Entrepreneurship

The Singapore Based Tech Company Revolutionising Caregiving

"Doing well by doing good" is what Gillian Tee, CEO of Homage, said about her home care platform that is now helping to tackle the problem of care for the ageing populations across Asia through telemedicine services.

Telemedicine is the administration of healthcare and health related services from a remote area. The benefits of this format is that long-distance professional and patient contact can be had and interventions can be made even without direct contact.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the need for services such as this as lockdowns and infection rates hindered the ability for face-to-face interactions. However, the company did not begin with this focus.

Homage began in 2017 in Singapore, a country known for its advancements in information and communications technology. The aim of the company was to improve the infrastructure of the care payer and provider system.

Investors were very receptive to the idea and Homage received $45 million in investments. The company is now currently valued at an impressive $100 million.

"I think most people in healthcare startups start in the industry because they had some personal experiences", Tee told Forbes. Growing up, she had an elderly nanny and was very close to her grandmother, both of whom needed care in the later parts of their life. Aware of the struggles that patients and their families faced when finding care for seniors, Tee decided to use her skills to revolutionise the industry.

Tee is aware of the power technology has to impact people and change lives and with a background in computer science and a first-hand knowledge of the rising demand for caregivers for elderly groups, pairing the two was a natural move.

Data today shows that people over the age of 65 make up one in five of Singapore's population and this is only predicted to grow in coming years. The need for change in the care system was only exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic as healthcare professionals burnouts and drop out rates were higher than ever before. Digital platforms such as Homage are helping to tackle the problem by improving efficiency, allowing professionals to approach and treat patients at scale, whilst managing their time at a reasonable level.

CNBC spoke to Tee about the need of patients for a platform such as Homage, saying "But what happens when you need to come home, when you need to transition back to your community and your home, what is the care plan? What is the right thing to even think about, in terms of proofing the home, mobility aids?"

Homage offers home care and nursing, home therapy , virtual appointments, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medication delivery as well as specialised care for issues such as Parkinson's and arthiritus.

By moving healthcare to a more online sphere, the app combines curated and personalised care with smart technology and the results are positive around the board. With over 15,000 downloads from app stores and multiple five-star reviews, Homage is leading the way for healthcare.

For more information on Tej Kohli as a philanthropist visit tejkohliruit.com and to read more of his views go to his Medium.

To read about Tej Kohli as an investor visit Kohli Ventures.

Find out more about Tej Kohli: Tej Kohli the technologist investing in human triumph, Tej Kohli the philanthropist trying to cure the developing world of cataracts and Tej Kohli the London tycoon with a generous streak.