Confrere

Confrere provides a specialized video calling platform designed for professionals requiring secure, one-on-one interactions with their clients, particularly in the healthcare sector. The company was founded in July 2017 by Svein Willassen, Dag-Inge Aas, and Ida Aalen. The founders identified a market gap for a professional-grade video tool, as existing solutions were primarily for social or internal corporate use. Willassen, former founder of appear.in (now Whereby), brought his experience in video services, while Aas was the former Tech Lead at the same company, and Aalen was an expert in UX design.

The business model centers on providing a browser-based, high-security video service that requires no software downloads for users. Clients, such as doctors or therapists, send a simple link to their patients or customers to initiate a call. The platform is device-agnostic and prioritizes ease of use and adherence to strict privacy standards like GDPR. Revenue is generated through subscriptions to its video calling service. The company gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, becoming a key tool for general practitioners in Norway to conduct remote consultations. This event validated their product-market fit, which was meticulously developed through direct engagement with doctors in the preceding years.

Historically, Confrere secured $1.5 million in seed funding in September 2018 and another $1 million in June 2020. After a period of ownership by Carasent Norge AS, the Confrere brand and its customer contracts were acquired by Compodium International AB in February 2024. This acquisition positions Confrere within Compodium's broader suite of secure communication services, which has a strong foothold in the Swedish healthcare and public sectors. Compodium, a publicly-traded company, operates its own secure production platforms and offers services compliant with high-security standards, indicating a strategic alignment with Confrere's focus on privacy and reliability.

Keywords: telehealth, secure video calls, telemedicine software, healthcare communication, patient engagement, virtual consultations, GDPR compliant video, browser-based video, professional video conferencing, doctor-patient communication, digital health Norway, UX design, one-on-one video calls, Compodium, encrypted communication, remote therapy, professional services video, Svein Willassen, Ida Aalen, Dag-Inge Aas