Traveling abroad presents unique challenges, particularly when it comes to healthcare. One of the major concerns is finding a doctor who speaks your language, accepts your insurance, and allows you to avoid the stress and costs of an unfamiliar hospital emergency room. Addressing this issue is Air Doctor, a startup that has recently raised $20 million in Series B funding due to strong engagement with its platform.

Air Doctor functions as a directory and algorithm-driven location-based service, along with some accounting technology. At its core, it offers a vetted directory of doctors across different countries, complete with profiles detailing their specialties and the languages they speak. Users can browse these profiles for in-person or remote consultations.

Patients do not pay doctors directly or engage in the claims process with their insurance providers. Instead, Air Doctor matches customers’ insurance policies with the services rendered and manages payments to doctors, handling reimbursements directly with insurance companies. The platform charges a service fee and takes a commission, claiming that this process results in an overall savings of 50% on outpatient claims, 60% for medical assistance providers, and a 75% reduction in handling and processing time.

Currently, Air Doctor boasts over 80,000 customers, supported by contracts with 18 major health insurance providers. It features a directory of 20,000 doctors in 84 countries. Initially a B2C provider, Air Doctor has evolved into a B2B2C model, where insurance companies refer clients to the platform, alongside direct users.

With revenues growing at an annual rate of 2.5 times, according to CEO and co-founder Jenny Cohen Derfler, and international travel on the rise—UN estimates suggest 790 million people traveled internationally in the first seven months of this year—Derfler believes the potential for Air Doctor is significant. She acknowledges competition in the market, such as Feather, which is developing an insurance platform for expatriates.

The recent funding round highlights the opportunity Air Doctor is seizing. Leading the round is aMoon, an Israeli venture capital firm focusing on health and life sciences, with participation from new investors like insurance giant Tokio Marine Holdings and Samsung Ventures (SVIC). Previous investors, including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Vintage Investment Partners, Phoenix Insurance, and Munich Re Ventures, also took part.

Investors emphasize the technological potential Air Doctor is developing. Todd Sone, General Partner at aMoon, stated, “Air Doctor is leveraging advanced algorithms and app-based solutions to provide timely, quality medical care for travelers worldwide.”

Derfler’s motivation for founding Air Doctor stems from her own experiences as a traveler. Originally from Uruguay, she has traveled extensively in South America and currently resides in Israel. The idea for Air Doctor originated when her husband, Yam Derfler, faced challenges finding a doctor while traveling in South America. After experiencing difficulties navigating the local healthcare system, he sought care at a hospital, which led to a series of complications.

Once back in Israel, Yam and Jenny explored the problem further and realized that many travelers faced similar challenges. They found that insurance companies lacked clear pathways for recommending doctors in foreign countries.

To establish Air Doctor, the couple initially traveled to Greece to build a network of doctors based on recommendations. They encountered obstacles, such as language barriers with receptionists and unfamiliarity with local addresses. To expand their database, they also contacted embassies for recommendations and relied on word of mouth from existing network doctors. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, they had amassed 10,000 doctors, and since then, an additional 10,000 have joined. Now, with closer ties to insurance companies, Air Doctor uses their insights to identify popular travel destinations and common health issues to guide network growth.

To date, Air Doctor has raised approximately $50 million, including this Series B funding, although it has not disclosed its valuation.