Knok is a Portuguese start-up developing integrated solutions for telemedicine, a project that will benefit from 5G technology, and will receive an investment of €4.4 million, made through a coordinated round by the NOS 5G Fund – set up by NOS and managed by Armilar Venture Partners – and through Triple Point, the operator led by Miguel Almeida, provided in a statement. Both have participated in the Social Innovation Fund and the MSM Social and Environmental Impact Fund (Mustard Seed MAZE).
“It delivers a comprehensive and robust technology solution – based on data from more than 160,000 consultations conducted in 12 countries, through a network of more than 3,000 physicians in nine specialties,” Nock says in a statement. The purpose of this solution is to “facilitate access to and delivery of telehealth”
The Knok platform includes “video consultations and support tools for remote screening and monitoring of patients via artificial intelligence.” Through this solution, the patient can identify symptoms, share clinical information with the doctor, and perform video consultations.
Jose Bastos, CEO and co-founder of Knok, highlights the importance of this investment for the company to expand and internationalize its business. “The group of excellent investors we have brought together will accelerate the national and international expansion of our integrated healthcare solutions, strengthening our presence in Spain, Brazil and other countries in Latin America and reaching out to India, the UK and Italy,” he says.
This is the second startup funded by the NOS 5G fund, the first being Reckon.ai. The NOS Fund started with an initial capital of €10 million and an investment term of 5 years. The operator confirms that the NOS 5G fund is the first in Portugal oriented towards 5G, and its goal is to invest in innovative technological solutions. They range from network infrastructure to products or services to customers, with an emphasis on technology projects in the early stages of development.
5G technology, on the NOS, assures that it has high data throughput and almost zero latency – (allowing, for example, medical procedures to be carried out instantly) – and will allow medical staff to reach those who live in remote areas. This system allows “the exchange of documents and medical records, as well as the joining of several specialists in the same consultation.”
In a statement, NOS embodies: The 5G network will also allow to take advantage of technologies such as artificial intelligence and enable the processing of vital records that can be used to detect signs of disease in real time and accelerate the construction of pre-diagnostic models.
“Health is one area that will benefit most from this technology, allowing the best professionals in any part of the world to connect with patients, and contribute to the democratization of access to healthcare. We are excited to find out by supporting knok in developing solutions that create Value, comfort and efficiency for patients and doctors, we contribute to the modernization of the healthcare sector and society,” emphasizes Jorge Graca, responsible for the technology field at NOS.