Building a world-class digital healthcare business

I co-founded Simple Online alongside my university friend Karim Nassar in 2015, building on our experience of owning and operating community pharmacies across Scotland to offer a convenient patient-first pharmacy service with medications delivered direct to the door.

We now utilise technology to give patients quick and discrete access to the care they need, at a much lower cost than traditional healthcare models. Combining technology with a multi-disciplinary team of health professionals, we can provide that level of personalised clinical care you might expect from a local community pharmacy.

Our vision is to make healthcare more affordable and accessible, supporting our patients with personalised tools and the knowledge to make long-term lifestyle changes. So, for example, we were one of the first providers of weight loss medications in the UK, investing significantly in a weight management programme that combines GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro alongside holistic weight management support from a wide team of specialist healthcare professionals.

To say we are in a fast-moving market would be an understatement when you consider that the global online pharmacy market is valued at almost £100 billion, and forecast to grow to around £400bn by 2033. Digital healthcare is evolving rapidly – ten years ago digital clinics were only in their infancy, so we’re committed to investing in technology that enhances the patient journey so we can always deliver best-in-class care.

In April we marked our tenth anniversary with record monthly revenue, but the last thing we’re going to do is rest on our laurels. Scaling a technology company is no easy shift, particularly when you are investing across geographies, supply chains, technology and talent.

This year we will be strengthening our leadership team as we enter our next phase of growth. And we remain thankful to have non-executive Directors of Shane Corstorphine and Jules Pancholi’s calibre to lean on as we plot further growth and international expansion.

Reflecting on how far we’ve come over the last ten years, one thing that stands out is that we’ve managed to get to this point while being self-funded, something of an oxymoron for a fast-growing technology company in 2025. While VCs have knocked on the door over the years, we’ve resisted the venture capital route to date.

We are bootstrapped and still learning every day. And having non-execs in our corner has been more valuable than any funding we could have sought.

We always want to keep learning and growing, while building a world-class digital healthcare business from a base in Scotland.

Addy Mohammed is the CEO and Co-founder of Simple Online Healthcare​