Headquartered in Berlin, Lillian Care, a healthcare startup has netted €2.4 million in pre-seed funding, with a projected commitment of an additional €2.4m at seed stage. This brings the total investment in the company to €5 million.
The new investment was led by Nina Capital, a venture capital firm with deep expertise at the intersection of healthcare and technology such as basys.ai and Alfie Health. Other investors in the round include Aescuvest, Caesar Ventures, OHA BTG, Calmstorm and professional angels and founders such as Björn von Siemens, Wieland Sommer, Inga Bergen and Fredrik Debong.
As per the company, the funds will be used to address the shortage of general practitioners and provide primary care services in underserved areas. It will enable Lillian Care to grow its network of hybrid practices, targeting a market-leading position by 2030, cementing its reputation by delivering high satisfaction levels for patients, nurses and physicians. Also, the company will be able to secure value-based care contracts with health insurers.
Tackles shortage of physicians
Lillian Care was co-founded in 2023 by serial entrepreneurs and veterans of the German healthcare industryLinus Drop, Dr. Florian Fuhrmann and Markus Liesmann. It claims to be tackling Germany’s doctor shortage by establishing hybrid medical practices nationwide.
Lillian Care is inspired by Lillian Wald, the founder of American community care. With her hands-on and problem-solving approach, she had a great influence on the development of healthcare.
The Lillian Care platform enables nurses to perform as the first point of physical contact for outpatients with health complaints, performing 60% of all treatments with supervision and support delivered digitally by doctors. This approach ensures that doctors are freeto focus their time and attention on more complex cases.
It is an approach that has been used in the USA and Canada since the 1960s. Now, it has gained momentum as the Netherlands, Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and Finland have adopted this healthcare approach, authorising nurses to deliver medical tasks in primary care.
“We are building a network of hybrid primary care practices supported by a comprehensive technology stack that enables fast setup, streamlined workflows for interdisciplinary care teams and telemedicine treatments,” said Linus Drop, founder and chief executive officer of Lillian Care. “In Germany, the shortage of primary care physicians is a concern, especially in rural areas. To ensure medical care, we offer physicians and nurses an innovative care model that takes into account the needs of modern professional care teams and takes inspiration from the lessons learned by healthcare systems internationally.”
“The Lillian Care model represents a disruptive innovation that aims to involve nurses in the management of chronic and elderly patients, initially focusing on rural areas and small cities, but with the potential for broader application within the healthcare system. Such models are increasingly recognized as essential for ensuring the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems,” said Marc Subirats, a veteran of the telehealth industry and General Partner at Nina Capital. “Lillian’s adaptation to the German situation is the best we have seen to provide close-to-home general practice services for an increasingly underserved and ageing society.”
