Giving 50,000 Patients Control Over Their Health — Not Just Their Records

This week on Seed Alert , I had the honour of speaking with Jayakrishnan Rajagopalasarma , Co-founder of Arogya Life Systems . I met Jay many years ago during a mentoring session at Yarl IT Hub . It's remarkable to see how much he has grown–both as a human being and an entrepreneur. Arogya embodies resilience and resourcefulness, and proves that innovation can come from any part of the country.

Join 7,000+ curious minds in getting the latest scoop on early-stage startups founded by Sri Lankans across the globe – Subscribe today!

Ever tried getting your medical records from one hospital to share with another doctor? If you've experienced that nightmare, you're not alone. Jay Rajagopalasarma discovered that this problem wasn't just frustrating, it was putting lives at risk.

The Reality of Healthcare's Digital Divide

Healthcare systems worldwide struggle with interoperability. Your cardiologist doesn't know what your GP prescribed. Lab results sit trapped in one system while specialists can't access them from another building.

"As a patient, imagine not knowing your diagnosis, medications, or treatment plan," Jay explains. "This is still reality in most healthcare settings."

But fixing this isn't simple. Healthcare digitisation faces massive hurdles: legacy systems, regulatory compliance, training costs, and resistance to change from staff comfortable with existing workflows.

From Ground-Up Understanding to Tech Solution

Jay didn't start as another tech entrepreneur trying to "disrupt" healthcare. He spent eight years embedded inside hospitals, watching doctors struggle with dozens of disconnected systems daily. His co-founder, Karthisha (Ramoshan) Canagasaby , now a Manager at Apple , brings Silicon Valley execution to healthcare's complex challenges.

This inside-out approach gave them advantages, but also revealed the enormous complexity of healthcare transformation. Each hospital has unique workflows, different compliance requirements, and varying levels of digital readiness.

COVID: Catalyst and Challenge

The pandemic accelerated healthcare digitisation from "nice to have" to "essential overnight." Suddenly, hospitals desperately needed integrated platforms, and patients demanded visibility into their care.

However, this urgency also created new pressures. Healthcare providers had to balance rapid digital adoption with patient safety, staff training, and budget constraints during an already stressful time.

Arogya was positioned to help, having already built relationships with major institutions and assembled over 10 medical doctors to shape their product roadmap.

Real Traction, Real Challenges

Today, Arogya manages over 50,000 patient interactions daily across Sri Lanka's healthcare networks. Their partnerships include major chains like Hemas Hospitals Sri Lanka (since 2017), and they've been recognised as "Asia's Best Innovative Healthcare Company."

The impressive numbers:

• 160% year-over-year growth
• 45% EBITDA margin
• Mission-critical status at major hospitals

But challenges remain:

• Scaling beyond Sri Lanka requires navigating different regulatory environments
• Healthcare digitisation is notoriously slow and complex
• Competition from established global players with deeper pockets
• The need for continuous compliance and security updates

The Bigger Picture: Opportunity and Obstacles

Arogya's vision extends to emerging markets serving 4+ billion people with fragmented healthcare. The opportunity is massive, global healthcare spending exceeds $8 trillion annually.

Yet healthcare transformation is famously difficult. Many well-funded startups have struggled with regulatory hurdles, long sales cycles, and the complexity of replacing mission-critical systems that hospitals depend on daily.

Arogya's advantage lies in its deep healthcare experience and proven track record. Their partnerships with institutions like the University of Birmingham for the DigiPath project (funded by NIHR UK) show they're building credibility in academic and research circles.

What Success Looks Like

Jay's ultimate goal sounds ambitious: connecting village clinics to specialists with one click, enabling researchers to test WHO guidelines with real-world data, and giving patients visibility into their care journey.

Whether this vision fully materialises depends on execution, market adoption, and navigating healthcare's notorious resistance to change. But with eight years of proven growth and partnerships with major institutions, Arogya has shown it understands both the technology and the human side of healthcare transformation.

The question isn't just about building better software, it's about changing how an entire industry operates.

Found this volume insightful? Share among your network and help us spotlight Sri Lankan entrepreneurs.

Every week, I feature an early-stage tech startup founded by a Sri Lankan. I hope this will create awareness, bring people together and inspire the younger generation.