018 by orthopaedic surgeon Dr William Haynes and software entrepreneur Darryl Smith, Alchemed was born from a practical challenge inside a working medical practice.
Dr. Haynes approached Smith to help automate routine administrative processes in his own practice, and what began as a workflow solution evolved into a sophisticated cloud-based practice management platform tailored to the needs of specialist clinicians.
Today, Alchemed supports 23 different medical specialties across the patient journey, from appointment scheduling and clinical notes to prescriptions, billing and practice analytics.
The platform incorporates AI-enabled capabilities that streamline administrative and clinical workflows, helping specialists reduce time spent on paperwork and focus more attention on patient care.
“We don’t believe innovation has to happen inside a single company,” says da Silva.
“Our strategy is to identify exceptional healthcare technology entrepreneurs, help them scale through our ecosystem, and deepen our commitment to the businesses that create real value for healthcare professionals.
“Alchemed has demonstrated that value over four years of partnership.”
South Africa’s specialist surgeon market presents unique workflow, clinical documentation and billing complexities that generic practice management software often struggles to address effectively.
“Alchemed was born inside a working surgical practice from a simple frustration: too much time spent on administration and not enough time spent with patients,” says Dr. William Haynes, CEO of Alchemed.
“Our business maintained a 70% ARR growth rate over the past two years, and Healthbridge brings the scale, reach and healthcare expertise needed to take that solution to many more specialist clinicians across South Africa.
“Together we can accelerate innovation and deliver meaningful improvements to the way specialists run their practices.”
For existing Alchemed customers, it is business as usual.
The Alchemed team, products and support channels remain unchanged, while the strategic investment provides additional resources to accelerate product development and innovation.
*This article first appeared in our sister publication techfinancials.co.za
