🔎 Spotlight #17: Inside League
No not League of Legends you silly goose, it's a digital-first health platform.
The founding story: modernizing healthcare from the ground up
League was founded in 2014 by Michael Serbinis, Dan Leibu, and Dan Galperin, three longtime collaborators who had previously worked together at Kobo, the Canadian e-reading company later sold to Rakuten for $315 million.
Serbinis, a serial entrepreneur and engineer who once worked with Elon Musk at Zip2, had already built and scaled multiple tech ventures before turning his attention to healthcare. Partnering again with Leibu (Kobo’s former CTO) and Galperin (SVP of R&D at Kobo), the trio saw an industry that hadn’t caught up to the digital world.
Their question was simple: why are employee health benefits still stuck in the past — with clunky portals, paper forms, and zero personalization?
Their answer became League, a digital health platform built to give employees a better, more connected way to access and manage their benefits. Instead of static insurance plans, League offered flexibility, a sleek app, and a consumer-grade experience that made healthcare feel approachable rather than bureaucratic.
What League actually does
At its core, League is a digital health benefits platform that helps employers deliver and manage personalized healthcare experiences for their teams. Instead of juggling multiple insurance portals or outdated HR systems, companies use League’s Health Operating System (Health OS) — a unified platform that connects everything from health spending accounts and insurance plans to wellness programs and virtual care.
For employees, it means one sleek app where they can check their coverage, book appointments, access health resources, and get real-time support. For employers and insurers, it provides data-driven insights into engagement, utilization, and overall workforce well-being.
League has built what’s essentially the backbone for digital health benefits, powering experiences for major enterprise clients like Shoppers Drug Mart, Loblaw Companies, and Manulife. Their focus isn’t just on digitizing healthcare, it’s on making it personal, connected, and proactive.
What’s new in League’s world
League has grown into a major player in healthtech, working with both employers and insurers. In the past few years, they’ve:
Partnered with Google Cloud to build the Health OS platform, a backbone for digital health experiences
Expanded their focus beyond small businesses into large enterprises and global health providers
Continued rolling out new personalization features that make healthcare more accessible for employees and families
It’s impressive to see a Canadian startup not just building for local companies but also providing the tech infrastructure for global partners.
Funding and team at a glance
💰 Raised over $235M USD in venture funding from investors including TDM Growth Partners, Workday Ventures, and OMERS Ventures
🏦 Secured a $100M USD credit facility from RBCx in January to help fuel continued expansion and enterprise adoption
👥 400+ employees across North America
🌎 HQ in Toronto, with clients and partners worldwide
🖥️ Website: league.com
The competition and how League compares
League competes in the broader health benefits and digital health space. In Canada, its competition comes from traditional insurers like Sun Life and Manulife, who are building their own digital tools. Globally, players like Accolade, Virgin Pulse, and even tech giants like Amazon (with Amazon Clinic) are eyeing digital health platforms.
League’s advantage is focus. Instead of being an insurance provider, they’re a platform enabler. That lets them partner with insurers, pharmacies, and enterprises without competing with them directly. So although those traditional insurers are listed as competitors, they can technically go to them and be like hey, let’s work together to give your clients a way better experience when it comes to getting their health benefits.
Partnering for the future of healthcare
League recently announced a major partnership with TELUS to advance Canadian healthcare innovation using sovereign AI — a big step in shaping the future of how data and healthcare intersect in Canada.
Through this collaboration, TELUS Health and League plan to develop secure, AI-driven solutions that improve how health information is managed and accessed, all while keeping data governance within Canada. The goal is to create smarter, more efficient systems that enhance patient outcomes, reduce administrative friction, and strengthen Canada’s position in the global digital health space.
It’s a powerful example of how League’s Health OS can evolve beyond employee benefits, serving as a national foundation for health innovation. By combining TELUS’ network infrastructure and healthcare expertise with League’s technology and data capabilities, the two companies are setting the stage for a more connected, AI-enabled healthcare ecosystem built around privacy, security, and accessibility.
My take
League is one of the most ambitious Canadian startups out there. Healthtech is messy, regulated, and difficult to disrupt, but League has found a wedge by being the infrastructure rather than trying to own everything.
I actually use League in my day to day at work, since StackAdapt provides that to me. It’s actually an awesome platform, making going to a doctors appointment or getting some new contact lenses a breeze. I also like that League has been able to land partnerships with household names like Shoppers and Manulife. That tells me they’re not just a startup with a sleek app, but a trusted backbone for organizations that millions of people rely on.
If you’re interested in healthcare, digital transformation, or Canadian companies making a global impact, League is a great one to keep on your radar.
🧭 League Roles
These are some pretty cool roles at League in the moment. Although not much, I encourage you to keep in tune with future LaunchPad job posts to see any new exciting roles that pop up at League and many other cool firms!
That’s a wrap on Spotlight #17
If you made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope these spotlights help you discover companies worth your time, and make the job hunt feel just a little bit less overwhelming. Keep an eye out for next Tuesday’s LaunchPad job drop, and if you know someone looking to break into tech or level up, feel free to share this with them too.
Here’s to building something cool, or better yet, joining something cool. 🚀
