Sanar
Sanar is a Brazilian medical education platform operating a multi-product ecosystem — including the free Sanarmed portal, SanarFlix video courses, SanarPós postgraduate programs in 27 specialties, and the acquired Cetrus sub-specialty platform — serving medical students, residents, and practicing physicians across Brazil via a freemium, subscription, and B2B institutional model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSalvador, Brazil
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Sanar does
Sanar is a Brazilian medical education platform headquartered in Salvador, Brazil, founded in 2014 and operating with 251-500 employees. The company runs a multi-product ecosystem serving medical students, medical residents, and practicing physicians across all five major Brazilian regions. Its core products include Sanarmed, a free web-based medical education portal providing articles, practice questions, clinical tools (CID-10/ICD-10 lookup, 154+ clinical exam references, medical calculators for CHA2DS2-VASc, Glasgow, SOFA, APACHE II, and dose conversions), and study guides; SanarFlix, a subscription video-based streaming platform for undergraduate and R1 residency exam preparation; SanarPós, a postgraduate program offering specialization courses in 27 medical specialties delivered online with 500+ hours of content per program; Cetrus, an acquired sub-specialization platform for practicing physicians offering high-ticket advanced training; Sanar Saúde, an online medical bookstore; and Sanar para Instituições, a B2B channel providing educational content to medical schools and institutions.
The underlying technology is a web-based content and services platform rather than a software product in the traditional sense, built around a large proprietary content library (205,990+ medical exam questions, 154+ clinical exam references, 27 specialty curricula) and embedded daily-use clinical decision tools. The CID-10 lookup tool is validated against WHO ICD-10 standards and Brazilian national updates. Marketing and user acquisition are anchored on content-led SEO via the Sanarmed blog and broad social media presence (LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, Substack newsletter, SanarCast podcast), driving a freemium funnel.
The business model is multi-stream and primarily B2C, monetizing through SanarFlix monthly subscriptions, SanarPós postgraduate tuition, one-time book sales, and a growing B2B institutional line. The May 2022 acquisition of Cetrus for R$166 million (part cash, part shares) marked a strategic shift into higher-ticket sub-specialty courses, expanding the addressable customer segment from students to practicing physicians and broadening ARPU per user. Sanar is a private company backed primarily by DNA Capital, with additional investors including Valor Capital Group, Vox Capital, e.bricks Ventures, Itaú BBA International plc, Google for Startups, Green Rock, and Peninsula Participações.
Sanar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sanar
- Legal name
- Sanar
- Website
- https://sanarmed.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Sanar is a Brazilian medical education platform operating a multi-product ecosystem — including the free Sanarmed portal, SanarFlix video courses, SanarPós postgraduate programs in 27 specialties, and the acquired Cetrus sub-specialty platform — serving medical students, residents, and practicing physicians across Brazil via a freemium, subscription, and B2B institutional model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sanar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Education
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Medicine & Allied Health (Clinical) (EDAGABAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE) (EDAGANAJ)
Keywords
Where Sanar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salvador
- HQ country
- Brazil
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sanar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SanarFlix Video Subscription: Subscription-based online video course platform for medical exam preparation (ENAMED, R1, specialty title exams), offering video lessons, flashcards, and study plans. Part of a tiered freemium model where free content drives acquisition.
- SanarPós Postgraduate Programs: Postgraduate specialization courses in 27 medical specialties, delivered 100% online. Premium paid programs with specialized clinical content and expert faculty.
- Medical Books and Publications: Sale of medical textbooks and reference guides through Sanar Saúde online bookstore.
- Acquisition Integration (Cetrus): Acquisition of Cetrus (R$166 million) expanded Sanar's offerings into sub-specialization high-ticket courses, covering a larger portion of the medical professional's educational journey from graduation through specialization.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Sanarmed Free Portal - free medical education content |
| Subscription | Monthly | SanarFlix Premium - subscription video courses |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels9 records
Sanar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sanar operates a comprehensive medical education ecosystem for Brazilian medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. The platform delivers free educational content (Sanarmed portal with articles, clinical tools, CID-10 lookup, and question banks) alongside premium subscription products including SanarFlix (video courses for exam preparation), SanarPós (online postgraduate specialization in 27 medical specialties), Cetrus (acquired high-ticket subspecialty courses), and medical books via Sanar Saúde.
Product overview
Sanar is a comprehensive medical education ecosystem offering a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio includes SanarFlix (video streaming with flashcards and exam prep), SanarPós (27 specialty postgraduate programs), Sanarmed (free education portal with 154+ clinical tools), Cetrus (acquired sub-specialization courses), Livros de Medicina (book publishing), and Sanar para Instituições (B2B solutions). Content spans the entire medical career: undergraduate cycles (basic, clinical, internship), residency preparation (R1/ENAMED), postgraduate specialization, and continuing medical education through practice tools like ICD-10 lookup, 154 medical exam references, medical calculators, and 205,000+ practice questions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SanarFlix: Video-based medical education streaming platform offering courses from basic cycle through R1 residency exam preparation.
- SanarPós
- Sanarmed
- Cetrus
- Sanar para Instituições
Products and services
- SanarFlix Video streaming platform for medical education offering courses, minicourses, flashcards, and exam preparation content covering the full medical career journey from basic cycle through R1 residency preparation. Targets medical students and residents preparing for ENAMED, R1, and specialty title exams.
- SanarPós Postgraduate medical education platform offering specialization courses in 27 medical specialties, with 100% online delivery and over 500 hours of content per program. Targets practicing physicians seeking specialization and continuing medical education.
- Cetrus Sub-specialization courses platform for doctors, offering high-ticket advanced training programs in medical subspecialties. Acquired by Sanar in May 2022 for R$166 million to expand Sanar's reach into established practicing physicians.
- Livros de Medicina (Sanar Saúde) Medical book publishing division offering updated, didactic books focused on efficient medical study guidance for medical students and professionals. Sold through the Sanar Saúde online bookstore (sanarsaude.com).
- Sanar para Instituições Institutional solutions product line providing Sanar's educational content and platforms for medical schools and healthcare institutions. Targets B2B customers seeking integrated educational solutions for their students and staff.
- Sanarmed Free medical education portal providing articles, summaries, clinical guidelines, exam references, medical calculators, and tools for medical students and professionals across all career stages. Serves as top-of-funnel acquisition for premium SanarFlix and SanarPós products.
Quantifiable outcome
- 205,990+ medical exam practice questions available on the platform
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Sanar
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sanar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Sanar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CetruscoreCetrus was a Brazilian medical education company specializing in subspecialty courses for practicing physicians. Sanar acquired Cetrus for R$166 million (part cash, part shares) to expand its offerings from medical student education into subspecialty and high-ticket courses for established doctors. Cetrus operates as a brand within Sanar's product ecosystem.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sanar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Medcel: Brazilian medical residency and specialist exam preparation company. Direct competitor in the Brazilian R1/Prova de Título prep market that SanarFlix and Cetrus also address.
- UWorld: Leading high-stakes medical licensing exam prep platform (USMLE, etc.) with deep question banks and rationales. Closest peer to SanarFlix/Sanarmed's question bank and R1/ENAMED preparation track, though primarily US-focused.
- Lecturio: Subscription-based medical video course platform covering pre-clinical, clinical and board prep. Comparable to SanarFlix in product format (video lectures, structured curricula) and target learner (medical students and residents).
- Jaleko: Brazilian medical education platform offering courses and content for medical students and residents. Direct comparable on Brazilian geography, target audience, and freemium-driven content model.
- AMBOSS: Global medical knowledge platform combining clinical reference with exam preparation. Closest functional peer in terms of integrated clinical tools + question banks + study plans, though currently more US/EU-focused than Brazil.
- OnlineMedEd: Medical education platform offering video lessons, notes and question banks covering medical school curricula and board prep. Functionally similar to SanarFlix in delivering structured online medical curriculum to students.
- Afya Limited: Brazilian medical education group operating medical schools and digital health/edtech products; listed on NASDAQ. Direct comparable on geography and mission (medical education for Brazilian doctors), though Afya is more degree-granting while Sanar is more content/subscription-driven.
- PEBMED (Whitebook): Brazilian clinical decision-support and medical reference app widely used by Brazilian physicians. Closest direct competitor in Brazil for the day-to-day clinical-tools side of Sanar's offering (CID-10, calculators, exam references).
Broad incumbents
- Medscape (WebMD): Large, established medical information and continuing education platform owned by WebMD. Overlaps with SanarPós on CME/CE for practicing physicians and with Sanarmed on free medical content, but serves a global audience and is far broader in scope.
- Khan Academy (Medicine): Free, large-scale educational content provider including a medicine/health sciences section. Comparable to Sanarmed as a free, SEO-driven top-of-funnel resource, but with a generalist mission and no Brazil-specific content.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sanar social profiles
Digital presenceSanar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sanar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Sanar subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Sanar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sanar 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 Sanar
What does Sanar do?
Sanar operates a comprehensive medical education ecosystem for Brazilian medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. The platform delivers free educational content (Sanarmed portal with articles, clinical tools, CID-10 lookup, and question banks) alongside premium subscription products including SanarFlix (video courses for exam preparation), SanarPós (online postgraduate specialization in 27 medical specialties), Cetrus (acquired high-ticket subspecialty courses), and medical books via Sanar Saúde.
Is Sanar a public or private company?
Sanar is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Sanar founded?
Sanar was founded in 2014. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Sanar based?
Sanar is headquartered in Salvador, Brazil, in the Latin America region.
How does Sanar make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. SanarFlix Video Subscription is the primary driver. The others are sanarPós Postgraduate Programs, medical Books and Publications and acquisition Integration (Cetrus).
Who are Sanar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Medcel, UWorld, Lecturio, Jaleko, AMBOSS, OnlineMedEd, Afya Limited and PEBMED (Whitebook). Broad incumbents are Medscape (WebMD) and Khan Academy (Medicine).
Does Sanar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sanar.
What industry is Sanar in?
Sanar's product category is Medical Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAGABAG, Medicine & Allied Health (Clinical), with a secondary code of EDAGANAJ, Healthcare & Clinical Professional Development (CME/CE). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.