Medical Networking App The Rounds Acquired By Native Touch

A networking platform for medical professionals has been acquired by a Toronto mobile advertising agency.

The news: Halifax-based The Rounds, which runs a digital network where physicians and healthcare professionals can discuss and learn about medical topics, was acquired by Toronto advertising agency Native Touch in May, CEO Tim Rice confirmed to BetaKit following a report by Entrevestor. 

Rice said The Rounds will maintain its standalone brand with a Halifax-headquartered team, with plans to continue hiring in Atlantic Canada and remotely across Canada.

From the source: “About a year ago, our board began considering options for growth through a corporate transaction, whether by acquiring, merging, or being acquired,” Rice wrote in a LinkedIn message to BetaKit. “We landed on Native Touch because of the synergies between our sponsorship business and their digital advertising and portfolio capabilities. It’s a fit built on where the business is headed, not just an exit.”

The context: The Rounds was founded in 2012 as a secure digital network for physicians and other healthcare workers to connect, ask questions, and discuss medical approaches. With backing from US VC firm Panoramic Ventures, it expanded its peer network to more than 17,000 healthcare professionals and added hundreds of learning programs and medical content modules, according to its website. 

Rice said that the company’s new ownership will allow it to improve product capabilities, expand its membership base, and build upon its platform for patient support programs, which are set up by pharmaceutical companies and typically offer free support in taking drug treatments. The CEO says the tech platform provides personalized options for patients enrolling in these programs.

Final thought: This isn’t the first time Native Touch has broken into the pharmaceutical space. In January 2025, it acquired Canadian pharmacy digital out-of-home ad network Pharmacy Media Network, giving it access to ad space in hundreds of Canadian pharmacies. For its part, The Rounds’ network of medical experts proved valuable for sponsorship opportunities—and that is part of the business that “found synergies” with Native Touch, Rice told Entrevestor. 

Feature image courtesy Unsplash. Photo by Vitaly Gariev.

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