What You Should Know:
– Kiwi, a healthcare financial platform, announced its official launch, bolstered by a $10M seed funding round. The $10M seed round comprises $2M in pre-seed equity financing and $8M in debt financing allocated initially for Peru, with a potential extension planned for Mexico. The round saw leadership from key industry figures: Tyler Johnson (CEO at HFD, General Partner at MVRK Capital), Beau Woodward (Director at HFD, General Partner at MVRK Capital and WDC Genesis), and Jacob Panero (Managing Partner at MVRK Capital and WDC Genesis)
– Kiwi provides a comprehensive suite of financial tools designed to empower both patients seeking access to essential care and healthcare professionals aiming to grow their practices. The company begins its operations in Peru, backed by key industry investors.
Addressing Latin America’s Healthcare Financing Gap
Kiwi enters a market where limited access to healthcare is a critical issue, driven largely by low private insurance penetration and insufficient public healthcare expenditure. This systemic gap forces millions across the region to rely heavily on out-of-pocket (OOP) payments for medical services – representing a $60 billion market, according to the company. Patients often resort to predatory informal lending, while providers face challenges securing financing for a $20 billion medical equipment market and struggle with patient retention due to affordability issues.
A Two-Sided Financial Platform for Patients and Providers
Kiwi tackles these challenges with a two-sided solution. For patients, it offers a “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) option to finance OOP expenses directly at the point of care, improving access to necessary treatments. For healthcare professionals and clinics, Kiwi functions as a full banking platform, providing medical equipment leasing products to help bridge technology gaps and working capital solutions to improve cash flow management.
“The numbers speak for themselves. In Latin America, there’s a $60 billion out-of-pocket market, a $20 billion medical equipment market and providers losing up to a third of patients due to lack of financing,” said Co-Founder Sebastian Chirinos. “Kiwi is built to address these clear market inefficiencies and unlock access to healthcare across Latin America.” The platform utilizes a proprietary machine learning-powered risk model, incorporating health-specific factors alongside traditional variables, giving it an edge over conventional lenders in assessing financing applications.
Early Momentum in Peru and Ambitious Expansion Plans
Launching first in Peru, Kiwi has already demonstrated rapid traction by signing up 73 clinics to its network across diverse specialties including dental, ophthalmology, fertility, and aesthetics. The company reports a robust pipeline of approximately 150 additional Peruvian clinics slated for onboarding within the next two quarters.
“We are launching Kiwi to address the urgent need for accessible and affordable healthcare financing in Latin America,” stated Daniella Poppe, CEO of Kiwi Peru. “Our platform provides real-time, tech-enabled solutions that empower patients to access life-changing care while enabling healthcare providers to scale their impact.” Building on this initial success, Kiwi plans a strategic expansion into other Latin American markets, beginning with Mexico in Q1 2026 through a joint venture with a leading health group. This move targets both the local healthcare industry and the burgeoning U.S. medical tourism segment. Further expansions into Central America, including Panama, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and El Salvador, are also planned.
