Alto vs Hermes Robotics

About

Alto Pharmacy is a digital pharmacy providing prescription delivery service with a concierge pharmacy experience — offering same-day or next-day delivery of prescriptions to customers' homes, transparent pricing (showing the lowest cost option including GoodRx discounts, insurance, or cash pay), and dedicated pharmacist support through the Alto mobile app. Founded in 2015 by Mattieu Gamache-Asselin and Jamie Karraker in San Francisco, Alto has raised approximately $350 million and operates in major US markets including San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and Denver.\n\nAlto's model combines an app-based pharmacy experience with local courier delivery infrastructure — customers transfer their prescriptions to Alto, and a courier delivers medications within hours. The app shows real-time prescription status, communicates with pharmacists through chat, and automatically compares pricing across insurance, manufacturer coupons, and GoodRx discounts to ensure the customer pays the lowest price. Proactive refill management and automatic renewal outreach reduce the friction of managing chronic medications.\n\nIn 2025, Alto competes with Amazon Pharmacy (backed by Amazon's logistics and Prime), Capsule (acquired by NovaBay Pharmaceuticals), PillPack (Amazon), Walgreens and CVS app-based delivery for on-demand pharmacy delivery. The retail pharmacy market is consolidating — independent pharmacies face PBM reimbursement pressure and CVS/Walgreens have been closing unprofitable locations. Alto's model of app + courier delivery + price transparency resonates with urban tech consumers. The 2025 strategy focuses on expanding specialty pharmacy capabilities (high-cost biologics and specialty medications that require complex handling), growing in new geographic markets, and deepening integrations with healthcare providers for seamless prescribing-to-delivery workflows.