makeO acquires Dubai-based health tech startup Smileneo

Dubai, United Arab Emirates / India- February 20th, 2023: The useof telehealth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and South Asia issurging with consumers and healthcare providers rapidly embracingdigital-healthcare technologies. In response to the growing tech adoption fororthodontic care, Asia's makeO and MENA's Smileneo, both leading direct-to-consumerteeth-straightening platforms in their respective markets are joining forces.The combined entity will become the largest clinical beauty technology platformacross the markets, with the scale to match consumers' demand. The acquisitionamount has not been disclosed.

The deal is a significant milestone for the MENA and Indiaentrepreneurship ecosystems since it is one of the first ever acquisitions of aGCC venture capital-backed startup by an Indian company. Additionally, theacquisition is one of the first examples of closer startup ecosystemcooperation between the MENA and India catalyzed by the UAE-India ComprehensiveEconomic Partnership Agreement signed in February 2022.

Founded by Dr. Jonathan Doerr, Smileneo and its orthodontic partners offersafe and effective doctor-prescribed and monitored clear aligners to straightenteeth for beautiful smiles. Launched in 2020, Smileneo has served thousands ofpatients through a network of more than 30 licensed partner orthodontists inthe United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar. Smileneo’s adherancewith health authorities in the region made it the first and only licensedregional teledentistry platform for direct-to-consumer teeth straightening inthe MENA.

makeO, India’s only U.S. FDA approved B2C aligner company, is aninnovative tech-enabled brand that offers at-home ‘aesthetic makeovers’, i.e.oral and skin care services via its brands toothsi and skinnsi. makeO hassuccessfully created an ecosystem of established orthodontists, dentists anddermatologists that are revolutionizing the way in which services such as teethalignment, teeth whitening, laser hair removal and derma-facial treatments areperformed outside a clinical setup. With technology & innovation at itscore, the brand also boasts of state-of-the-art infrastructure suchas India’s largest 3D printing in-house aligner manufacturing facility.Today, makeO prides itself for having designed 200,000+ smile plans under itsbrand toothsi and 60,000+ laser hair reduction sessions under skinnsi in lessthree years.  

Dr. Jonathan Doerr, CEO & Founder, Smileneo commented: “We are veryexcited to work together with makeO and for this opportunity as both companiesshare the vision of building a high-quality clinical beauty technologyplatform. MakeO’s vast experience and production capabilities will not onlyelevate our business and help our partner clinics reach the next level, butalso allow us to venture into new areas of telehealth in addition to ourestablished orthodontics practice.”

Dr. Arpi Mehta, CEO & Co-Founder, makeO added: “Having garneredstrong market leadership in the Indian selfcare industry, we are now preparedto extend makeO’s product & technology expertise to the global audience. Smileneo’shigh-quality medical and tech-driven approach, as well as its footprint andexpertise in the region will accelerate our growth ambitions and materializeour vision to expand beyond India. With this acquisition we will not only beable to enter the Middle East, but also have a basis for further expansion toSouth Asia & Africa.”

About Smileneo

Smileneo is the MENA’s only licensed teledentistry platform for teethstraightening. Through its cutting-edge telehealth technology and premium clearaligners, Smileneo is revolutionizing teeth straightening by offering consumersthe ability to get clinically safe, effective clear aligner treatment atsignificantly lower costs with less hassle. Smileneo’s $2M seed financing in2021 was the largest seed round raised by any MENA teeth- straighteningstartup. It was led by London-based Kingsway Capital, one of the region'slargest investors. FJ Labs joined the round beside several strategic globalsuper angels including Mato Peric (CARS24, Scalable Capital, Loft etc.),Leonard Stiegeler (Pulse, Paystack, etc.), and Tom Stafford (Managing Partnerat DST Global).

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About makeO

makeO, an AMPA Orthodontics Pvt. Ltd. offering, is an innovativetech-enabled physical aesthetics solutions brand that offers at-home ‘aestheticmakeovers’, i.e. oral and skin care services via its brands toothsi andskinnsi. makeO is the only U.S. FDA approved B2C aligner company in India. Theparent company, AMPA Orthodontics, was founded in 2018 byorthodontists-turned-entrepreneurs Dr. Arpi Mehta Shah, Dr. Pravin Shetty, Dr.Manjul Jain, and Dr. Anirudh Kale. Today, makeO is present in over 17 citiesacross India & 2 cities in the UAE. The company has designed 200,000+ smileplans under toothsi and completed 60,000+ laser hair reduction sessions underskinnsi in less than three years.

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