ixlayer

What ixlayer does

ixlayer is a private, venture-backed healthcare technology company founded in 2017 and headquartered in San Francisco that operates a cloud-based direct-to-patient (DTP) platform purpose-built for the biopharma industry. The company sells to pharmaceutical brand teams, commercial innovation units, and marketing leadership, enabling them to deploy white-labeled, compliant patient engagement programs that span condition screening, at-home and service-center lab testing, telehealth consultations, prescription fulfillment, benefits verification, and care continuity. The core platform, ixEngage, unifies seven service modules — Virtual Patient Experience, Telehealth, Lab Testing, Prescription Fulfillment, Benefits Verification/Claims/Payment, Connected Care, and ixAI Patient Concierge — over a SOC 2 Type 2, HIPAA, HITRUST, and DOD IL5 Gov Cloud infrastructure integrated with CLIA/CAP certified labs and multiple independent telehealth networks. The ixAI Patient Concierge layer adds a conversational Co-Pilot for multilingual patient onboarding and an Agent that autonomously places outbound phone calls to schedule appointments, verify insurance, and retrieve prescription refills.

The company makes money through enterprise platform licensing (annual subscriptions configured per therapeutic area, program scope, and integration complexity) combined with per-transaction fees for telehealth consultations, lab tests, prescription fulfillments, and benefits verification. Go-to-market is sales-led with dedicated enterprise ABM targeting top-25 biopharma accounts, supported by thought leadership content, proprietary research surveys (ixInsights with Ipsos, DHC Group, Sermo), and presence at industry events (Fierce Pharma Week, Digital Pharma East). The company claims over 1,100 nationwide programs powered, more than 4 million patient care journeys activated, and named enterprise customers including Sanofi, Regeneron, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, UCB, AstraZeneca, UCSF, Illumina, Eurofins, Charles River, Bio-Techne, Avera, and Hims & Hers. Recent strategic emphasis has shifted from white-label infrastructure toward co-developed branded telehealth products such as SkinLink.us (dermatology, with Sanofi/Regeneron) and Informed Pain Care (acute pain, with Vertex), suggesting a hybrid revenue model that combines platform licensing with shared-product economics. The company is led by co-founder and CEO Pouria Sanae and co-founder and COO Poorya Sabounchi, PhD.

Name

ixlayer

Legal name

IX Layer Inc.

Website

https://ixlayer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ixlayer is a private, San Francisco-based healthcare technology company that provides a cloud-based direct-to-patient platform for biopharma, integrating telehealth, lab testing, prescription fulfillment, and AI-driven patient engagement into white-labeled care programs. It serves enterprise pharmaceutical clients including Sanofi, Regeneron, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharma Direct-to-Patient Healthcare Platform

NAICS

Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151), Medical Laboratories (621511), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Care Navigation, Referral & Digital Front Door Platforms (HLALABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ), Diagnostic/Lab & Imaging Referral Marketplaces (HLALALAG)

Keywords

• Direct-to-patient platform
• Biopharma telehealth infrastructure
• Remote diagnostic testing
• Patient engagement technology
• Virtual care orchestration

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Platform/SaaS Licensing: ixlayer provides its ixEngage platform as a licensed service to biopharma companies. The platform supports multiple therapeutic areas and patient journeys, with pricing based on program scope, volume, and services utilized
2. Transaction-Based Services: Revenue generated per patient journey or service transaction including telehealth consultations, lab tests, prescription fulfillments, and benefits verification. Volume-based pricing tied to number of patient interactions and completions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ixlayer sells the ixEngage platform, a cloud-based direct-to-patient infrastructure that biopharma companies license to launch white-labeled programs combining telehealth, lab testing, prescription fulfillment, benefits verification, and connected care for patients with chronic conditions. The platform is sold as an enterprise SaaS subscription with configurable modules and per-transaction services, and is also deployed as branded sub-products such as SkinLink.us and Informed Pain Care for specific therapeutic areas.

Product overview

ixlayer is a cloud-based direct-to-patient (DTP) healthcare platform built for biopharma. The core offering is ixEngage, a unified platform that integrates seven service modules: Virtual Patient Experience, Telehealth, Lab Testing, Prescription Fulfillment, Benefits Verification/Claims/Payment, Connected Care, and ixAI Patient Concierge. The ixAI Patient Concierge module provides AI-powered patient engagement via Co-Pilot (AI-guided onboarding via voice/text) and Agent (autonomous outbound calling for appointment scheduling and Rx refills). ixlayer also operates sub-brand telehealth products including SkinLink.us (dermatology, with Sanofi/Regeneron) and Informed Pain Care (acute pain, with Vertex). The platform supports multiple therapeutic areas with white-labeled patient experiences configurable per program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ixEngage: ixlayer's direct-to-patient platform that seamlessly integrates remote testing, national diagnostic-lab networks, independent telehealth providers, and pharmacies for personalized diagnostic journeys.
• ixAI Patient Concierge
• SkinLink.us
• Informed Pain Care

Products and services

• ixEngage White-labeled direct-to-patient platform for biopharma integrating virtual patient experience, telehealth, lab testing, prescription fulfillment, benefits verification, claims/payment, and connected care into a single configurable stack across multiple therapeutic areas.
• ixAI Patient Concierge AI-powered patient engagement layer combining a Co-Pilot for guided onboarding via natural voice or text with an Agent that places autonomous phone calls to schedule appointments, verify insurance, and handle prescription refills in 10+ languages.
• SkinLink.us Telehealth platform for chronic skin conditions developed with Sanofi and Regeneron, providing virtual evaluations, diagnosis, image-based assessments, and prescription fulfillment for patients in all 50 U.S. states.
• Informed Pain Care Telehealth platform for acute pain evaluation developed with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, connecting patients to licensed clinicians for symptom screening, evaluation, and access to non-opioid treatment options with flexible pharmacy fulfillment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of completed patient appointments result in a prescription
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Vertex PharmaceuticalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Developed Informed Pain Care platform in collaboration with Vertex Pharmaceuticals - ixlayer's first direct-to-patient telehealth offering and Vertex's entry into the nonsurgical acute pain telehealth space. The platform connects patients to licensed healthcare professionals for evaluation and access to treatment options including Vertex's non-opioid therapies.
• The Dot CorpsupportingTechnology or Integration · 5 December 2025Partnership to enhance supply chain, kit design, and fulfillment for direct-to-patient healthcare programs. Aims to improve speed, scalability, and quality of at-home diagnostics and patient onboarding services.
• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Collaboration on SkinLink.us platform designed to improve access to dermatological care for patients with chronic skin conditions across all 50 U.S. states. Platform offers virtual evaluations, diagnosis, and treatment options in collaboration with Sanofi and Regeneron.
• RegeneroncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2025Collaboration on SkinLink.us platform for dermatological care access. Platform developed with Sanofi and Regeneron for patients with chronic skin conditions including Atopic Dermatitis.
• IpsossupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Partnership for ixInsights 2025 research study on consumer expectations for digital health and pharma's role in patient experience. Survey of 414 patients with chronic conditions conducted by Ipsos.
• DHC GroupsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2024Research partnership conducting surveys of pharmaceutical executives and healthcare providers on DTP trends, best practices, and implementation considerations.
• SermosupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2024Partnership for physician survey on attitudes toward at-home diagnostic testing. Survey of 140+ physicians across multiple specialties conducted with DHC and Sermo.
• OptumRxsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPharmacy benefit management partner integrated into platform. PreCheck My Script capability enables real-time benefit verification for integrated DTP workflows.
• Amazon PharmacysupportingTechnology or IntegrationPharmacy fulfillment partner integrated into platform for prescription delivery services within direct-to-patient workflows.
• Gift HealthsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPharmacy services partner integrated into platform for prescription routing and fulfillment.
• Multiple Telehealth NetworkscoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform integrates multiple independent telehealth provider networks to ensure patient choice and compliance. Rules-based routing connects patients to appropriate care providers without preferential steering.
• CLIA/CAP Certified LabscoreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork of clinical laboratory improvement amendment certified and college of american pathologists accredited laboratories supporting at-home and service center testing options.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• OptimizeRx: OptimizeRx operates a direct-to-patient and point-of-care messaging platform connecting pharma brands with patients and HCPs. It is the closest public comparable to ixlayer's pharma-sponsored DTP journey model, with overlapping advertiser and brand-sponsor buyer base.
• ConnectiveRx: ConnectiveRx delivers patient access, affordability, and adherence programs for pharma, including telehealth, hub services, and benefits verification. Comparable to ixlayer's benefits verification, prescription fulfillment, and patient support services layered on top of pharma sponsorship.
• PatientPoint: PatientPoint delivers point-of-care patient engagement content and programs sponsored by pharma, primarily in physician offices. Comparable as a pharma-sponsored patient engagement platform, though ixlayer's telehealth/lab/Rx integration goes further along the journey.
• Carenet Health: Carenet Health provides care navigation, clinical support, and patient engagement services for health plans, providers, and pharma. Overlaps with ixlayer in benefits navigation, telehealth coordination, and care concierge capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Veeva Systems: Veeva is the dominant SaaS platform for life sciences commercial, medical, and clinical operations. While Veeva does not offer a consumer-facing DTP layer, its CRM, Vault, and commercial data assets position it as a potential competitor or partner for biopharma CX programs.
• IQVIA: IQVIA combines commercial analytics, real-world data, and patient engagement services for life sciences. Its broader portfolio overlaps with ixlayer in pharma-sponsored patient engagement and outcomes analytics, though IQVIA is not purpose-built for the DTP journey layer.
• Surescripts: Surescripts operates the dominant e-prescription and clinical information network in the U.S., sitting between pharmacies, prescribers, and PBMs. It is a partner/integration for ixlayer's prescription fulfillment and benefits verification modules and a potential broader platform competitor.
• Included Health: Included Health (Doctor On Demand) offers virtual primary care, behavioral health, and care navigation, primarily employer- and payer-sponsored. Comparable in telehealth and care navigation, but its buyer is the payer/employer rather than the pharma brand.

Emerging players

• Upfront Healthcare: Upfront Healthcare provides patient engagement and digital front-door services for health systems. Compares to ixlayer in care navigation and patient onboarding, though anchored to provider systems rather than pharma sponsors.

Others

• Hims & Hers Health: Hims & Hers operates a direct-to-consumer telehealth and pharmacy platform. Listed as a partner of ixlayer and a useful comparable for consumer-facing telehealth/Rx delivery economics, but its business model is consumer-paid rather than pharma-sponsored.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ixlayer_
• Facebookfacebook.com/ixlayer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ixlayer

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ixlayer