WorldOne operates a legacy business collecting medical data for researchers and organizations, and owns Sermo, an online physician community it acquired just over a year ago. The company says it is the largest collector of medical data and will monetize data about physicians while not selling sensitive patient information. Sermo has hosted more than three million discussions and its members spend over 40,000 hours each month engaging on web and mobile; a company survey found 92% of physicians expressed interest in a community for market research and collaboration. WorldOne plans to use new funding to make strategic acquisitions and to scale and globalize Sermo, with a target of more than half of the world’s physicians joining within four years. The company competes with digital health startups such as Doximity and QuantiaMD. CEO Peter Kirk has said the firm is already in talks with three startups as potential acquisition targets. Financially, WorldOne recently raised new capital following an earlier $25 million round in August 2011. WorldOne operates an international healthcare research agency that provides online and offline access to medical professionals across more than 80 countries. The company has built one of the largest healthcare-focused panels in the industry—500,000 physicians and 200,000 other healthcare professionals—and completed over 300,000 interviews for almost 2,000 projects in 2010. Founded in London in 2000, WorldOne is headquartered in New York and London, with regional offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sao Paulo and Mexico City, and employs over 330 people. Its core product is large-scale healthcare data collection and market-research fieldwork for agencies, consultancies, and brands. The company has expanded operations from Europe into North America and Asia to deliver a true global offering. The recent financing is intended to accelerate global expansion and fund development of new business lines.

Total raised

$60M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Apr 2013