Usawa Care, a Lisbon-based startup that delivers AI-assisted pediatric consultations through WhatsApp, closed a $3 million seed round on September 23, 2026, led by Armilar Venture Partners. Start Ventures, Oxy Capital, and individual investor Jorge Marques also participated. The company declined to disclose its valuation.
The funding puts Usawa around the 91st percentile for AI-focused seed rounds in Portugal historically, according to Dealroom data. The capital will shore up its product and engineering teams and fund two simultaneous expansions: an adult-care service slated for October 12 and a U.S. market push before year-end.
For a startup still handling about 1,000 consultations a month, according to ECO, the ambition is notable. But CEO Luís Almeida Fernandes brings credentials that may explain investor confidence. He previously ran SNS24, Portugal's national telehealth hotline, and the National Telehealth Centre in 2022, and spent years as a McKinsey partner in the U.S.
A WhatsApp-First Approach
Usawa's model centers on 24/7 pediatric consultations delivered entirely through WhatsApp. Large language models handle workflow tasks—triaging messages, surfacing relevant medical history—but the company's terms of service explicitly forbid AI from answering clinical questions without physician approval. Twenty-three board-certified pediatricians validate all medical guidance and can prescribe medications when warranted.
Families pay €12 monthly for unlimited access; a free tier offers reduced hours. The service has registered more than 12,000 children, according to ECO, which first reported the funding. Company data shows families rate the platform 9.7 out of 10, and over 70% say it helped them skip an unnecessary clinic visit.
"We really like working with insurers," Almeida Fernandes told ECO. "We are already working with Médis and in discussions with other insurers."
That partnership with Médis, a Portuguese health insurer, currently runs as a pilot offering unlimited pediatric support through October 4. Last year, Usawa also joined a Fidelidade and Hospital da Luz program designed to demonstrate clinical ROI for hospital systems, according to a LinkedIn post by the founder.
Betting on Dual Expansion
The October 12 adult-care launch will broaden Usawa's addressable market beyond its pediatric base. Standalone adult subscriptions will cost €7 per month, though families already paying for pediatric coverage can add adult access at no extra charge. The pricing suggests Usawa sees families, not individuals, as its primary customer unit.
The U.S. expansion carries higher stakes. Almeida Fernandes told ECO the company will "initially bring our technology to major pediatric hospitals and launch with insurers" before the end of the year, leaning on his McKinsey background for market familiarity. He did not name specific hospital partners or target states.
The U.S. pediatric landscape offers both opportunity and challenge. Primary-care pediatricians report shortages across 15 subspecialties, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics survey published in September. The Children's Hospital Association reported in March that wait times exceed 13 weeks for some specialties, driven by workforce shortages and funding gaps.
Usawa will face established direct-to-consumer competitors. Blueberry Pediatrics offers 24/7 access to board-certified pediatricians via message, phone, and video. Summer Health positions its text-based service as an urgent-care alternative. Both have raised venture capital and built provider networks across multiple states.
Building for Scale
The founding team includes an intensive-care pediatrician, a former product lead at Sword Health, and two engineers who previously worked at Unbabel, Link To Leaders reported. The startup is now hiring senior full-stack and AI engineers, according to ECO.
"We believe the next generation of healthcare will combine the best doctors with well-designed technology," Almeida Fernandes told Link To Leaders.
Armilar principal Pedro Castel-Branco framed the investment around operational efficiency. "Usawa is working in one of the most important and complex areas of healthcare: how to make clinical care more efficient and accessible," he said in a statement published by ECO.
Before this seed round, Usawa won the NTT DATA Global eAwards in November 2025, collecting $100,000 and acceleration support. It also secured a €150,000 SAFE from Fundação Ageas in September 2025.
Whether the startup can replicate its Portuguese traction in a far larger, more fragmented U.S. market remains an open question. The company has a playbook—start with hospitals, then layer in insurance partnerships. Executing that strategy in a country where telemedicine regulations vary by state, and where pediatric care deserts persist despite a crowded digital health field, will test more than technology.
