In 2018, Adam Janczewski went to a routine optometrist appointment where, thanks to cancellations, his doctor had more time to spend with him and caught a serious genetic condition before it could do irreparable damage.

While recovering, Adam realized he could build a new kind of clinic, where technology could help turn his experience into the basic standard of care. After two years of research, he founded Jutro Medical, which combines telemedicine and a proprietary technology platform with physical public clinics. Patient intake is done over the phone or online, and the software provides clinic staff a clear “dashboard” overview of patient information, giving doctors more time to spend on preventative care.

As CEO, Adam faced a considerable challenge in opening public clinics and finding early investors. In Poland’s government-administered health service, the clinics needed approval, and profits depend solely on the number of patients. “When talking with investors, I was simply honest: we have a huge risk in national health insurance, but we don’t have a lot of risks in patient acquisition or technology,” says Adam. With an initial investor, Jutro Medical launched in January 2020. By July, the company had received a contract from the national health service. Although its planned clinic processes were disrupted by the pandemic, the team adapted to the challenge, growing from fourteen to eighty employees within a year, with monthly patient growth over 20 percent and 96 percent of consultations rated four out of five or higher.

Jutro Medical’s initial business angel invested €500,000 ($583,000). In September 2020, it received €1 million ($1.6 million) in pre-seed funding from eight investors, and in July 2021 it received €6 million ($7.6 million) from four investors, led by Inovo Venture Partners.