Across the United States, tens of thousands of independent pharmacies struggle to compete online with national chains. Helping them close that gap is the day-to-day work of Islam Elfiky, a New York-based entrepreneur and business developer who co-founded MedsNow and leads its business development. His route to that mission is an unusual one, running through championship squash in Cairo and Washington, D.C., and a family tradition of healthcare in Egypt.

Solving a Problem for Independent Pharmacies

As Co-Founder and Head of Business Development at MedsNow since 2020, Islam Elfiky, alongside co-founder Nikhil Misra, has set out to bring the roughly 23,000 independent pharmacies in the United States into the digital age. That segment represents an estimated $81 million in spend, and MedsNow aims to serve it by providing the credentials and technology these pharmacies need to sell online while meeting compliance and regulatory requirements. Using the platform, a pharmacy can onboard patients, send invoices, collect payments, and manage receivables with stronger analytics, the kind of infrastructure large chains rely on but that independents have often gone without.

The company's promise was recognized early. MedsNow earned a place in XRC Labs' Cohort 14, the largest group the retail and consumer-health accelerator had ever assembled, and spent three months drawing on a mentorship network of more than 330 advisors and access to major retail partners. It was presented at XRC Ventures' 2023 Demo Day and has been supported by the XRC Ventures Accelerator Program and Reshape Ventures. For Islam Elfiky, building the commercial engine of a healthcare startup calls on the persistence and preparation he first developed as an athlete.

A Squash Prodigy from Cairo

Islam Elfiky's athletic foundation was laid in Cairo, Egypt, one of the world's great squash cities. As a junior, he was named to the Egyptian National Team while it sat atop the world rankings and reached a world men's ranking of 165th. He attended the American University in Cairo before bringing his talents to the United States and The George Washington University, home to a nationally ranked squash program. The elite coaching and competition of his youth prepared him to thrive at the top of American college squash.

Ruling the George Washington Ladder

At George Washington, Islam Elfiky occupied the No. 1 position on the men's squash ladder for two seasons. His standout 2011-12 year brought him the team's Most Valuable Player award at the Senior Honors Luncheon and Male Athlete of the Year recognition at the first Georgey Awards. He went 21-3 in individual matches from the top of the ladder, won 19 in straight sets, and finished on a 15-match win streak. At the College Squash Association National Championships, he won all three of his matches, surrendered an average of just 6.6 points per game on the season, and ranked 31st nationally. In January 2012, he took Colonial of the Week honors, lifting his team-leading win total to 15 with four straight-set wins in one weekend, keying shutout victories over Tufts and Boston College and a road win at nationally ranked Bowdoin while conceding only 5.6 points per game on average.

He had arrived with a bang the year before. In 2010-11, Islam Elfiky played the entire season at No. 1, finished second on the team at 18-2, won every match in straight sets, and ended 34th in the College Squash Association. Two straight top-35 national finishes rank him among the best players in the program's history. He graduated from George Washington in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

From Player to Founder

Islam Elfiky's first business kept him close to the sport that made his name. Between 2014 and 201,6 he co-founded Squash on Fire, an initiative to open a premium, publicly accessible squash facility in Washington, D.C.; the venue opened in 2017. Carrying that project from concept to a functioning, public-facing operation was an early lesson in building a business and helped steer him toward technology.

A New Chapter in Hospitality

More recently, Islam Elfiky has expanded into hospitality, a field aligned with his interest in restaurants and in creating memorable guest experiences. He is developing a new venture with Yalla Hospitality, bringing his entrepreneurial instincts from software into a more hands-on, people-first business, and showing himself as a founder who moves comfortably between very different industries.

Grounded in Egypt

Despite his activities in the United States, Islam Elfiky remains closely tied to Egypt, where he is involved in his family's hospital business, an enterprise known for its dedication to social work and community care. That connection keeps healthcare personal for him, well beyond his role as a New York technology founder. His philanthropic and volunteer efforts are also based in Egypt, rooted in his family's long tradition of service, which helps explain why much of his work remains focused on health and care.

Looking Ahead

What ties Islam Elfiky's career together is a competitor's instinct to reach the top and keep working once he is there. The focus that produced a 21-3 season and a 15-match win streak at George Washington now drives his effort to grow MedsNow into a support for thousands of independent pharmacies and to launch his hospitality venture with Yalla Hospitality. With his family's care-centered work in Egypt behind him and New York as his base, Islam Elfiky continues to build across technology, healthcare, and hospitality, bringing an elite athlete's discipline to the patient work of the entrepreneur. 

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