📝 Overview
- 🖊️ Startup Name: SouSmile
- 📍 Headquarters: São Paulo, Brazil
- 📅 Year Founded: 2018
🧍 Team
- Michael Ruah → Co-Founder & CEO
- Alexandre Gama → Co-Founder & CTO
- Natália Lombardo → Co-Founder & Chief Dental Officer
- Aline Andrade → Co-Founder & Director of People and Expansion
- Ornella Moraes → Co-Founder
🔍 Problem
People with crooked teeth may want to straighten them for cosmetic or health reasons. Traditional metal braces can be uncomfortable, unsightly, and difficult to maintain. Clear aligners can be expensive, costing anywhere from $1,900 to $3000+ for the entire treatment. Additionally, clear aligner treatment typically requires regular visits to the orthodontist to monitor progress and make adjustments to the aligners. This can be inconvenient and time-consuming.
💡 Solution
SouSmile offers a more affordable and convenient option for clear aligner treatment. SouSmile aligners are priced starting at just USD $1000, and patients can receive their aligners and treatment plan directly from the company's website or retail locations. This eliminates the need for regular visits to the orthodontist.
🧑 Target Customer
SouSmile is targeted at people who want to straighten their teeth without the high cost or inconvenience of traditional clear aligner treatment. This includes people who are self-conscious about their teeth, people who have difficulty maintaining traditional clear aligners, and people who want a more affordable and convenient teeth straightening option.
💳 Business Model
SouSmile's business model is based on selling its aligners directly to consumers, without the need for a middleman such as an orthodontist. This allows the company to offer lower prices to its customers. Additionally, SouSmile offers personalized treatment plans to each patient and convenient and affordable aligners. Prices range from USD $1000 to USD $1750 depending on the length of the treatment.
🚀 Traction
SouSmile has made significant progress since its launch in 2018. The company has over 1000 locations throughout Brazil thanks to its partner network, and it has treated over 100,000 patients. SouSmile's traction is due to a number of factors, including its competitive pricing, its personalized treatment plans, and its convenient and accessible aligners.
SouSmile's partner network is a key driver of its traction. The company partners with dentists to offer its aligners to their patients. This allows SouSmile to reach a wider customer base and to provide its aligners to patients who live in areas where there are no SouSmile retail locations.
💰 Funding
SouSmile has raised a total of USD $28.8M from investors including Kaszek, Global Founders Capital, Canary, Scale-Up Ventures, and Chromo Invest, among many others.
🥊 Competition
SouSmile faces competition from a number of other companies that offer invisible aligners, such as Invisalign. Invisalign is the most well-known brand in the industry and has a large customer base.
SouSmile differentiates itself from its competitors by offering a more personalized approach to teeth straightening. SouSmile also offers a wider range of plans and services, including a B2B2C model that allows it to partner with dentists to offer its aligners to their patients.
