Acclaimed Vancouver Entrepreneurs Launch Artificial Intelligence Start-Up
VANCOUVER, - CareCru Inc., an AI-driven platform for dentists and dental groups, announces today they have raised a seed round investment.
The round was led by Peter McCullagh of TenX Ventures with participation from Manny Padda of New Avenue Capital and several other high-profile tech investors. This round of funding will be used to accelerate development of their platform and expand sales and marketing efforts.
The CareCru team has developed an automation platform, powered by artificial intelligence, that grows and manages dental practices with minimal human intervention. Built from the ground up to be completely self-driving, the CareCru platform also generates real-time analytics, providing managers with the tools to run a successful dental practice.
"CareCru is innovating, automating, and bringing real change to the way practitioners communicate with patients," said CEO and Co-Founder, Lonny McLean. "The dental industry is currently our focus due to rapid changes happening in that sector. However, this technology has broader implications for healthcare in general." Prior to founding CareCru, Lonny was the Founder and CEO of Layer 7 Technologies. The sale of Layer 7 to CA Technologies in 2013 for $170 million is recognized as one of the more successful exits in the Canadian technology industry.
CareCru's board is joined by Peter McCullagh, General Partner at TenX Ventures, who has taken an active role in driving key strategic initiatives. Mr. McCullagh draws from over 25 years of experience in senior executive roles with several notable software companies, including Siebel Systems and Misys plc. "This is a great team, at the perfect stage, driving some important innovation." said Peter. "CareCru is an ideal investment for TenX Ventures and we are excited to work with them."
The advisory board is also joined by BIV's Top 40 under 40 and NACO's Angel Investor of the Year, Manny Padda. Mr. Padda has made early stage investments in several Vancouver start-ups including Picatic, MyBestHelper, G-Kup, ShareShed, and Dooly. "AI and dental practice management is a clear fit," said Manny. "Add to that, the team's excellent track record building successful businesses, and the future of this company is highly promising. I look forward to helping them grow."
Lonny is joined by co-founders Mark Joseph, former Senior Director of Brand & Marketing at Glacier Media; and Justin Sharp, CTO and co-founder of Varafy. Donald Park joined the team as COO in the fall of 2017, bringing over 15 years of experience in Dentistry including previous senior roles with Straumann, Biomet 3i and Den-Mat Holdings.