Healthbridge takes strategic stake in AI healthtech Alchemed after four-year deal
What's the deal? Health technology company HealthbridgeDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has acquired a strategic stake in Durban-based healthtech firm AlchemedDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, converting a four-year distribution relationship into an equity partnership. The move aims to accelerate AI-powered software for South Africa's specialist surgeons. Terms were not disclosed.
What each company does: Founded in 2018 by orthopaedic surgeon Dr William Haynes and software entrepreneur Darryl Smith, Alchemed runs a cloud-based practice management platform now supporting 23 medical specialties — from scheduling and clinical notes to billing and analytics. Healthbridge brings a national healthcare technology footprint.
Why now? Alchemed has been Healthbridge's chosen orthopaedic specialty partner since February 2022. It reports a 70% annual recurring revenue growth rate over the past two years, and the closer tie opens expansion into other surgical specialties.
What's the endgame? Healthbridge wants to build practice management tools tailored to specialist surgeons, whose clinical, documentation, and billing needs generic software often fails to meet.
The strategic rationale: The deal reflects Healthbridge's approach of backing outside innovators rather than building everything in-house. "We don't believe innovation has to happen inside a single company," says Luis da Silva, chief executive officer of Healthbridge.
What changes for customers? For existing Alchemed users, it is business as usual. The team, products, and support channels stay the same, with added resources for product development.
The signal: Rather than acquire outright, Healthbridge is scaling South African healthtech startups through equity partnerships — a consolidation model that keeps founders in place while extending reach across a fragmented specialist market.
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