AI-Powered Healthcare Startup Lotus Health Raises $35M to Build a Free, 24/7 “AI Doctor” That Could Transform Primary Care

In a bold move that could reshape the future of primary healthcare in America, AI-driven health platform Lotus Health has secured $35 million in Series A funding to expand its ambitious vision: a free, always-available, multilingual AI-powered primary care service. The round, co-led by CRV and Kleiner Perkins, brings the company’s total funding to $41 million and signals growing investor confidence in AI’s potential to solve longstanding inefficiencies in the U.S. healthcare system.

The startup’s founder, KJ Dhaliwal, isn’t new to building transformative platforms. In 2019, he sold the South Asian dating app Dil Mil for $50 million—but his passion for healthcare innovation runs much deeper. Growing up as a medical translator for his immigrant parents, Dhaliwal witnessed firsthand the barriers many Americans face when accessing quality healthcare. Now, he’s leveraging cutting-edge AI to tear down those barriers entirely.

From AI Chatbot to Licensed Medical Practice

While millions of people already turn to OpenAI’s ChatGPT and other large language models for health advice—with 230 million users reportedly asking about health topics weekly—Lotus Health is taking the concept several steps further. Instead of merely providing information, Lotus functions as a fully licensed primary care provider available in all 50 states, complete with malpractice insurance, HIPAA-compliant systems, and full access to patient medical records.

The platform operates 24/7 and supports 50 languages, making it accessible to a truly diverse patient population. But what makes Lotus revolutionary isn’t just its availability—it’s how it fundamentally reimagines the doctor-patient interaction.

How Lotus Works: AI as the Primary Care Physician

At the core of Lotus Health is an AI model trained to conduct patient interviews just like a human doctor would. The system asks comprehensive questions about symptoms, medical history, lifestyle factors, and concerns—gathering the same foundational information that kicks off any traditional doctor’s visit.

However, recognizing that AI systems can hallucinate or make errors (a well-documented limitation of current large language models), Lotus has built in crucial human oversight. Every diagnosis, lab order, and prescription generated by the AI is reviewed and signed off by board-certified physicians from prestigious institutions including Stanford, Harvard, and UCSF.

“AI is giving the advice, but the real doctors are actually signing off on it,” Dhaliwal explained to TechCrunch, emphasizing the hybrid approach that balances efficiency with safety.

Navigating the Complex Regulatory Landscape

Building an AI doctor isn’t just a technical challenge—it’s a regulatory minefield. Physicians are licensed to practice only in specific states, and healthcare regulations are notoriously complex. Yet Lotus has managed to secure licensing to operate in all 50 states, a feat that demonstrates both the company’s determination and the evolving regulatory environment.

CRV general partner Saar Gur, who led the investment and joined Lotus’s board, acknowledges the challenges but frames them as surmountable. “There are many challenges, but it’s not SpaceX sending astronauts to the moon,” he said, drawing a comparison to one of the most ambitious technological undertakings of our time.

Gur points to the telemedicine frameworks established during the COVID-19 pandemic as a foundation that Lotus can build upon, combined with recent AI breakthroughs that make sophisticated medical reasoning possible. His track record as an early investor in DoorDash, Mercury, and Ring suggests he sees Lotus as another category-defining company in the making.

Addressing America’s Primary Care Crisis

The timing for Lotus’s innovation couldn’t be better. Primary care physicians are in critically short supply across the United States, with studies indicating that physician shortages are present and increasing. Traditional practices are constrained by geography, operating hours, and the simple fact that each doctor can only see a limited number of patients per day.

Lotus claims it can see ten times as many patients as a traditional practice, even when limiting each virtual visit to just 15 minutes. This dramatic increase in capacity could help address the access crisis that leaves millions of Americans without regular primary care.

The platform is smart about its limitations. For urgent health issues requiring immediate attention, Lotus directs patients to the nearest urgent care center or emergency room. When a case requires physical examination—something AI and telemedicine cannot provide—the platform seamlessly refers patients to in-person physicians.

The Competitive Landscape

Lotus isn’t alone in pursuing the AI doctor concept. Lightspeed-backed Doctronic is one notable competitor, building similar technology to automate medical consultations. However, Lotus is differentiating itself through its business model: everything is completely free.

While eventual monetization strategies might include sponsored content or subscription tiers, Dhaliwal says the current focus is entirely on product development and patient acquisition rather than revenue generation. This patient-first approach could help Lotus build trust and market share quickly in a space where credibility is paramount.

The company’s AI model synthesizes the latest evidence-based research with individual patient histories and clinical responses to generate personalized treatment plans. This approach mirrors tools like OpenEvidence, which has raised $200 million at a $6 billion valuation specifically for AI tools designed for doctors.

The Vision: Reimagining Primary Care

What makes Lotus particularly ambitious is its goal to fundamentally reimagine the entire primary care model rather than simply digitizing existing workflows. Instead of forcing patients to navigate complex scheduling systems, sit in waiting rooms, and spend precious time traveling to appointments, Lotus brings the doctor’s visit to wherever the patient happens to be—instantly and in their preferred language.

This democratization of healthcare access could be transformative for underserved communities, non-English speakers, people with mobility challenges, and the millions of Americans who currently lack a primary care relationship.

The Series A funding will fuel Lotus’s expansion plans, allowing the company to enhance its AI capabilities, expand its network of reviewing physicians, and scale its infrastructure to handle millions of patient interactions. With healthcare costs continuing to rise and access remaining a critical issue, Lotus’s timing appears fortuitous.

As AI technology continues to mature and regulatory frameworks evolve, Lotus Health represents a fascinating experiment in how artificial intelligence might finally deliver on its promise to make essential services—like healthcare—more accessible, affordable, and effective for everyone.

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