Zócalo Health, a Latino-focused telehealth company founded by two Amazon veterans, has received $5 million in seed funding to launch its virtual primary care services.
Co-founders Erik Cardenas and Mariza Hardin both worked for Amazon Care, the health service for employers that the tech giant plans to shutter at the end of the year, according to their LinkedIn pages.
"We founded Zócalo Health to embrace the values and traditions from our culture and Latino identity and make them the heart of the primary care experience," Mr. Cardenas, CEO of Zócalo Health, said in a Sept. 19 company news release. "We are transforming healthcare in this country, as we can no longer rely on a one-size-fits-all system filled with inequalities."
The startup will launch this year in California, Texas and Washington. It will offer monthly and annual memberships, giving patients access to a care team led by a promotor de salud, or community health worker, as well as same-day appointments and care coordination.
The funding round was co-led by Animo, Virtue and Vamos Ventures. Zócalo Health is also participating in Amazon Web Services' most recent startup accelerator focused on health equity.