AVIONETA
In Latin America, 47 million people have a diagnosable alcohol use disorder, and 100 million drink alcohol in excess, with half qualifying as problem drinkers. Most of us have accepted the social aspect of it on autopilot.
Why? We ask ourselves the wrong question.
Instead of asking, “Am I an alcoholic?” We should ask ourselves, “How will my life improve if I change my relationship with alcohol?”
Let's dive in.
Imagine this
You're a parent of 2 kids and one full-grown teenager.
Weekends are chaotic, filled with parties and late nights from your teen.
At first, you decide to talk to your son. As time passes, you start to worry because he keeps coming home drunk, and you don’t know what else to do.
You know he is not an alcoholic yet, but it could become a health problem for him and impact your whole family.
Concerned, you start looking for options, and through conversations with other parents, you discover AVIONETA, a platform that offers a new approach to alcohol consumption.
Explain it like I'm five
AVIONETA is a science-based, tech-enabled platform for members to drink moderately or abstain completely on their own terms.
They offer personalized plans for every member regarding their specific needs.
Their digital toolbox today includes the following: alcohol & wellness tracker, accountability buddy, and specialized psychotherapy.
Avioneta also fosters a supportive community where members can interact anonymously and share their experiences.
Avioneta’s team aims to become the Latam go-to for anyone looking to improve their relationship with alcohol while continuing to live their lives fully.
The ABCs
Industries: HealthTech
Headquarters: Monterrey, Mexico
Year Operations Started: 2021
Team Size: 5 + therapist network & medical advisor
Raised: USD 225K pre-seed (raising seed round)
Investors: 500 Latam, Magical Startups, Hiram Valdez (CFO, RappiCard), and F&F
Business Model: Currently, B2C subscription-based
Other players:
Background check
What we like:
Digital Approach: 80% of people don’t treat alcohol use disorders and problem drinking because of “stigma.” Avioneta offers its services online, keeping it anonymous and reducing the stigma of seeking help.
Focused: We have seen thousands of businesses that focus on strengthening your mind, body, and habits. Avioneta focuses on a specific problem - alcohol consumption - and has built a solution around it. They have served members in Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Colombia, Uruguay, and Ecuador.
Zoom In: Around 5 million Mexicans, 7% of drinkers, have a diagnosable alcohol use disorder. It does not sound as much, but family members are also affected when we zoom in on cases. The household average in Mexico is 3.6. So an estimated 20 million people in our country are affected by it. In 2022 Mexican families spent around USD 815M on ADU (Alcohol use disorder).
Needed Solution: In the last few years, non-alcoholic beverages have become increasingly popular among Millenials and GenZ generations. While non of these brands are solutions for someone struggling with alcohol, it indicates a change in the alcohol consumption landscape that could be as massive as seen in the tobacco industry in the last decades.
Road Blocks:
Commitment: While it’s clear that Avioneta solves the “stigma” problem for excess alcohol consumers who want to moderate or quit for good, they still need to commit themselves to logging on to Avioneta’s platform and tracking their progress.
Obtaining members: Many people, especially in Latin America, don’t treat their addictions. Accepting a disorder or addiction and committing to a program like Avioneta is hard. They have made it more accessible, but it is still tough to get members on board.
Cost: Going to traditional services like AA (Alcohlicos Anonimos) is free, and they have over 123,000 communities worldwide. Avioneta offers three subscription packages, ranging from MXN 1,500 to MXN 4,500.
The Architects
Fernando Fuentes, Founder & Solution Designer.
Alfredo Zarazua, Head of Product.
Emmanuel Mendez, Tech Lead.
Manuel Santiago, Head of Operations & Member Success.
Diana Castillo, Head of Growth.
Interested in investing? Request intro with founders by sending an email to gabriel@readrunway.com
Headlines Corner
Alegra, a Colombian SME-focused cloud accounting platform, raised $22M Series A from Riverwood. (TLAL)
Hey Banco, the digital extension of Banregio, has attained its independent banking license. (El economista)
Superbac, a Brazilian biotech firm, secured a $62M funding round from XP to develop bacteria-based fertilizers. (LAVCA)
Apple is currently in the process of developing its very own AI system named Ajax. (Techcrunch)
Shopify has introduced a calculator in its employees' calendar app to estimate the cost per meeting. (Yahoo)
Founders Bookmarks
The best tools and resources we came across this week.
Dive deeper into Avioneta’s story and listen to “Hablemos del alcoholismo” with Fernando Fuentes and Farid Dieck.
Are you building in Latam? Send us your pitch deck.
Harvard Business School posted a guide to finding the right startup co-founder.