In a sunlit clinic in Alexandria, Egypt, a dentist taps his phone and a WhatsApp bot springs to life, confirming appointments, sending pre-op consent forms and nudging patients with aftercare instructions. Nearby, a receptionist watches as the software automatically assigns tasks to nurses, while an AI tool drafts follow-up messages in Arabic. This isn’t a vision of the future - it’s a normal morning at one of the 1,350 clinics now powered by Dentolize, an Egyptian-built SaaS startup reimagining clinic management through automation and patient-centric design.
Dentolize began in 2018, when Dr. Abdelrahman El Shafiey shared his frustrations over juggling patient records across sticky notes and disjointed software. A friend, Mostafa Dawoud - then working as a British Airways engineer - saw a technical challenge. “He built the core from scratch in months,” co-founder, Marwan Doghem, shares with StartupScene. “No templates, no shortcuts.”
The three co-founders brought complementary skills to the table. Dawoud, described by the team as the architect, wrote the original codebase and prioritised flexibility. “Doctors have 100 ways to work,' he explains. "We let them customise everything." Dr. El Shafiey’s own clinic served as a real-world testing ground and his everyday frustrations became Dentolize’s first features. Doghem, a London MBA grad with no prior SaaS experience, dove into Egypt’s dental ecosystem and came away with a clear insight: “Doctors craved tools to boost profits, not just log data.”
Dentolize wasn’t built on borrowed code or repurposed ERP systems. Instead, it was developed to let each clinic structure their digital workflow like Lego blocks. One clinic might use Dentolize to automate post-op checkups and reduce no-show rates by 40%; another might connect it to Google Maps to route patients to less crowded branches. “We’re the only ones with a mobile app, and it was our biggest edge in the beginning,” Doghem adds.

A major part of the startup’s growth came from its culture of feedback. Dentolize’s 'Feature Request' portal allowed clinics to vote on new tools, turning users into collaborators. “One dentist demanded voice commands; we’re beta-testing it now,” says Doghem. The team’s appearance on Shark Tank Egypt in 2025 marked a key turning point. “Unsolicited referrals from doctors who saw the episode sparked growth in unlikely markets,” Doghem says. “We didn’t even market abroad initially. Suddenly, clinics in Somalia, Cyprus, and Iraq signed up - all through word-of-mouth.”
Still, scaling came with challenges. “Marketing was non-existent at the start,” Doghem admits. Instead, referrals made up 40% of sales. Even today, he calls five random clients a day to troubleshoot issues directly. The platform boasts a churn rate of under 2%, but the team is already thinking bigger.

While Dentolize started with dental clinics, its infrastructure now also supports general medicine through a second product line: Medicolize. “Same bones, but for cardiologists, dermatologists,” Doghem explains.
Looking ahead, the company is betting on voice tech and further AI integration. In Saudi Arabia, where Dentolize recently expanded, localisation strategies are paying off. “A Saudi phone number tripled leads,” Doghem notes.

When asked about company culture, Doghem says, “We’re not three founders - we’re 55.” He sees this mindset as essential to Dentolize’s success. “People here feel this is theirs.”
Reflecting on his own journey from London to Cairo, Doghem doesn’t hesitate. “Startups thrive on hunger. Here, every problem is a possibility.” With plans to scale further into Africa and expand their AI tools, Dentolize’s story is still unfolding - but it’s already clear they’ve built more than just a product. “Comfort kills,” Doghem says. “We’ll keep burning spaghetti if it means inventing something new.”