LDC Top 50 2025
Dr Oskar Wenbar and Dr Thuria Wenbar
Co-Founders
Evaro
Thuria Wenbar moved to the UK from Iraq as an asylum seeker in 1999 and later qualified as a doctor. While working in A&E, she was struck by how many patients came in with minor health concerns. “25 per cent didn’t need to be there,” she says. In 2018, she and Dr Oskar Wenbar, a medical researcher and pharmacist, set out to tackle the issue.
Their NHS-licensed platform Evaro lets brands offer prescription treatments for everything from acne to menopause, fulfilled via their Norwich-based pharmacy. With 240 staff, 400 treatments and one million patients served, Evaro is transforming how people access healthcare: “Online banking revolutionised money, we’re doing the same for health.”
Online banking revolutionised how we manage money. We’re doing the same for health. This is my life’s mission.”
Q&A
What led you into healthcare?
Thuria: We left Iraq when I was seven to escape the war. My parents were both doctors but when we arrived in the UK, they had to hustle: my dad worked as a hotel doorman and my mum in a care home. Eventually they requalified but it was years of rebuilding. As a kid, I loved computers – I taught myself to code and build websites. I wanted to be a software developer but my parents would have disowned me if I didn’t go into medicine! I studied at the University of East Anglia and that’s where I met Oskar, my co-founder.
Oskar: I’m very passionate about anti-ageing and helping people live longer more active lives. I think a large part of accomplishing this is by removing traditional barriers to healthcare and improving access to treatments and testing. In my career, I’ve worked in NHS hospitals, medical research, academia and finally started Evaro to scale this vision to impact as many patients as possible.
What was your experience of fundraising?
Thuria: We raised our first funds in January 2023 to fund the renovation of our 12,000 sq ft pharmacy fulfilment centre. It took over a year; 1,000 cold messages on LinkedIn, 200 video calls. It was hard. We didn’t have any investor contacts or warm intros. I’ve since set up a Sunday roast club, which I host every two weeks. I’ve realised how important it is to extend my network.
Oskar: Fundraising has been quite an interesting process, it’s been quite stressful but also incredibly rewarding to meet many accomplished people in the healthcare space.
How do you switch off from the pressure?
Thuria: I have the short sleep gene – I average four hours and 19 minutes of sleep a night – so I get through three or four books a week. I love consuming knowledge. I bake, play video games and I’ve recently taken up embroidery and piano. I’m trying to force myself to have hobbies because otherwise I’ll just keep working. I also do an A&E shift every few months. It helps me stay grounded in the healthcare system we’re trying to fix.
Oskar: I have quite a few hobbies and too many to list here! I’ve recently taken up mountain biking which has been a lot of fun. I try to stay as active as possible, going to the gym regularly and playing sports like tennis.
