“"I had an excellent interaction with a doctor who genuinely seemed mindful and invested in my health. They gave me a lot of tips and advice that my past family doctors didn't even mention. Great experience using the platform, attentive, polite, and knowledgeable medical staff."
"I loved how quickly and easy it was for me to get a consultation through the platform! Super easy platform to navigate and there was a mental health therapist on demand, instantly available to give me professional and thoughtful advice. Saved me weeks of setting up an appointment and waiting for a convenient time!"
"My company uses Akira as part of their health and wellness package and I've used it countless times to seek advice from general nutritional facts, to how to set up a healthy diet tailored to me, to how to best appraoch mindful meditation. Fantastic application that I hope other companies start using to improve their employees health!"”
“There are a couple ways to get in contact with the recruiters for Akira. You can apply through Angel list, Glassdoor, or through our website's careers section. I'd personally recommend looking up the team on the career page, finding the profile of person that fits you best, and sending them a message by e-mail or linkedin about your interest!”
“Our team is very collaborative and open. The team is small, but we're all motivated to be working on an interesting problem. Probably one of the more collaborative and productive work environments I've been a part of.”
“There aren't many opportunities at the moment to move up to management positions because the team is still small and we're working on getting the perfect market fit, but the company is built to scale and as we grow there will be many opportunities to scale with the company.”
“"There are a few areas that telemedicine will have the largest impact on the healthcare system based on its ability. It won't eliminate the need to go to your doctor, but it has a huge impact in certain areas and will only continue to grow its scope.
Telemedicine increases the efficiency for both patients and healthcare organizations. Patients are able to save time by simply not having to always go to a hospital or clinic to get an expert opinion. Healthcare organizations save time by having to spend less in person time with people who could be helped by teleconference.
A problem also recognized in the industry is how uncomfortable and stressful sitting in a waiting room is for patients. With the ability to have a live feed to your doctor instantly from home, people experiencing pain and illness are more likely to seek a professional medical opinion on things they may not have gone in person to.
Doctors also usually experience a large amount of cancellations. People often book appointments pre-emptively far in advance, and they often end up cancelling the appointment for a wide range of reasons. With telemedicine companies like Akira providing online consultation, there's less of a need for in person meetings, therefore less cancellations, and an increase in efficiency for doctors. "”
Honestly it's difficult to pick just one, but in my eyes I love that we're working on a product that helps Canadians stay healthy. We all know healthcare in Canada to be good, but there's many parts of it that are frustrating, and being part of the team that's solving these problems is very motivating.
Even though Akira is a fast paced startup, they've done a great job at giving employees the confidence that they don't have to be working 12 hour days. Your work hours are flexible and you're definitely able to have a life outside of work.
There are a ton of perks to working for Akira. Free chocolate, dog and cat friendly environment, 'unlimited mezcal', standup desks, flexible hours, and you can work remotely if you so feel.
“Akira has received much praise from Canadian media for its ability to eliminate the inconvenience associated with doing a trip to the doctor's office. However, there's also been push back from governmental bodies for its position in the Canadian medical community, making profit from providing healthcare services.
Media organizations such as Globe and Mail praise the entrepreneurialism of the founders of Akira. They recognize the impact this can have on reducing the routine visits people have for common problems, such as getting routine test results and prescription renewals. Currently there are no ways to skip the lines, and the most efficient way is to show up at the emergency room. This leads to wasted time for both the patient and the doctor.
The ministry of health in Ontario however has their concerns over the ethicality of making money in healthcare where healthcare should be free. The national coordinator for the Canadian Health Coalition has previously stated that "the Health act covers people being able to see their physician. [...] if you're speaking to a physician by any means and paying... I think ethically there's an issue.".
In an industry that's ripe for innovation and there will definitely be innovative players. The Globe and Mail recognizes this, noting that "it saves the system money, the patient money, and the doctor time [...] it pretty much saves everyone".”
Akira provides healthcare consultance from your phone, wherever you are. Through a mobile system, Canadians are able to get instant consultation from Canadian medical professionals who are experienced in using digital healthcare. Akira specializes in Family Medicine, and allows Canadians to skip the long wait lines usually associated with getting checked up.
Founded in 2015 by current CEO Dustin Walper and CMO Taha Bandukwala, Akira's headquarters are based in Toronto, Ontario. Akira was able to raise a seed round in 2015 of $500,000 by notable investors Tobias Lütke, CEO of Shopify, Mike Silagadze, CEO of Top hat, and Marcus Daniels, co-founder of Highline, among others. Akira gained great press and recognition for its innovative approach to Canadian healthcare, and as acquired by Right Health in 2017 for an undisclosed amount.
Employees of Akira have resoundedly reported having a positive work experience working for the company. Employees of Akira report enjoying the positive impact the company has on Canadian lives, the strong and engaged management in building a positive work culture, the interesting challenges the company is working on solving, and the high growth career opportunities the company presents. Reported cons from employees include being frustrated with; having too many good snacks available that ends up increasing your craving for sugar, and the limitations telemedicine has.
There are many opportunities to join the Akira as it continues to grow and expand its network after being acquired. There are current jobs openings at Akira for a Visual Designer, and a Sr. Product Designer. There are also open positions for joining the healthcare team; doctors, NPs, nurses, and mental health therapists.
Akira has built a great team focussed on openness, transparency, and innovation. Through a constant scrum approach, they're able to iterate quickly. Akira is an organization that's bonded by the love for the product, their createive and innovative, have a flat organizational structure to enhance communication, and are committed to building a strong team culture.
Why are you interested in working for Akira?
What kind of work environment do you thrive in?
How do you see healthcare changing in the future?
Akira was founded in 2015 by current CEO Dustin Walper, CMO Bandukwala Taha, and Zukowski Matt. Dustin Walper originally came to the idea after being frustrated wasting time in doctors' offices waiting for routine test results and persecription renewals for a thyroid condition. Recognizing how flawed and slow-to-change the health-care system was, he saw an opportunity to accelerate the industry's and help people save time. Akira quickly received $500,000 in funding in 2015 months after it started, and grew quickly. By 2017, Akira had logged more than 15,000 virtual consultations and had over 12,000 registered users. The company was instantly recognized for its ability to disrupt the healthcare space, and was acquired by Right Health in 2017 for an undisclosed amount. The company still operates independent from its parent organization, and is continuing to expand.