China-based Medlinker, a social networking platform for doctors, has raised approximately $60 million (400 million yuan) in Series C funding, Chinese investment publications report. The round was led by China Electronics Corporation Data (CEC Data), part of a state-owned conglomerate, with additional participation from China Renaissance, Sequoia Capital China, and Tencent Holdings.
According to its website and Apple Store page, Medlinker’s platform hosts more than 430,000 verified doctors. Its iOS and Android mobile app and cloud service allows doctors to connect with peers, facilitate referrals, and share medical records. Along with hosting discussions, news stories, and medicine-themed games, the service also allows patients to book medical appointments and submit questions for the medical community to answer.
“Within three years, Medlinker has built a platform to connect doctors online and offline and develop deep cooperation up and down the supply chain,” Zhou Liang, a private equity director at investor China Renaissance, said in China Money Network. “CEC Data’s involvement as a strategic investor will help Medlinker to expand its ecosystem and gain a competitive edge to grow into a leading company.”
According to Deal Street Asia, CEC Data’s partnership with Medlinker is a strategic move to not only expand the platform’s ecosystem, but to begin new projects that will better connect patients with physicians and insurers.
Medlinker was founded in 2014. Prior to this latest funding, it received $40 million from Tencent Holdings and Yunfeng Capital in a 2015 Series B round. In addition, Deal Street Asia noted that Medlinker also received Series A funding from Sequoia Capital China, Ce Yuan Ventures, and PreAngel during the same year.
Physician social networks outside of China include Doximity network and Figure 1 platforms (which is described by some as an Instagram for doctors). The former recently announced an integration with Haiku, Epic’s mobile platform for EHRs, that would allow doctors to easily make calls while viewing patient’s medical records. The latter announced $10 million in funding this June for its clinical image-based platform.
