Action Pack Media

Acto, founded in Toronto in 2014, operates as a specialized provider of an AI-powered, omnichannel education and engagement platform tailored for the life sciences industry. The company was established by Parth Khanna (CEO), Kumar Erramilli (CTO), and Kapil Kalra (CCO & CRO), who were roommates during their undergraduate studies at the University of Waterloo. Their paths diverged into law, technology, and business consulting before they reunited to launch Acto, driven by a shared goal to make a positive impact. Khanna's background includes a degree in neuropsychology and two in law, while Erramilli brought experience from IBM and Research In Motion (Blackberry) and had previously founded and exited two tech ventures.

Initially launched as an industry-agnostic corporate training app, Acto pivoted in early 2017 to focus exclusively on the life sciences sector after identifying significant unmet needs in how pharmaceutical and medical device companies commercialize their products. The company serves clients like AstraZeneca and Philips by providing a unified, cloud-based platform designed to enhance the effectiveness of their field teams, including sales representatives and medical science liaisons. Revenue is generated through a SaaS model, offering subscriptions to its platform. Acto has secured significant funding, including a Series A round of $11.5 million and subsequent investments totaling over $39.5 million, to fuel its growth and expand its AI capabilities.

The core of Acto's offering is its Intelligent Field Excellence (IFE) platform, which integrates mobile learning, a digital briefcase, remote coaching, and performance analytics into a single application. This platform addresses the challenge of ensuring that field representatives are consistently knowledgeable, confident, and compliant when interacting with healthcare providers (HCPs). Key features include "CxZone," an AI-simulated roleplaying tool for practicing HCP conversations, and "LAICA™," a generative AI assistant that provides reps with quick access to MRL-approved content and messaging. By unifying training, sales enablement, and coaching, Acto aims to help life sciences companies increase sales, ensure brand alignment, and mitigate compliance risks.

Keywords: life sciences, pharmaceutical sales, medical device commercialization, sales enablement, field force effectiveness, omnichannel education, AI learning platform, medtech, biotech, healthcare provider engagement, sales training, compliance management, clinical education, sales coaching, brand messaging, medical affairs, remote coaching, Parth Khanna, Kumar Erramilli, Kapil Kalra