Abu Dhabi-based health technology startup Vitalls has secured a $1.5 million investment commitment from Singapore-based EST Growmore, the investment arm of EST Group.
Vitalls is advancing its seed funding round to develop a digital health passport designed to help people manage and share medical records across healthcare providers and countries.
The agreement, announced during the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, also gives EST Growmore the option to invest an additional $1 million.
Founded in 2023 by Mehdi Bouchenak, Vitalls is building a platform that places health information under individuals’ control, addressing records scattered among clinics, laboratories and national systems.
The investment will support product development and rollout, while the companies explore distribution, partnerships and opportunities through EST Group’s telecommunications and healthcare portfolio.
Targeting Fragmented Medical Records Across Borders
Vitalls was founded in 2023 by Mehdi Bouchenak to address a problem that follows people across healthcare systems: their medical histories do not always move with them.
Records may be held separately by hospitals, clinics and laboratories, leaving patients to collect documents or explain previous care.
The company’s digital health passport is intended to give individuals and families one secure place to store, manage and share records with providers they choose.
Vitalls says patients would share information with consent, putting control in their hands rather than leaving their history confined to one institution.
The platform is aimed at internationally mobile people, families and enterprises. Its promise is continuity: helping a new doctor see relevant background when a patient changes location or provider.
EST Growmore Joins Seed Round as Anchor Investor
The investment was signed by Vitalls founder Mehdi Bouchenak and EST Group Chairman Dr. Sindhu Bhaskar, with EST Growmore joining the seed round as an anchor investor.
The announced commitment is $1.5 million, while a further $1 million remains an option, not a confirmed contribution.
Seed funding helps an early-stage company build and refine its product, prepare for launch and establish its business.
Bouchenak said the agreement confirms that “the problem we set out to solve is real and urgent.” He said, “Patient-owned health records are no longer a niche idea.”
The commitment is part of Vitalls’ seed round, and EST Growmore’s role gives the company a lead backer as it moves from development towards broader deployment.
Aiming to Reduce Repeated Tests and Delayed Care
The need Vitalls is targeting becomes clearer when a patient receives care abroad.
A person may have test results, prescriptions or treatment notes held by a clinic, but a doctor abroad may not retrieve them. That gap can mean repeated tests, slower decisions or an incomplete picture of a patient’s health.
Vitalls argues that a user-controlled record could make it easier to share relevant medical information when changing providers or moving internationally.
EST Group Chairman Dr. Sindhu Bhaskar said millions live, work and travel away from home while their records remain “scattered across clinics and countries.” He said Vitalls “puts that history back in the patient’s hands.”
Practical benefits will depend on healthcare providers accepting the records and system integration. Patients would still need to authorize sharing directly.
Partnership to Explore Distribution and Product Development
Beyond funding, the agreement may connect Vitalls with companies across EST Group’s telecommunications and healthcare investment portfolio. The two sides will explore distribution, product development and partnerships, aiming to accelerate the startup’s growth.
Such links could help Vitalls reach users or business customers, although the announcement does not identify partners or completed integrations.
Bhaskar said EST Group sees “strong synergies across our investment ecosystem” and intends to use its network to help the startup grow faster.
The partnership combines financial backing with access to a wider business network.
Its success will depend on whether discussions produce practical routes to adoption, alongside safeguards that keep sensitive medical information secure and allow patients to decide how it is shared.
The companies have framed these plans as areas to explore, rather than announcing a specific rollout or confirming that any portfolio company has already adopted the passport.
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