The rise and fall of an international new venture: The case of an online medical tourism platform

Abstract

Thomas moves to Colombia. He teams up with Daniel to create an Internet platform on which hospitals, clinics, and doctors from Colombia can offer their services to patients from the US. The promotion of medical tourism is a priority for the local government. Thomas decides to outsource the design and programming of Flyclinic’s Internet platform. This proves to be challenging. The initial launch of the website is delayed by eight months, and making hospitals and clinics sign the contract for use of the platform proves to be difficult. This causes Thomas to rethink the business model. Thomas questions whether the health-care providers in Colombia are interested in medical tourism at all. Flyclinic eventually enters into what Thomas calls a “starvation mode.”