MUrgency, a San Francisco-based medical emergency response startup, received a major boost as Ratan Tata, the Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons decided to invest in the company. MUrgency Inc, a mobile app, specializes in making emergency assistance available with one tap on a smartphone.
Founded in 2014, MUrgency was started by Sweta Mangal with a vision to make quick healthcare service available to the masses. The company launched its service in the tri-city area in Punjab on 16 February, 2016, and boasted of a responder network of 36 hospital emergency rooms, over 40 ambulances and 350 medical professionals.
The main objective of the startup is to develop the emergency medical response network and expand the services to become an inclusive and comprehensive medical service platform on mobile phones. The app is live on iOS and Android app stores with several features accessible across the world.
MUrgency intends to use the proceeds of the funding from Rata Tata to enhance the technology and scale operations, besides leveraging Tata’s experience and network as a global business leader to develop the emergency response network globally. The company plans to make its services available across India by 2018, and around the world by 2020.
Earlier, Sweta Mangal, along with four other friends, founded Ziqitza Healthcare Limited (ZHL) in (2002). Within a short span of time, the company became the largest emergency ambulance service provider in the developing world with operations in India and the Middle East. Since then, ZHL has grown to over 1,500 ambulances and 6,000 employees transporting between 8,000 and 10,000 patients every day.
MUrgency has always remained in the limelight since its inception. The company has won two startup tech competitions in the US – Startup of the Year at Startup Grind 2016, Redwood City and First Prize in Health & Wearables at SXSW Festival, Austin. It aims to build a cross-subsidy model that will allow the non-privileged avail MUrgency’s services without having to pay.
Tata’s involvement will play an important role to save precious lives, which suffer due to lack of healthcare services. It will help attract talent to the company and major partnerships outside the Indian subcontinent.
Currently, around 90 per cent of the world’s population lacks timely medical assistance, which is the most critical factor in saving lives. These problems mostly affect the developing countries. However, with startups like MUrgency ushering in a change, the situation can certainly improve in the next few years.
