A Canadian health-tech startup is aiming to modernize how hospitals and healthcare systems purchase medical products and services by using artificial intelligence to streamline procurement and reduce costs.
BNN Bloomberg spoke with Kara LeBlanc, CEO and founder at Medreddie, about how the company’s AI-powered procurement platform helps hospitals generate evaluation criteria and sourcing documents faster while connecting healthcare buyers with potential suppliers.
Key Takeaways
- Healthcare procurement processes can take months and often rely on outdated documents or manual work.
- AI tools can automate the creation of evaluation criteria and procurement documents such as RFPs, RFIs and RFQs.
- Faster procurement processes may help healthcare systems adopt new medical technologies and services more quickly.
- Digital procurement platforms can connect healthcare buyers with suppliers and create new channels for vendors to reach hospitals.
- Expanding AI procurement tools into pharmaceuticals and medications could broaden the use of automation across healthcare purchasing.
Read the full transcript below:
ROGER: International Women’s Day is coming up, and we are looking at companies led by women changing Canada’s economy, including Medreddie. It’s a Canadian health-tech company transforming how hospitals and health-care systems buy medical solutions. Here to talk about the company’s work is Kara LeBlanc, CEO and founder of Medreddie. Kara, thank you very much for joining us.
KARA: Thank you very much for having me. It’s great to be here today.
ROGER: Let’s talk a little bit about the company. What is it, what do you focus on, and how did it come about?
KARA: Sure. The company is Medreddie. It’s a web-based solution that enables faster adoption of medical products and solutions through our strategic procurement platform.
It came about after working in the space for over a decade doing hundreds of RFPs. I saw how painful and outdated the process was in terms of generating fair and equitable requirements for any kind of medical solution that needs to be purchased for the health system. I wanted to build a better way that enabled faster adoption of critical products and services that they need.
NATE: Kara, it’s great to meet you. One of the key things I love about the health-care sector is it’s one of the few sectors that can really compete with tech companies from a growth perspective. But your company intersects the two of them, which I think is fascinating. So how do you think about tech and AI helping you grow your company, particularly to benefit other health-care companies in your space?
KARA: Yes, it’s a great question. One of the things we focused on with our AI strategy from the beginning was ensuring this was an accessible, web-based solution backed by an AI model grounded in scientific medical journal research and pulling millions of data points to generate the latest evaluation criteria.
It’s also value-based, centred on patient outcomes and health-system outcomes — not just specifications or lowest price, but the total value, because there is a patient waiting at the end of every purchase. When we built that AI strategy from the beginning with our team, Steven Fyke and Erik Huebner, we ensured it was built from a global perspective and could generate new data, because medical technology is changing so rapidly.
ROGER: And with the AI, how are you fact-checking it? How are you ensuring the accuracy of what you’re using?
KARA: We leverage a lot of different processes, including retrieval-augmented generation and medical journal research. That means grounding the model in peer-reviewed studies and clinical evidence.
ROGER: And obviously, I’m guessing you only see this growing. What more can you do with AI? Where do you see the company taking it?
KARA: One of the really exciting things is that we’ve enabled our AI model to account for global growth. There are different regulatory factors and approval processes in every country, so we’ve factored that in.
Whether you’re buying something in Europe, the United States or Canada, it collects the latest data points and regulatory factors, as well as the latest innovations, so you’re making better-informed decisions from the beginning.
NATE: One way I think about what you’re doing is connecting the lines. If you’re helping supply these tools, you have to work with both the end user and the supplier. What does that dynamic look like?
KARA: Yes, it’s a joint effort. On the buyer side — health systems — the new data generated gives them a completely new starting point when they’re generating an RFP, RFI or RFQ, rather than starting from a blank page or an outdated document.
It helps mitigate risk. On the supplier side, it creates a new way for them to reach potential customers — essentially a new digital marketing channel. Suppliers are also facing changes in how they sell and market solutions, and this gives them a unique way to do that.
ROGER: Are you seeing the time shortened? And how are revenue and sales — are they growing?
KARA: Yes. We guarantee savings of about 250 hours per procurement project. We are growing quickly and expanding rapidly in the United States and Europe right now.
ROGER: And in Canada?
KARA: Yes, in Canada as well.
ROGER: Sorry, go ahead, Nate.
NATE: When you think about what you’re providing, is it mostly focused on diagnostics and tools, or do you also get involved with drugs and pharmaceuticals?
KARA: I’m glad you raised that question. We recently launched a new functionality that can generate evaluation criteria for pharmaceuticals and medications as well.
We had previously supported pharmaceutical products, software and services, but now we’re moving into the medication space as well, because those also need to be procured for health systems and clinics.
ROGER: You’re dealing with health systems and government. Are they seeing these efficiencies and implementing them elsewhere?
KARA: Yes, they are. One of the exciting things is that they’re able to make faster sourcing decisions and identify potential suppliers they hadn’t been aware of previously.
It’s enabling organizations to do more with less and bringing efficiencies to procurement that have long been needed.
NATE: What’s the biggest risk to your company or the biggest competitive challenge?
KARA: Right now, I would say the status quo. There are cultural and methodological changes that come with adopting new technology, so change management is a big factor.
There hasn’t been a lot of technology innovation in procurement, so it’s an exciting time for the sector.
ROGER: Kara, thank you very much for joining us. We appreciate it.
KARA: Thank you so much for having me. It’s an honour. Great to be with you today.
ROGER: Kara LeBlanc is CEO and founder of Medreddie.
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This BNN Bloomberg summary and transcript of the March 4, 2026 interview with Kara LeBlanc are published with the assistance of AI. Original research, interview questions and added context was created by BNN Bloomberg journalists. An editor also reviewed this material before it was published to ensure its accuracy and adherence with BNN Bloomberg editorial policies and standards.
