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Lokum
Techstars '23Houston, US · Founded 2022 · 7 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
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Lokum provides staffing solutions within healthcare using technology. The company connects healthcare professionals with employment opportunities.
Also known as Lokum App · PENG Communications LLC · PENG Communications, Inc. d/b/a Lokum
Investors · 5
How we know: research · lokumapp.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: the Techstars portfolio · press coverage · open dataset · Top 3000 Accelerator Startups (no YC) 2026-08 · research · lokumapp.com · Not right? Tell us
How we know: press coverage · research · lokumapp.com · Not right? Tell us
Also in the syndicate · 2
Funding
SEC filings, press & company announcements- Undisclosed amountPre-SeedJun 2024 · 2 sources
South Loop Ventures (lead), Aileen Allen, JP Morgan, Matt Miller, Techstars
Source ↗
Source: company announcements and press reports — follow each round's link for the claim.
Company profile
researched Sep 2026Lokum, operated by PENG Communications (d/b/a Lokum), runs the Lokum App, a mobile matchmaking platform for anesthesiology staffing. It connects certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and other nurse anesthetist job seekers directly with anesthesia groups, hospitals and surgery centers for locum tenens, 1099 spot/PRN days, ongoing contracts, travel assignments and permanent (W2) positions. The company positions itself as neither a job board nor a recruitment agency: candidates who request an open role are connected directly to the hiring personnel or HR at the healthcare organization.
The platform includes a matching algorithm that learns employer requirements and surfaces roles aligned to a clinician's skills, availability and desired pay rate; a free credentialing wallet in which clinicians store and share credentialing documents once; in-app direct messaging between clinicians and employers; private profiles that keep a job search confidential until the clinician chooses to connect; and published CRNA salary and hourly rate data. Website features also include a partner demo request flow and a CRNA live map. The app is listed in the Apple App Store and Google Play under the Productivity category and is free for CRNAs to use.
The team is led by founder and CEO Ayoade "Joy" Ademuyewo, DNP, CRNA, and includes Addison Caldwell (operations/SaaS ops), Matt Miller (product/IT) and Favour Duke (SaaS operations and customer success coordinator). The company is based in Houston, Texas.
Founding story
Founder Ayoade "Joy" Ademuyewo, a Nigerian-born certified registered nurse anesthetist, was working as an independent contract CRNA in 2020 when elective surgical services were shut down and many anesthesiology clinicians lost work. A colleague facing a 90-day income pause asked her for help navigating the job market, and she found that peers had little visibility into available work and were relying on decades-old job boards or third-party recruitment agencies. She began conducting market research between surgical cases, mapping the market over roughly two to three years before concluding she was starting a company. She has said the aim was to build neither a job board nor an agency but a "matchmaking engine" that matches CRNA preferences, specialties and skills to relevant jobs. Ademuyewo now works on Lokum full time while continuing clinical practice on weekends to maintain licensure.
Business model
Lokum operates a two-sided marketplace. Use of the app is free for CRNAs, who can download it, create a private profile, upload credentials and connect with healthcare organizations at no cost; the company states it does not make money from clinicians' labor. Healthcare organizations are the paying side, posting open positions and using the matching platform to source and correspond with qualified CRNAs in place of third-party recruitment agencies.
Free for CRNA job seekers; monetization is oriented to the healthcare organization side, which uses the platform to fill open CRNA positions instead of paying third-party recruitment agencies.
Traction
Early pilots launched in 2023 acquired thousands of anesthesiology clinicians and served clients across nearly 200 hospitals and surgery centers in 20 states. The Android app shows 500+ downloads, and the iOS app holds a 4.7 rating from 9 ratings.
Latest developments
Following the June 2024 pre-seed announcement, proceeds were earmarked for enhancing platform capabilities and expanding market reach. The mobile apps have continued shipping incremental releases, with version 3.1.26 published in October 2025.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Lokum describes itself as the first matchmaking engine directly connecting CRNAs with groups and facilities, and explicitly distinguishes itself from recruitment agencies and legacy job boards. The founder frames the opportunity around healthcare organizations spending $26 billion annually on dependence on third-party agencies for clinical staffing.
Direct connection between clinicians and actual hiring personnel rather than intermediated agency placement; no cost to clinicians; confidential job search with profiles shared only with employers the clinician selects; a reusable credentialing wallet; and transparency into CRNA salary and hourly rates. Customer testimonials emphasize ease of use, consolidated messaging and that clinicians are dealing with a CRNA-run matchmaking service rather than a recruiter.
Technology
A mobile-first matchmaking engine with an intelligent matching algorithm that learns from employer inputs to surface qualified candidates, plus a secure credentialing wallet for storing and exchanging credentialing documents, in-app direct messaging, private candidate profiles, transparent pay-rate data and a CRNA live map. During the 2024 Google for Startups Accelerator the team spent ten weeks on machine learning applications within the platform. The app was engineered with Houston-based Octaria Software, with a local cybersecurity firm working on infrastructure. Apps are published for iPhone and Android; disclosed data handling covers contact info, user identifiers and diagnostics, with data encrypted in transit and user-requested deletion supported.
Go-to-market
Adoption on the clinician side has come largely through the tightly networked CRNA community, which the founder drew on to recruit pilot customers. The company runs pilots with anesthesia groups and facilities, offers demo requests to healthcare partners, distributes the app via the Apple App Store and Google Play, and publishes market insights and salary/rate data on its website.
Two constituencies: certified registered nurse anesthetists and other nurse anesthetist job seekers looking for spot days, PRN, locum tenens, travel, contract or permanent roles; and healthcare organizations including anesthesia groups, hospitals and surgery centers that need to fill CRNA positions.
Geography
Headquartered in Houston, Texas (9118 McAvoy Dr, Houston, TX 77074), serving healthcare partners across the United States, with pilot clients spanning roughly 200 hospitals and surgery centers in 20 states.
History
Press materials from the company state Lokum was founded in 2023, and it launched early pilots that year to identify key markets. In May 2024 the company took part in a demo day as a member of the 2024 cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Program - North America, spending ten weeks on a technical deep-dive into machine learning applications for the platform, and remains part of the Google for Startups Alumni Network. On June 3, 2024 it announced an oversubscribed $700,000 pre-seed round. The iOS and Android apps have shipped regular releases, reaching version 3.1.26 in October 2025.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Related companies · 2
Companies working in the same space as Lokum.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsLokum announced $700,000 in oversubscribed pre-seed financing from South Loop Ventures, Techstars and JP Morgan, with participation from advisor-investor Aileen Allen and former Liongard product executive Matt Miller. Earliest angel investors were nurse anesthesiology colleagues. Proceeds are earmarked for enhancing platform capabilities and expanding market reach.
$700K source ↗
Lokum was part of the 2024 cohort of the Google for Startups Accelerator Program - North America, spending 10 weeks on a technical deep-dive into machine learning applications within the platform, and remains in the Google for Startups Alumni Network.
The founder worked with Houston-based Octaria Software to engineer the technical side of the app, and with another local cybersecurity firm on infrastructure.
Lokum launched early pilots in 2023 to identify key markets, acquiring thousands of anesthesiology clinicians and serving clients across nearly 200 hospitals and surgery centers in 20 states.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Lokumlokumapp.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Lokum do?
- Lokum is a Houston health-tech company running a mobile matchmaking platform connecting CRNAs directly with healthcare employers.
- Who are Lokum's investors?
- Lokum's investors include South Loop Ventures, Techstars, JP Morgan Chase.
- Where is Lokum headquartered?
- Lokum is headquartered in Houston, US.