Dubai, United Arab Emirates / India: The use of telehealth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South Asia is surging with consumers and healthcare providers rapidly embracing digital-healthcare technologies. In response to the growing tech adoption for orthodontic care, Asia's makeO and MENA's Smileneo, both leading direct-to-consumer teeth-straightening platforms in their respective markets are joining forces. The combined entity will become the largest clinical beauty technology platform across the markets, with the scale to match consumers' demand. The acquisition amount has not been disclosed.
The deal is a significant milestone for the MENA and India entrepreneurship ecosystems since it is one of the first ever acquisitions of a GCC venture capital-backed startup by an Indian company. Additionally, the acquisition is one of the first examples of closer startup ecosystem cooperation between the MENA and India catalyzed by the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement signed in February 2022.
Founded by Dr. Jonathan Doerr, Smileneo and its orthodontic partners offer safe and effective doctor-prescribed and monitored clear aligners to straighten teeth for beautiful smiles. Launched in 2020, Smileneo has served thousands of patients through a network of more than 30 licensed partner orthodontists in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. Smileneo’s adherance with health authorities in the region made it the first and only licensed regional teledentistry platform for direct-to-consumer teeth straightening in the MENA.
makeO, India’s only U.S. FDA approved B2C aligner company, is an innovative tech-enabled brand that offers at-home ‘aesthetic makeovers’, i.e. oral and skin care services via its brands toothsi and skinnsi. makeO has successfully created an ecosystem of established orthodontists, dentists and dermatologists that are revolutionizing the way in which services such as teeth alignment, teeth whitening, laser hair removal and derma-facial treatments are performed outside a clinical setup. With technology & innovation at its core, the brand also boasts of state-of-the-art infrastructure such as India’s largest 3D printing in-house aligner manufacturing facility. Today, makeO prides itself for having designed 200,000+ smile plans under its brand toothsi and 60,000+ laser hair reduction sessions under skinnsi in less three years.
Dr. Jonathan Doerr, CEO & Founder, Smileneo commented: “We are very excited to work together with makeO and for this opportunity as both companies share the vision of building a high-quality clinical beauty technology platform. MakeO’s vast experience and production capabilities will not only elevate our business and help our partner clinics reach the next level, but also allow us to venture into new areas of telehealth in addition to our established orthodontics practice.”
Dr. Arpi Mehta, CEO & Co-Founder, makeO added: “Having garnered strong market leadership in the Indian selfcare industry, we are now prepared to extend makeO’s product & technology expertise to the global audience. Smileneo’s high-quality medical and tech-driven approach, as well as its footprint and expertise in the region will accelerate our growth ambitions and materialize our vision to expand beyond India. With this acquisition we will not only be able to enter the Middle East, but also have a basis for further expansion to South Asia & Africa.”
About Smileneo
Smileneo is the MENA’s only licensed teledentistry platform for teeth straightening. Through its cutting-edge telehealth technology and premium clear aligners, Smileneo is revolutionizing teeth straightening by offering consumers the ability to get clinically safe, effective clear aligner treatment at significantly lower costs with less hassle. Smileneo’s $2M seed financing in 2021 was the largest seed round raised by any MENA teeth- straightening startup. It was led by London-based Kingsway Capital, one of the region's largest investors. FJ Labs joined the round beside several strategic global super angels including Mato Peric (CARS24, Scalable Capital, Loft etc.), Leonard Stiegeler (Pulse, Paystack, etc.), and Tom Stafford (Managing Partner at DST Global).
About makeO
makeO, an AMPA Orthodontics Pvt. Ltd. offering, is an innovative tech-enabled physical aesthetics solutions brand that offers at-home ‘aesthetic makeovers’, i.e. oral and skin care services via its brands toothsi and skinnsi. makeO is the only U.S. FDA approved B2C aligner company in India. The parent company, AMPA Orthodontics, was founded in 2018 by orthodontists-turned-entrepreneurs Dr. Arpi Mehta Shah, Dr. Pravin Shetty, Dr. Manjul Jain, and Dr. Anirudh Kale. Today, makeO is present in over 17 cities across India & 2 cities in the UAE. The company has designed 200,000+ smile plans under toothsi and completed 60,000+ laser hair reduction sessions under skinnsi in less than three years.
Some of the core services offered under the purview of the platform include: teeth straightening with clear aligners, laser hair reduction, derma facials with Korean Aqua Glow Technology, acne treatments and anti-ageing treatments. The brand’s product portfolio includes electric toothbrushes, teeth whitening UV kits, teeth whitening pens, aligner accessories, acne treatment kits, face washes, skin toners, moisturiser, exfoliating peel, etc.
