From Personal Struggle to Innovative Solution: The Birth of Roon
Vikram Bhaskaran, former Pinterest creator partnerships lead, faced a life-altering challenge when his father began showing early symptoms of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a rare and terminal neurodegenerative disease.
“It completely reshaped my world,” Bhaskaran recalls. “Despite working in Silicon Valley surrounded by brilliant engineers, I found healthcare information stuck in the dark ages.” His nightly searches through Google and Facebook groups revealed a glaring gap: reliable, accessible medical information was extraordinarily difficult to find.
This personal crisis became the catalyst for Roon, a groundbreaking platform Bhaskaran co-founded during the pandemic with neurosurgeon Dr. Rohan Ramakrishna (Weill Cornell Medicine) and Pinterest engineer Arun Ranganathan.
Replacing ‘Dr. Google’ with Trusted Medical Expertise
Roon addresses a critical healthcare pain point: the over-reliance on unvetted online sources for medical information. The platform features:
- 16,000+ short-form videos covering complex conditions like ALS, glioblastoma, and PCOS
- Expert-created content from physicians at top medical institutions
- Patient perspectives from individuals living with these conditions
Image Credits: Roon
Dr. Ramakrishna explains the core insight: “Physicians constantly repeat the same explanations in clinics. Roon lets us scale that knowledge beyond individual practices.”
Strategic Expansion and Creator-First Approach
Roon is rapidly growing its content library with upcoming expansions into:
- Women’s health (menopause, breast/cervical cancer)
- Pediatrics
- Oncology
- Metabolic health
Bhaskaran describes the platform as “Pinterest for doctors” - a space where medical professionals can share knowledge without commercial pressure. While Roon offers honorariums, many physicians participate purely to improve patient education.
$15M Funding and Future Vision
Despite being pre-revenue, Roon has attracted significant investor confidence:
- $15 million Series A at $68 million valuation
- Led by Forerunner Ventures and FirstMark
- Participating investors: Sequoia Capital, TMV
Eurie Kim, Forerunner managing partner, became a passionate advocate after her decade-long experience as a cancer caregiver. “When doctors ask if you have questions, panic sets in,” she shares. “Roon empowers patients to be informed partners in their care.”
Monetization Pathways
While the business model remains in development, potential strategies include:
- Hospital/medical practice subscriptions for educational content
- Premium doctor directories and second opinion services
- Advertising partnerships (with strict content integrity safeguards)
Kim emphasizes: “First build trust and audience. The business model follows.” Roon represents a fundamental shift in medical information sharing - one that could redefine how patients and doctors interact in the digital age.
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