Walaw raises $1.5M to build the next generation of patient experience software
The pre-seed financing will accelerate Walaw's expansion across Canada, bringing its AI receptionist to more allied health clinics and helping them deliver a seamless patient experience at scale.
Jul 31, 2026
Walaw, the leading AI receptionist for health and wellness clinics, today announced the closing of a $1.5 million CAD pre-seed financing led by Telegraph Ventures, with participation from Fonds Impulsion, an initiative of the Government of Québec managed by Investissement Québec, Mistral Venture Partners, and several strategic angel investors.
The fast-growing startup was also named one of Canada's Top 100 AI & Tech Startups, a national recognition presented in collaboration with Scale AI and Mila. The annual list celebrates the country's most promising AI companies, recognizing Walaw's innovation, commercial potential, and impact on Canada's AI ecosystem.
A growing need for AI at the front desk
As clinics face persistent staffing shortages and rising patient expectations, healthcare providers are increasingly turning to AI to automate administrative work and improve patient access. From appointment scheduling to patient communications and billing, AI-powered assistants are quickly becoming a core part of the modern healthcare front desk.
"Health and wellness clinics still rely on manual, human-driven coordination spread across several disconnected tools," said Marc Obeid, Co-founder and CEO of Walaw. "The result is missed calls and requests, no-shows, lost booking opportunities, and a poorer patient experience, all of which cost clinics real revenue every month. And add on top of it lack of staff shortages. Walaw's AI agents handle that coordination automatically, ensuring that no patient call, booking, or follow-up falls through the cracks."
- Marc Obeid, Co-founder and CEO of Walaw
Rapid expansion and strong momentum
Walaw's AI agents are already deployed across more than 70 clinics in Québec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, with rapid expansion underway across the rest of Canada.
Walaw's momentum is reflected in its financial performance, with Q2 2026 revenue growing 56.6% quarter-over-quarter and more than doubling (+102.3%) compared to the company's full-year 2025 revenue.
The global AI patient engagement market is expected to exceed $120 billion by 2034, reflecting the rapid adoption of AI-powered tools for scheduling, patient communication, and front-desk automation. The new funding will help bring Walaw's AI receptionist and appointment-booking platform to more health and wellness clinics nationwide. The company will invest in its AI engineering and go-to-market teams, and accelerate product development.
"Healthcare providers don't want to spend their days answering phones or managing schedules, they want to focus on patients and care.", said Varun Dalal, General Partner at Telegraph Ventures, who joins Walaw's board of directors. "Walaw is using AI to eliminate one of the biggest operational bottlenecks facing independent clinic owners today. In doing so, the company is helping them operate more efficiently while delivering a faster, more responsive experience for patients."
- Varun Dalal, General Partner at Telegraph Ventures
Real results for clinics
By taking over routine administrative work and reducing missed bookings, Walaw helps clinics run more efficiently, improve the patient experience, and optimize front-desk operations. Customers typically see revenue increase by more than 15% while reducing administrative workload by over 30%.
"Backing exceptional Québec AI founders is at the core of what we do at Telegraph Ventures," said Étienne Mérineau, General Partner at Telegraph Ventures. "We're especially proud to do so alongside Georges Kattar and the team at Investissement Québec. Their continued commitment to Québec's startup ecosystem helps ambitious companies like Walaw scale from here to the world."
- Étienne Mérineau, General Partner at Telegraph Ventures
What's next
Walaw's AI receptionist is just the beginning. The company is developing a broader AI-enhanced patient management platform designed to orchestrate every patient interaction and operational workflow in one place. Its long-term vision is to become the single source of truth and AI-native operating system for allied health clinics globally.
About Walaw
Founded in Montréal by three co-founders, Jérôme D. Cauvier, Lysandro Carioca Braga and Marc Obeid, and backed by an experienced team, Walaw is on a mission to become the AI-native system of intelligence for health operators and clinic owners. The name "Walaw" (pronounced wa-LAO) is Lebanese slang for "you're welcome" or "it's my pleasure," reflecting how patient experience has been at the core of the product from day one.
About Telegraph Ventures
Telegraph Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm investing in ambitious founders building the next generation of AI-native software. The firm partners with companies combining deep domain expertise, strong commercial execution, and the potential to transform industries. For more info, visit www.telegraph-vc.com.