Doctornow
Doctornow is a South Korean mobile telemedicine platform enabling 24/7 phone and video consultations with affiliated doctors, electronic prescriptions, and nationwide pharmacy delivery, serving individual consumers across minor illness, pediatric, and chronic condition categories.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Doctornow does
Doctornow (legal name: 닥터나우) is a South Korea-based telemedicine platform founded in 2019 and headquartered in Seoul, operating as a mobile-first, self-serve application for remote medical consultations. The platform connects individual patients with a nationwide network of 6,200+ affiliated medical institutions and 23,931 dispensing pharmacies, enabling phone-based or video-based consultations 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Core service categories include pediatrics, cold/flu treatment, internal medicine, gynecology, hair loss, acne, obesity (including GLP-1 injections such as Mounjaro), and artificial tears, with electronic prescription transmission to partner pharmacies and integrated pharmacy finder and hospital search modules.
The underlying technology stack is centered on a mobile application workflow that handles appointment booking, automated doctor scheduling, real-time prescription generation, and digital transmission of prescriptions to pharmacies, with automatic fax integration compliant with Ministry of Health and Welfare guidelines. Supporting content assets include a health magazine, medicine dictionary, disease encyclopedia, real-time medical Q&A, and a symptom search feature, all of which drive top-of-funnel organic acquisition. The platform also offers a web-based interface at doctornow.co.kr for browser access.
Doctornow monetizes primarily through per-consultation fees ranging from 2,500 KRW to 10,000 KRW depending on treatment type (e.g., 2,500 KRW for hair loss, 3,000 KRW for acne, 5,000-10,000 KRW for obesity injections), positioning itself at a 50-76% discount to Seoul market averages. Secondary revenue flows from prescription drug distribution through its affiliated pharmacy network. The platform serves multiple consumer segments including parents with young children, working professionals, rural residents with limited medical access, and patients with chronic non-benefit conditions. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer via mobile app and web, with no enterprise or institutional channels. The company has raised approximately $41.6M USD across multiple funding rounds between 2021 and 2025, with the June 2022 Series B of $31M USD being the largest, from investors including CRIT Ventures, Hashed, Mirae Asset Capital, SBVA, Naver, Goodwater Capital, and Sazze Partners.
Doctornow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Doctornow
- Legal name
- (주) 닥터나우
- Website
- https://doctornow.co.kr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Doctornow is a South Korean mobile telemedicine platform enabling 24/7 phone and video consultations with affiliated doctors, electronic prescriptions, and nationwide pharmacy delivery, serving individual consumers across minor illness, pediatric, and chronic condition categories.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Doctornow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telemedicine Services
- NAICS
- Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) (621111)
- SIC
- Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- DTC Telehealth with Integrated Online Pharmacy (Cash-Pay/Subscription) (HLALAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Dermatology & Acne Prescribing + Pharmacy Delivery Platforms (HLALAIAK), Men’s Health Prescribing + Pharmacy Delivery Platforms (HLALAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Doctornow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Doctornow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Telemedicine Consultation Fees: Patients pay consultation fees to receive phone-based medical consultations with affiliated doctors. The platform aggregates doctors across various specialties including internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, and more.
- Prescription Drug Distribution: The platform facilitates prescription drug delivery through affiliated pharmacies. Note: This is subject to regulatory scrutiny as the 'DoctorNow Prevention Act' aims to ban telemedicine platforms from operating drug-wholesale businesses.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Non-benefit medical consultations (hair loss, obesity, acne) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hair loss medication consultation - Seoul region |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Obesity injection (Mounjaro) - Seoul region |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Acne medication consultation - Seoul region |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Doctornow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Doctornow operates a mobile telemedicine platform that connects individual patients with affiliated doctors for 24/7 phone or video-based remote medical consultations across specialties including internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, gynecology, and non-benefit treatments such as hair loss, acne, and obesity. Prescriptions are electronically transmitted to a nationwide network of 23,931 partner pharmacies for medication pickup, with the platform promoting consultation fees substantially below Seoul market averages.
Product overview
Doctornow is a telemedicine platform offering phone-based and video-based remote medical consultations accessible 365 days, 24 hours a day. The platform connects patients with over 6,200 affiliated medical institutions and coordinates with 23,931 dispensing pharmacies for prescription fulfillment. The core offering includes 비대면 진료 (Telemedicine Services) for common conditions such as cold/flu, pediatrics, gynecology, internal medicine, hair loss, acne, obesity/weight management, and artificial tears. Additional features include hospital and pharmacy search directories, real-time medical Q&A, a health magazine with editor-curated content, a medicine dictionary, and a disease encyclopedia. The platform operates primarily in South Korea with pricing transparency features comparing treatment costs across regions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Doctornow Telemedicine Service (비대면 진료) Remote medical consultation service available via phone or video 24/7 year-round, pairing patients with affiliated doctors for diagnosis and electronic prescriptions transmitted to partner pharmacies.
- Cold and Flu Treatment Service (감기/독감 진료) Remote consultation service for cold and flu symptoms, with electronic prescription transmission to affiliated pharmacies for medication pickup.
- Pediatric Telemedicine Service (소아청소년과 진료) Pediatric telemedicine consultations covering children's health issues including cold, fever, diarrhea, and skin rashes, designed for parents who need care without clinic visits.
- Hair Loss Treatment Service (탈모 진료) Telemedicine consultations for androgenic alopecia providing prescriptions for hair loss medications such as Propecia (Finasteride) and Dutasteride at significantly below Seoul market average pricing.
- Acne Treatment Service (여드름 진료) Telemedicine consultation for acne that prescribes medications such as Isotretinoin (Isotoin, Nimegen) at consult fees significantly below Seoul market averages.
- Artificial Tears / Dry Eye Service (인공눈물 진료) Telemedicine service for dry eye treatment providing prescriptions for artificial tears delivered through the platform's pharmacy network.
- Diet and Obesity Treatment Service (다이어트/비만 진료) Weight management consultations including prescription of obesity injections such as MAUNJARO (Tirzepatide), with tiered pen-count packages (4/8/12-pen) priced well below Seoul market averages.
- Gynecology Telemedicine Service (산부인과 진료) Telemedicine service for women's health issues including vaginitis, bladder infections, and menstrual pain, allowing female patients privacy and convenience versus in-person visits.
- Internal Medicine Telemedicine Service (내과 진료) General internal medicine consultations delivered via the platform, covering common adult conditions addressed through phone or video visits.
Quantifiable outcome
- 66%+ repeat-use rate for minor illnesses
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Doctornow
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Doctornow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Doctornow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Boosters CompanycoreDoctor Now acquired healthcare startup Boosters Company, which offers personalized exercise and health management services. The acquisition aimed to enhance non-face-to-face medical and prescription drug services. Kim Jong-sang, Boosters' CEO and founder, was appointed as Chief Product Officer of Doctor Now to lead service development efforts.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Doctornow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hims & Hers Health: US-listed DTC telehealth + online pharmacy focused on hair loss, dermatology, sexual health, and weight management. Closest international analog to Doctornow's non-benefit, cash-pay, pharmacy-integrated model.
- Ro: US-based DTC telehealth and pharmacy platform with strong positions in men's health (Roman), dermatology, and GLP-1 weight loss. Highly comparable business model and category mix to Doctornow.
- Kakao Healthcare: Healthcare arm of Kakao, operating Korean DTC telemedicine and pharmacy-related services. Direct competitor leveraging Kakao's super-app distribution and payments.
- NAVER Doctor (NAVER Health): NAVER's telemedicine offering, backed by Korea's largest portal and search user base. Competes head-on with Doctornow for DTC consultation volume and doctor supply.
Broad incumbents
- Teladoc Health: Largest global telehealth incumbent offering virtual care across primary, specialty, and mental health. Comparable in category but broader, enterprise-led, and far larger scale than Doctornow.
- Amwell: US-listed enterprise telehealth platform partnering with health systems and insurers. Overlaps with Doctornow on virtual consultations but operates a B2B2C model rather than pure DTC.
Regional players
- Doctor Anywhere: Singapore-headquartered DTC telemedicine platform with operations across Southeast Asia. Comparable mobile-first, cash-pay, multi-specialty virtual care model to Doctornow, but focused on SEA rather than Korea.
- Halodoc: Indonesia's leading telehealth + pharmacy delivery app. Highly comparable business model (consult → e-prescription → medicine delivery) targeting a different geography from Doctornow.
- Ping An Good Doctor (Ping An Healthcare and Technology): China's largest online healthcare platform, combining telemedicine, e-pharmacy, and in-person clinic network. Comparable in scale of network (doctors, pharmacies) but operating under Chinese regulatory regime.
Emerging players
- Zava: European DTC telehealth and online clinic offering consultations with prescription delivery across the UK and EU. Shares Doctornow's cash-pay, prescription-forward model but in a different regulatory environment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Doctornow social profiles
Digital presenceDoctornow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Doctornow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Doctornow subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Doctornow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Doctornow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Doctornow
What does Doctornow do?
Doctornow operates a mobile telemedicine platform that connects individual patients with affiliated doctors for 24/7 phone or video-based remote medical consultations across specialties including internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, gynecology, and non-benefit treatments such as hair loss, acne, and obesity. Prescriptions are electronically transmitted to a nationwide network of 23,931 partner pharmacies for medication pickup, with the platform promoting consultation fees substantially below Seoul market averages.
Is Doctornow a public or private company?
Doctornow is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Doctornow founded?
Doctornow was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Doctornow based?
Doctornow is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does Doctornow make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Telemedicine Consultation Fees are the primary driver. The others are prescription Drug Distribution.
Who are Doctornow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hims & Hers Health, Ro, Kakao Healthcare and NAVER Doctor (NAVER Health). Broad incumbents are Teladoc Health and Amwell. Regional players are Doctor Anywhere, Halodoc and Ping An Good Doctor (Ping An Healthcare and Technology). Zava is listed as an emerging player.
Does Doctornow have an API?
No public API is recorded for Doctornow.
What industry is Doctornow in?
Doctornow's product category is Telemedicine Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAIAA, DTC Telehealth with Integrated Online Pharmacy (Cash-Pay/Subscription), with a secondary code of HLALAIAK, Dermatology & Acne Prescribing + Pharmacy Delivery Platforms. Its NAICS code is 621111 and its SIC code is 8011.