b Inc.
b Inc. (formerly Vecna Technologies) is a robotics and workflow automation company serving healthcare, education, government, and tourism sectors with telepresence robots, intake automation platforms, and solar-powered edge computing hardware for underserved regions. It operates via Hardware-as-a-Service subscriptions and channel partnerships.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersNot specified, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What b Inc. does
b Inc. (formerly Vecna Technologies) is a privately held robotics and workflow automation company founded in 1999 by MIT engineers and headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. The company designs, manufactures, and operates telepresence robots, self-service kiosks, and solar-powered edge computing hardware (branded as bright box) that enable remote presence, patient intake automation, and digital health infrastructure in resource-constrained environments. Its core product portfolio spans VetLink (a VA check-in system deployed across VISN 4 and other VA health systems), b-line (integrated intake automation for commercial healthcare), b-hive (collaborative robot staffing for healthcare delivery), b-there (telepresence robot tours for museums and attractions), and bright box (offline-capable EMR/DHIS2/OpenMRS/CommCare deployments). The company has supported over 1 million patient visits across 12 countries and maintains a non-profit subsidiary, VecnaCares, focused on international digital health deployment.
The company operates a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) subscription model combined with Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) rentals and SaaS subscriptions, with pricing starting at $350/month per device for healthcare and $1,000/month per telepresence robot. Go-to-market is multi-channel: direct enterprise sales for hospitals and the VA, channel partnerships through Regional Education Service Centers (e.g., Region 10 ESC in Texas) and tourism networks, GSA Advantage / IT Schedule 70 for government procurement, and self-serve consumer robot rentals. Customer concentration is anchored by the VA (the largest customer relationship since 2009) and supplemented by healthcare systems, K-12 education service centers, international NGO and government deployments (Palladium, ICRC, Americares), and tourism attractions. The company appears to be operating with roughly 75 employees and no disclosed institutional funding rounds.
b Inc. firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- b Inc.
- Legal name
- Vecna Technologies
- Website
- https://b-inc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- b Inc. (formerly Vecna Technologies) is a robotics and workflow automation company serving healthcare, education, government, and tourism sectors with telepresence robots, intake automation platforms, and solar-powered edge computing hardware for underserved regions. It operates via Hardware-as-a-Service subscriptions and channel partnerships.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
b Inc. industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Telepresence Robotics & Healthcare Automation
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (5415)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Service & Hospitality Robots (HDAAAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Healthcare On‑Demand Platforms (Telehealth, Home Care, Nursing) (BPAMAHAH), Virtual Visit & Video Conferencing APIs/SDKs (HIPAA-compliant) (HLALAKAA)
Keywords
Where b Inc. is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Not specified
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
b Inc. business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) Subscription: Subscription-based model where customers pay recurring fees for equipment (telepresence robots, kiosks, bright box) along with maintenance, support, and replacement services. Provider retains equipment ownership. Subscriptions auto-renew for successive periods unless cancelled.
- Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS): Rental model for telepresence robots available for short-term use. Customers can rent robots for specific events or ongoing needs at affordable monthly costs. Post-evaluation pilot, robots continue at $1,000/month per robot.
- Software/SaaS Subscriptions: Software platform subscriptions for b-line automation, VetLink, and other solutions. Pricing starting at $350/month per device for combined hardware/software solutions.
- Professional Services: Training, implementation, deployment support, and ongoing customer support services. Training provided for customers deploying telepresence robots and automation solutions.
- bright box Deployments: Sale/deployment of bright box hardware units to health facilities and organizations in underserved areas, often through partnerships with NGOs and government health systems.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Pilot Program - Telepresence Robots |
| Subscription | Monthly | Healthcare Solutions - Starting Price |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Subscriptions |
| Subscription | Monthly | Monthly Subscriptions |
| Subscription | Monthly | Robot Rentals (RaaS) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
b Inc. product offering
Product offeringCore offering
b Inc. builds telepresence robots and intake-automation platforms sold via a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) subscription model to hospitals, VA health systems, K-12 schools, museums, and international health programs. Its portfolio combines mobile telepresence hardware (robots, kiosks), software (b-line, VetLink), edge-computing infrastructure (bright box), and people-driven services such as Remote Registrar and b-hive robot staffing. The offering is unified under recurring monthly/annual subscriptions that bundle equipment, software, maintenance, support, and replacement.
Product overview
b Inc. offers a unified portfolio of telepresence robotics and intake automation solutions designed to make access more human across healthcare, education, government, and tourism sectors. The core product family includes telepresence robots for remote presence, b-line for integrated intake automation and remote registrar services, and VetLink for VA check-in modernization. The bright box product provides solar-powered edge computing and secure local WiFi for low-resource environments. The b-there service enables virtual teletours and short-term robot rentals, while b-hive provides robot staffing for healthcare facilities. The bright sub-brand encompasses secure Wi-Fi solutions. The portfolio operates on a Hardware-as-a-Service subscription model, combining hardware (robots, kiosks, bright box) with software platforms and remote staffing services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- bright box: Solar-powered, rugged server and power management system for underserved, low-resource environments that creates secure local WiFi networks without internet or cell service
- b-there
- b-line
- VetLink
- b-hive
Products and services
- Telepresence Robots Mobile telepresence robots that enable remote students, patients, and visitors to attend school, healthcare visits, and events in real time from any computer or iPad; sold via Hardware-as-a-Service subscription to schools, hospitals, and senior living communities.
- b-line Integrated intake-automation platform combining self-service kiosks, remote-registrar staffing, patient queuing, insurance capture, EMR/EHR integration, and patient communication; designed for hospitals, clinics, and senior living facilities.
- b-there Subscription telepresence tour service that delivers virtual, real-time visits to museums, zoos, aquariums, and events; also offers short-term Robot-as-a-Service rentals for personal milestones such as weddings and birthdays.
- bright box Solar-powered, rugged server with battery backup, redundant connectivity, local edge computing, and WiFi network creation that runs EMR/DHIS2/OpenMRS/CommCare software without internet or cell service; deployed to health facilities, NGOs, and refugee camps in low-resource environments.
- VetLink Centralized, certified point-of-service check-in system with self-service kiosks, BTSSS reimbursement processing, insurance capture, queuing management, and real-time Veteran PHI exchange with VistA and Cerner/Oracle Health; purpose-built for VA health systems.
- b-hive Collaborative robot staffing service providing telepresence robots for delivery, security, sanitizing, tele-triage, tele-sitting, tele-translation, and registration workflows inside healthcare facilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- VetLink automated over 80% of registrations in VISN 4
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use b Inc.
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles6 records
b Inc. technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration8 records
Feature6 records
b Inc. partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- PalladiumcorePartnership to deploy bright box hardware across health facilities in Ethiopia, DRC, and Cote d'Ivoire supporting national EMR platforms. Palladium leads deployment, local adoption, integration with national health architectures, and ongoing support. Addresses power reliability and infrastructure challenges in resource-constrained environments.
- Veterans Affairs (VA)corePartnership since 2009 to launch VetLink, the largest patient self-service check-in initiative in VA history. VetLink deployed across VISNs and VAMCs nationwide, connecting BTSSS and PCI Veteran services. Only system certified for real-time Veteran PHI exchange.
- Digital VAcoreIntegration partner for VetLink deployment, connecting to VA digital infrastructure and ensuring seamless information exchange with VistA and Cerner/Oracle Health systems.
- VecnaCarecoreNon-profit arm of Vecna providing software (EMR, DHIS2, OpenMRS, CommCare) that runs on bright box hardware. Only organization currently deploying digital health information systems to refugee camps.
- Qualcomm Wireless ReachminorFive-year project in Nigeria for digital health implementation.
- AmericaresminorMulti-year partnership for digital health initiatives.
- Special OlympicsminorMulti-year partnership supporting health programs.
- Merck for MothersminorMulti-year partnership supporting maternal health initiatives.
- International Committee for the Red CrossminorDeveloped global comprehensive EMR/ERP system with advanced analytics across multiple clinical workflows and settings for ICRC operations.
- Children's Health (Dallas)minorSponsored 6 telepresence robots for Region 10 ESC to serve medically homebound students receiving care at Children's Health.
- Dallas Children's HospitalminorPartnership with Region 18 and school district to provide telepresence robot for medically fragile student. Offered robot through chance encounter with hospital staff.
- Museum of Science (Boston)minorb-there partner offering telepresence robot tours for remote visitors including schools, hospitals, and senior living communities.
- Zoo Miamiminorb-there partner offering telepresence robot tours for remote visitors.
- National Aquarium (Baltimore)minorb-there partner offering telepresence robot tours for remote visitors.
- International Spy Museum (Washington, DC)minorb-there partner offering telepresence robot tours for remote visitors.
- National Air and Space Museumminorb-there partner offering telepresence robot tours for remote visitors.
- Reggie's RobotscoreTelepresence robot solution provider available through regional education service centers. Supplies robots for medically homebound students to attend school virtually, interact with teachers, and participate in classroom life in real-time.
Scale indicators16 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
b Inc. competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Phreesia: Phreesia provides patient intake, registration, and check-in automation for healthcare providers, including self-service kiosks and insurance capture — directly competing with b-line and VetLink in the provider-integrated patient access workflow.
- Double Robotics: Double Robotics manufactures telepresence robots used for remote work, healthcare visits, and educational inclusion — directly competing with b Inc.'s telepresence robot product line across similar use cases and customer segments.
- Clearwave: Clearwave offers patient self-service check-in kiosks, insurance verification, and intake automation for healthcare practices and hospitals, directly overlapping with b-line and VetLink's core registration and eligibility capture functionality.
- Ava Robotics: Ava Robotics builds autonomous telepresence robots for enterprise, healthcare, and education — directly comparable to b Inc.'s telepresence robots in functionality, target buyers, and delivery model.
- OhmniLabs: OhmniLabs develops custom telepresence and service robots for healthcare, education, and enterprise customers, with similar Robot-as-a-Service offerings that compete head-to-head with b Inc.'s telepresence robotics portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- R1 RCM: R1 RCM is a large-scale healthcare revenue cycle and patient access platform serving hospitals and health systems, a broad incumbent that competes with parts of b-line and VetLink from a wider enterprise portfolio.
- Experian Health: Experian Health provides patient access, registration, eligibility, and identity management solutions for hospitals and payers, a broad incumbent overlapping with b-line's intake and insurance capture functionality.
Emerging players
- Diligent Robotics: Diligent Robotics develops hospital service robots (Moxi) for delivery, logistics, and support tasks in clinical settings, an emerging adjacent player in the same healthcare robotics category as b-hive's hospital staffing offering.
- Dimagi: Dimagi's CommCare platform supports frontline health workers in low- and middle-income countries with data collection and case management, an emerging peer that integrates with bright box and competes in the same digital health-for-underserved-regions category.
- Medic: Medic (formerly Medic Mobile) builds open-source digital health tools for community health workers in low-resource settings, an emerging peer in the same underserved-regions digital health infrastructure space where bright box operates.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
b Inc. social profiles
Digital presenceb Inc. financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
b Inc. leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
b Inc. subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
b Inc. funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
b Inc. M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about b Inc.
What does b Inc. do?
b Inc. builds telepresence robots and intake-automation platforms sold via a Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) subscription model to hospitals, VA health systems, K-12 schools, museums, and international health programs. Its portfolio combines mobile telepresence hardware (robots, kiosks), software (b-line, VetLink), edge-computing infrastructure (bright box), and people-driven services such as Remote Registrar and b-hive robot staffing. The offering is unified under recurring monthly/annual subscriptions that bundle equipment, software, maintenance, support, and replacement.
Is b Inc. a public or private company?
b Inc. is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was b Inc. founded?
b Inc. was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is b Inc. based?
b Inc. is headquartered in Not specified, United States, in the North America region.
How does b Inc. make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Hardware-as-a-Service (HaaS) Subscription is the primary driver. The others are robot-as-a-Service (RaaS), software/SaaS Subscriptions, professional Services and bright box Deployments.
Who are b Inc.'s main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Phreesia, Double Robotics, Clearwave, Ava Robotics and OhmniLabs. Broad incumbents are R1 RCM and Experian Health. Emerging players are Diligent Robotics, Dimagi and Medic.
Does b Inc. have an API?
No public API is recorded for b Inc..
What industry is b Inc. in?
b Inc.'s product category is Telepresence Robotics & Healthcare Automation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAB, Service & Hospitality Robots, with a secondary code of BPAMAHAH, Healthcare On‑Demand Platforms (Telehealth, Home Care, Nursing). Its NAICS code is 5415 and its SIC code is 7372.