Welcome to Global Good’s Impact Interview series. This interview series is designed to tell the stories of the people and companies working to drive impact in society.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your role?
I began my journey as a dental student in Lebanon, where clinical training quickly exposed me to a reality beyond textbooks. Access to care was uneven, resources were limited, and entire patient groups were unintentionally excluded from the system. Those early experiences shaped my curiosity about what sits behind care delivery, and led me to the UK, where I pursued a Master’s in Special Care Dentistry at University College London, focusing on patients with disabilities and complex medical needs.
When I moved back to the region, I reconnected with my colleagues, dentists like me, who were facing challenges. Dental products were difficult to source, financing options were limited, and clinics often operated slowly. Together, we founded Toothpick, and my role gradually shifted from clinician to builder, working on a full dental ecosystem.
What began in Lebanon grew across multiple markets, and as Toothpick expanded, I moved to Egypt, built and ran a regional team, as we adapted the platform to a larger and more complex healthcare environment while staying close to day-to-day realities on the ground.
Today, I’m back in the UK, where different, but familiar challenges exist, around access, affordability, and fragmentation, bringing lessons learned from across the GCC, Levant & North Africa to a new context.
Alongside Toothpick, my work in disability and special care dentistry continues to shape how I think about scale; not just growing faster, but growing more inclusively, with impact designed into the system from the start.
How did your company come about, and what was the motivation behind it?
Toothpick emerged from witnessing the struggles of dentists and patients up close. Across Lebanon, Egypt, UAE, Qatar & KSA, we saw how care was often delayed or limited, not because clinicians lacked skill, but because the system around them was fragmented. Clinics faced unpredictable access to products, minimal operational support, and financial pressures, while patients postponed treatment due to cost or complexity.
The motivation behind Toothpick was simple: to build infrastructure that enables care rather than obstructs it. We set out to connect the pieces of the ecosystem, products, providers, patients, and financing, into a cohesive platform. What started as a local effort in Lebanon evolved into a multi-market approach, helping clinics operate more sustainably and giving patients access to the care they need.
For me, the personal drive was always tied to fairness: healthcare should not depend on geography, wealth, or circumstance. Toothpick became a way to translate that conviction into systems that can scale, adapt, and persist.
Can you describe your company’s mission and values?
Toothpick’s mission is to make healthcare more accessible and sustainable by strengthening the systems that foster it. We aim to reduce friction for both patients and providers so that care happens when it’s needed, not delayed by financial, operational, or logistical barriers.
Our values are rooted in practicality, inclusion, and trust. Practicality ensures our solutions work within real-world constraints. Inclusion keeps patients from being excluded and empowers providers to operate effectively, regardless of market size. Trust is the glue: in healthcare, people rely on systems, not just tools, and we design ours to be reliable and accountable.
At its core, Toothpick is guided by the principle that technology should serve people fairly and effectively, helping care get more accessible.
What are some of the most pressing social issues that your company is working to address through its technology?
One major issue is financial barriers to care. Patients often delay treatment due to cost, which can turn preventable conditions into complex, expensive problems. By enabling flexible financing, we help people move forward when they need care, rather than waiting indefinitely.
Another is provider sustainability. Many clinics operate with limited resources and uncertain supply chains, which threatens not just businesses, but community access to care. Our platform helps stabilise operations, allowing providers to focus on treatment and patients to receive consistent care.
At the same time, it provides suppliers with actionable insights and data-driven predictions, helping them understand demand, optimise inventory, and deliver the right products where they are most needed. This creates a more efficient, transparent ecosystem that benefits everyone.
Finally, there is systemic fragmentation. When healthcare ecosystems are disconnected, inefficiency becomes the norm. By linking suppliers, providers, products, and financing into a cohesive system, Toothpick reduces friction, enhances cash flow for all parties, and promotes more equitable and reliable care across regions.
How does your company measure the impact of its work in creating positive change?
We measure impact by looking at outcomes that truly matter. For patients, this means tracking treatment completion, access to quality care, and continuity of services. Every patient who moves from postponement to treatment represents a meaningful shift.
For healthcare providers, impact is reflected in clinic growth, platform adoption, and operational stability. When clinics thrive and continue to engage with the platform across markets, it shows that the system is addressing real challenges.
For suppliers, impact comes from improved forecasting, exposure and data-driven insights.
By understanding demand trends and inventory needs, suppliers can optimise stock, reduce waste, and reach the right markets with the right products, creating a more efficient and sustainable ecosystem for all stakeholders. We also look at geographic relevance. Operating successfully across multiple markets and now establishing in the UK, demonstrates that the solutions we design are adaptable, scalable, and contextually meaningful.
In your opinion, what impact will technology have in creating a better future?
Technology’s true power lies in its ability to reduce friction and make systems work better for people. In healthcare, this means connecting patients with care, ensuring providers have what they need, and making information, financing, and logistics seamless.
The future isn’t about flashy tools; it’s about infrastructure that quietly supports better outcomes. When systems are efficient and inclusive, the human impact multiplies: patients get treatment, providers stay sustainable, and entire communities benefit. Technology, at its best, becomes the backbone that allows people to focus on what matters most: care, connection, and resilience.
What advice do you have for other companies looking to use tech for good and positively impact the world?
First of all, listen closely to the people affected by the problem, to your team, and to the system itself. Start small, solving a real problem, but don’t be afraid to think big about how far it can go, and don’t forget to enjoy the journey along the way. Build solutions that last, not just the ones that look impressive.
And remember, impact grows when it’s built into the foundation. Make sure your technology helps everyone involved, rather than creating new friction. Keep it practical, inclusive, and resilient, and the results will follow.
Toothpick is pitching in the National HealthTech Series (Southampton) powered by Empact Ventures and supported by Global Good
