Freddie

Everyone deserves easy access to quality healthcare. PurposeMed is on a social mission to improve access for everyone, regardless of systemic barriers like social status, income, mobility, location or access to transportation. The company was founded by Husein Moloo, Amaan Banwait and Pete MacLeod, who share the belief that telemedicine has the potential to equalize how care is provided to patients regardless of their personal circumstances. The service is offered free of charge to Albertans who can access the same services they would expect from an in-person doctor visit, including prescriptions, lab-work and referrals.

PurposeMed’s first product, Freddie, leverages telemedicine to grant members of the LGBTQ+ community expanded access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs for HIV prevention. The company has launched a program that uses secure virtual communication tools for patients to engage with qualified physicians knowledgeable about PrEP in the comfort of their own homes. Its first product addresses the spread of HIV by helping to provide high-risk community members with access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs, which are more than 90 per cent effective at preventing the spread of HIV. Within 15 months of launching, Freddie has become Canada’s largest HIV prevention service.

The company responded quickly with the escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic and its platform has been a useful tool in allowing for safety and social distancing. For that reason, PurposeMed decided to launch three months early so they could provide support to patients and ease the strain on doctors and the healthcare system in the early days of the pandemic.

UCeed has supported PurposeMed’s two-fold mission focused to provide medical care to those who are most vulnerable and provide physicians with online clinics that allow for the continuation of patient care. “UCeed has been tremendously helpful to our growth," says Moloo. "We would recommend this UCeed as an investor and partner to any early-stage company."

The company plans to launch a virtual care service focused on mental health treatment. Moloo believes that UCeed involvement has been an important part of his company’s evolution. In addition to making numerous connections to investors and other stakeholders, founders have received insightful advice on strategy, company-building and organization.

Visit PurposeMed’s website for more information.

PurposeMed has received investment from UCeed, a venture philanthropy fund accelerating UCalgary and community-based startup companies to advance problem-solving research, create jobs and fuel the economy. A key program in the UCalgary innovation ecosystem, UCeed bridges the gap between innovation, demonstration and commercialization, and is managed by UCalgary’s knowledge-transfer and business incubator, Innovate Calgary.

UCeed Health Fund is supported by the generosity of the River Fund at the Calgary Foundation and its mission to build a healthy and vibrant community where everyone belongs.