BrainHi

BrainHi (legally BrainHi Inc.) is a health technology company headquartered in Bayamón, Puerto Rico, and registered in San Juan, that develops artificial intelligence software for patient communication in medical practices. Its main product answers missed telephone calls, schedules appointments, and responds to patient enquiries on behalf of clinics.

Founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, BrainHi became in 2018 the first company founded and based in Puerto Rico to be accepted into the Y Combinator accelerator.

History

Emmanuel Oquendo and Israel Figueroa Fontánez met while studying engineering at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. They founded the company in October 2017, weeks after Hurricane Maria struck the island and strained an already limited health care system, with the aim of using automation to reduce the administrative load on medical offices. The company initially built general-purpose chatbots for local businesses before concentrating on health care.

BrainHi took part in the fourth generation of Parallel18, the accelerator run by the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, and later received follow-on capital from the accelerator's investment arm. Its acceptance into Y Combinator was reported in June 2018. Early investors included Magma Partners, Venture University and VU Venture Partners, and in 2020 the company took part in the Alchemist Accelerator programme.

In 2024 the company joined the Coalition for Health Artificial Intelligence, a body that promotes standards for the use of AI in health care, and co-founder Emmanuel Oquendo was named among the inaugural Bravo Venture Fellows, an equity-funding and mentorship programme for early-stage founders in Puerto Rico. By 2025 the company served health centres in Florida and other parts of the United States while continuing to treat Puerto Rico as its principal market. The company's registered address is in San Juan, while it operates from Engine-4 Coworking, a space run by the Engine-4 Foundation in downtown Bayamón, which lists BrainHi among its resident businesses.

Products

BrainHi's principal product is LARA, an assistant that answers missed calls, books appointments and responds to patient questions outside office hours. The company markets it alongside a set of tools it calls the Patient Access Cloud, covering patient intake and queue management, and states that the platform integrates with electronic health record systems and adheres to HIPAA and SOC 2 requirements.

Reported customers have included NeoMed Center, Ashford Hospital, Manatí Medical Center and the Mennonite Healthcare System, all in Puerto Rico.

Reception

BrainHi appeared on Forbes{{'}} 30 Under 30 list for enterprise technology in 2023; the accompanying profile reported the company was on course for $3 million in revenue in 2022. Coverage of the company has generally framed it as an example of Puerto Rico's post-hurricane technology sector. Reported figures for revenue, performance and capital raised originate with the company or with commercial startup databases, which give differing totals.

See also

• Parallel18
• Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust
• Y Combinator