From the moment he finished college, Mamotest founder Guillermo Pepe was an entrepreneur. His career propelled him across industries and continents, but he wanted something more. “I needed to do something else—something that was bigger than just my financial interest,” Pepe said. He found the inspiration and purpose he was looking for in his native Argentina.
Pepe’s father, a medical doctor, told him how heartbreaking it was to detect late-stage breast cancer in patients and not be able to help them more due to the progression of the disease. “By the time his patients were finally diagnosed, the cancer was already so advanced,” Pepe said. “There might be ways to help them live a little longer, but that was it.”
When Pepe asked what could be done, his father said that earlier diagnosis would save the lives of 98 percent of the women he was treating. “That was my eureka moment,” Pepe said. “This was exactly what I wanted to dedicate my life to.”
Breaking down barriers to breast cancer care
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in the world, and early diagnosis is the biggest determinant of survival. Cancer caught in the early stages is easier to treat and less likely to return. But barriers prevent many women from getting the testing and care they need, resulting in more lives cut short.
“In Argentina, there was a need for more mammography units and more doctors outside of the big cities who can interpret the results,” Pepe said. “We also needed to educate women on why they need to come in for their annual mammogram.”
New approach to diagnosis and treatment
To improve women’s access to quality care, Pepe created Mamotest, a startup that helps women get assessed for breast cancer and creates an efficient path to treatment for those who are diagnosed. At Mamotest, telediagnosis helps to bridge gaps in access to care, connecting patients with top-tier radiologists who quickly interpret mammograms with the help of AI-driven tools, request follow-up testing and provide diagnosis. Data they collect is also anonymized and used to improve healthcare systems and patient care.
The human touch is critical to Mamotest’s work. Their team of health navigators work directly with patients, providing medical information, psychological and emotional assistance, and support throughout their journeys. The company also partners with care providers, NGOs, government agencies, companies and others to educate women about breast cancer.
Growth and expansion
Under Pepe’s leadership, Mamotest has expanded geographically since its founding in 2013, now serving patients in Argentina, Mexico, Brazil and Spain. “We have the flexibility to adapt our solution to the needs of different healthcare systems,” Pepe said. “That allows us to be present in more countries, starting operations faster with lower costs and higher quality.”
In Mexico, Mamotest partnered with pharmacy chains where doctors could prescribe mammograms and refer women to centers in their telemammography network. In Brazil, the company works with the nation’s largest healthcare system, using their AI tools to assist in interpreting imaging. In Spain, the largest challenge is a shortage of medical doctors to review tests, so Mamotest connects centers to their network of radiologists.
Impact Ventures support
To help facilitate this growth, Pepe has intentionally secured what he calls “smart money investors” who supplement their financial investment with expertise, knowledge and connections, including Impact Ventures by J&J Foundation.
The company was preparing to launch Bolder, its new AI platform, but they had limited capacity on their team. The new platform brought with it a range of needs, from system development and deployment protocols to a revised strategic branding roadmap. The Impact Ventures team supported this resource gap by engaging specialists at Johnson & Johnson through a unique pro bono program to work directly with Mamotest.
Impact Ventures selected Grace Nicola, Director of Marketing, EMEA, J&J MedTech Belgium, and Kristina Wolff, Senior Manager Therapeutic Area Communication, EMEA, J&J Innovative Medicine Germany, to work on marketing and branding. They brought in Shantha Andrews, Medical Device Fellow, J&J MedTech United States, to help create the AI protocols. The J&J staff worked regularly with Mamotest’s team, providing critical strategic guidance to help scale the company’s work.
“Every time we met, they came in with ideas, solutions and business opportunities based on our needs.” Pepe said. “Without the support Impact Ventures provided, all of that consultation and guidance would have cost us a fortune.”
To date, Mamotest has reached more than 750,000 patients, helping nearly 90 percent access early, life-saving treatment. The numbers are impressive, but to Pepe, what matters more is the people behind the statistics.
In particular, he thinks of Mercedes, a woman he met in the Northern Argentina province of Missiones. She had been unable to get a mammogram because of the lack of doctors in her area. She finally got scanned by a clinic in Mamotest’s network, and their doctors immediately spotted something wrong. They ordered follow-up tests and, within two weeks, were delivering the treatment that saved her life.
“She was so thankful,” Pepe said. “Later, she started bringing other women in to get their mammograms, telling me ‘This is my way of paying it forward. I want to make every woman aware that they need to get tested.’”