Live at MSS 2026

Facundo Formica

At the end of the day, the practice management software, EHR, CRM, financials, etc., is the brains of the practice. I think that a lot of people focus only on features, and something that you cannot, uh, discount in this industry is service.

Max Baybak

We're here at the Med Spa Show in Las Vegas, and I am sitting down with my friend Facundo from Symplast, the CEO of Symplast. Facundo, thanks for joining us.

Facundo Formica

Very good. Thank you for having me. Great time, uh, here at AmSpa, the Med Spa Show.

Max Baybak

I'm having a good time, too. I really like this year. I mean, obviously, we went huge with this booth, and so we've had non-stop people coming through and having a ton of fun. So, maybe that's why I'm enjoying it so much. But the energy at the show in general feels really good, I feel like.

Facundo Formica

Yeah, just like every year, I think, uh, this, uh, this, um, group has a fantastic energy. Um, it is very motivated to continue to grow this industry, and I love that, that, that energy, that, uh, power that they get from within. And you guys, uh, certainly you went all out. I love the, the booth and everything that you did around it, and congratulations with the Growth Stack. Fantastic new, new, uh, platform, uh, for med spas that, uh, really want to have a great online presence.

Max Baybak

Thank you, Facundo. I appreciate that. Well, we've been talking with you about this for years, really, because we've had this in mind for a long time and we've been working at it for a long time. And a big part of what Growth Stack, the reason behind it, is to be able to offer better technology solutions to our clients, and part of that means integrating with the other platforms that we use. We very much—

You know, these days there are so many platforms. And there's a new term that you see more and more and more in this space, which is an all-in-one software. It's no longer EMR. It's no longer CRM. It's no longer— I mean, it is those things, but you're hearing a lot more, especially in the med spa space, all-in-one. And I think that that makes sense, but it's also crazy how much overlap there are between these softwares, how much overlap there can be.

We want to stick to our lane and be a marketing platform. And then we want to integrate. I'm, I'm going somewhere with this ramble. We want to then integrate with the other software that is— that the other softwares that are very good at what they do, and that's where Symplast comes in, or where we can talk about where Symplast comes in and what you guys offer that certainly we don't offer, but that also other EMR solutions don't really offer as sophisticated as a solution as you guys in, in certain ways. So I'm excited about Growth Stack so we can partner with you more on this and make— add more value for both of our clients. But tell us a little bit about Symplast, what makes you guys unique and what you're doing right now.

Facundo Formica

Yeah. And, uh, all-in-one, you just nailed it. That, that is a terminology that we personally have been using since 2018.

Max Baybak

Wow.

Facundo Formica

Because we, we saw that, um, especially for plastic surgeons, they, they had a lot of different technology tools that they did not talk to each other, and that created a lot of inefficiencies, and it also introduced friction to the— for the patients, which is even worse, because more work for the practice. Okay, as long as the, the patient has a good experience, but when you add the fact that the, the patient doesn't have a good experience and the practice is wasting a lot of time and possibly making mistakes that lead to, you know, worse conversion rates and things like that, um, we, we knew that we needed to solve that problem, and that's, uh, that, that was our mission.

We first solved for the plastic surgery industry, and then, um, a few years later we, we jumped into the med spa side as well, because there's a lot of overlap. So one, one of the things that we bring very different to the medical spa community is compliance. It's all about ensuring that you can do the, the good faith exams, that you can stay in compliance when you are as an injector, when you are, um, under the supervision of a medical director. So those workflows are baked into Symplast, and, and it has been great with the— working with several nurses networks that they are— they have the same medical director that oversees them, and then we ensure their compliance, um, when they practice medicine at the end of the day.

Max Baybak

You want to talk about— is it worth talking about a little bit in detail what that looks like, how that workflow works in your platform? Because I think, right, that is the biggest differentiator from what I understand. And I know you guys have built— so you've added so much to the platform and built so many features, so I don't want to oversimplify it, but I— from what I understand, that is one of the things that really sets you apart from your— from anybody that would be a competitor to you. Is that right?

Facundo Formica

Correct. And, and exactly, there's so much in the platform. In this day and age, we, we call it that we go from lead to loyalty. So just like a Growth Stack will help you bring in more leads, convert them, get them into the funnel, we help getting them through the funnel, and not only through the first, um, service, but bringing them back. So that, that's one of the things that we do, and there are several other companies doing the same thing.

Now, when it comes to compliance, the workflows are fairly simple in concept. As, um, as an injector, you are, you know, taking care of a patient. You take pictures. You, you actually use our AI note taking in order to, to do the, the first exam, the, the assessment, and then you submit that for review by the medical director. The medical director gets a push notification on their phone. They look at all the information that it was submitted to them and they go like, "Yep, this makes sense. Approved." Now the, the injector is able to go ahead and, and proceed with the coverage from the, the medical director.

Now, it, it could be that they say no, let, let me get more information. Can I just go ahead and do a video consultation right there and then, within the same workflow, within the same app? You don't have to switch. HIPAA compliant. Uh, the medical director can have a, a consultation with the patient directly via our secure video visit, and, and then, you know, make a decision if they should proceed or not. And all that was, um, was verified in, in a few medical, uh, boards of different states, including the state of Massachusetts, for example, that is one of the—

Max Baybak

One of the toughest, right? I, I've heard.

Facundo Formica

Well, we know from our clients there.

Max Baybak

Um, so it's a lot of great tools that are compliant, HIPAA compliant, and also just generally you need a lot of security, secure features around things like this, right? Um, for patient privacy, and obviously just general staying compliant. Um, but you guys don't offer them a network of, like, they have to bring in their own medical director, right? There's no network that they can tap into for what you guys do.

Facundo Formica

I mean, certainly we can refer to some of the medical directors that we have, but that is not part of our services. We, we provide the technology to enable the medical directorship.

Max Baybak

I think I'm thinking of a group that was offering that through using your tool, but they were offering that. Thanks, Sag.

Facundo Formica

That's right.

Max Baybak

I'm remembering that. Yeah, that's really great. Um, okay. So, yeah. So, that— what that's obviously a really key feature. And, and how are you— what, what are you seeing in terms of here at this show in the last few years? You said you pivoted, or you're not pivoted, but you put more focus on, on med spas. And are they adopting this, uh, what, what do you see happening in the med spa landscape with, with compliance and all these regulations?

Facundo Formica

Yeah, that, that's actually kind of a concern of mine. Yeah, and you know, following what Alex from AmSpa keeps saying in the last two opening ceremonies, we need to take care of this industry. Um, there is, um, you can even call it a wild west when it comes to compliance, but without being so dramatic, certainly there's a lot of room for improvement. And, and, and I think that adopting the right frameworks, the right, uh, procedures to stay, um, in compliance, and, and especially to deliver patient safety, ensure patient safety, that, that should be the first thing.

In Symplast, the way we think of, um, how we design this system, and the services that we deliver with the system, is patient safety must be guaranteed. Like the patient comes in expecting, demanding patient safety. They come in to that provider for the results. They, they have seen the results either online, through the website, through their social media, maybe, uh, through a referral, another patient. So they're coming in to that specific, uh, provider for the results that they, um, they have seen before, but the reason why they come back is because of the patient experience.

Max Baybak

That's right.

Facundo Formica

So a lot of the things that we focused on during the patient journey is removing all those instances where friction could be created, you know, at the payment, at the communication, at the, uh, appointment setting, at the, you know, remembering that you have to come back, and so on, so forth. We focused our platform to ensure a, a very smooth patient journey. So then the patients will come back, and it will create loyalty, not only by the patients coming back and maybe buying additional services, but also by referring other patients. And that is the way to really grow, um, an aesthetic practice. Word of mouth is the most, um, the most powerful.

Max Baybak

Absolutely is. Yeah. No question. And as marketers, you know, we offer value by helping you bring in a first-time patient, but we'd be the first to tell you that turning that first-time patient into a loyal patient that's then referring is going to be your strongest way to grow. Um, but you do need to— I think when you put the two together, you have your own outreach that's helping you convert first-time patients, and then, and then really leaning on your patient base. Well, not leaning on them, but making the experience such that they're very happy to refer is the strongest kind of upward cycle that we see of, of growth, when you put those two things together. So, lead to loyalty. Couldn't agree with you more.

All right, Facundo. Well, let me ask you this before we kind of wrap it up here, because we're doing sort of shorter episodes today. We should do another episode, maybe remote, longer form, where we can dive a little deeper. But, um, I, I met you when Symplast was just starting out, I think. How many years ago was that now?

Facundo Formica

Oh, it's like seven or eight years ago that we met.

Max Baybak

Yeah. And, uh, how far in was Symplast at that time?

Facundo Formica

Now it's 10 years old.

Max Baybak

Yeah. So almost. So two, three years in I met you, newcomer to the space. That was a, a, a big undertaking to compete, formidable task to compete with the incumbents in the space then. But now you guys, seven or eight years later, are definitely one of the major contenders in aesthetics and plastic surgery and med spa. Um, and, and I'm just curious, from your perspective, is there anything else that you want to tell us about, um, the kind of main different points? What's been— what's been the winning strategy for you guys to get here? What are the features and diff— uh, points of differentiation that have helped you get here that people should know about?

Facundo Formica

Well, thank you for asking. A thing that— a lot of people focus only on features, and something that you cannot, uh, discount in this industry is service.

Max Baybak

Yeah.

Facundo Formica

This, this year we won the best-in-class award for, um, plastic surgery software and service.

Max Baybak

Wow.

Facundo Formica

We were thrilled to finally be recognized for what we felt that the, uh, we have earned, and that is the trust of the— from the industry. Because, uh, at the end of the day, the practice management software, EHR, CRM, financials, etc., is the brains of the practice. You have to get that right, and not only getting it right from a technology point of view, but from using the technology. And that's why we layer a good amount of service on top of that fantastic software.

And you know, we, we can claim that, um, you can call Symplast support any, any day of the week, within 60 seconds we will pick up the phone. Every single client gets a client success manager assigned to them that truly takes care of them. It's not just when, when they need something, but, but is proactive as well, because we really partner with our clients for their success. And our Google reviews, best-in-class, and, and the reputation that we have built in the industry is what we are very proud of, not only the innovation that we have brought in, but also the relationships that we have built along the way.

Max Baybak

I love this answer that you've given me, because if someone asked me— and someone actually recently did ask me when I was a guest on a podcast, what's been the secret to your guys' success? And you want to have a flashy answer: innovation, new technology. Yes, all that's true, but I agree that the biggest— the, the biggest thing that has yielded success is just taking care of the customer. And it's the same. It's the answer you hear all the time, but when you can really execute on it, it makes all the difference in the world. It starts with actually caring, truly caring, and then following through on all the things you have to do to actually demonstrate that care.

And for me, um, I believe like, for example, we started Growth Stack. Okay, it, it does resemble a software as a service type product, and it is more so that than our typical agency, very hands-on. We have built a very hands-on business, and there's no other way to do it. This business, I've seen people go, "Well, I want to have this be easier." That's great. You can want that all you want, but you're going to end up falling short. You're going to miss the mark, because the space requires a lot of detail, attention to detail, a lot of care for the client, a lot of nuance, and a lot of capacity to deal with all of that minutia. And if you can't do it, you won't win.

Facundo Formica

That, that is so true. And, and specifically to aesthetics, that is very different to many other, um, type of medicine. I agree. You have to be an expert on this. And that's why Symplast, we only focus in aesthetics, plastic surgery and med spas. But when I say plastic surgery is cosmetic surgery, elective medicine.

Um, but actually one of the points that you made me think of that it was also critical is the— is that becoming that expert. It's, it's not, again, not just in, in the innovation that you bring, but it's in how you take care of your clients. And for us, that, that has been really the biggest, the biggest strategic decision that we have done that, uh, ensure that 10 years later, here we are.

Max Baybak

Yeah. Yeah. That's where longevity comes from, and it is strategic. It doesn't seem like it because it's a long play, but it really is strategic, because you can't just say it, you have to invest in it. So it's a strategic decision to invest in being able to care for your clients and follow through on that care. So I agree.

And the, and the kind of closing idea I'll leave you with here is, for me, I think there's— so I was starting to say Growth Stack looks a little bit more like software, but we know that service is key, key, key to it. We can't say, "Over to you, um, you know, take it." It just doesn't work that way. And I believe with AI— and there's a lot of talk of AI sort of changing everything, removing people, and that will be true in some places, but on the whole I kind of disagree— and I think we're going to see a, a new hybrid model everywhere. I say everywhere, in many different industries, not just ours, which is software with a very human element of service on top. That's where things are really going. And, and, and so that's cool. I think that's so cool that that really fits well with the model you've invested in.

Facundo Formica

And, and it— I love that, because, um, our clients deliver concierge level of service.

Max Baybak

Yeah. Yes.

Facundo Formica

That's what we do to our clients.

Max Baybak

Yeah.

Facundo Formica

We match their business model from that angle. And, um, when it comes to AI, it will replace many tasks, but it will not replace people. It will make people more effective at what they do, that is building relationships and showing the warmth of those relationships and the service. So for example, something that I tell, um, some doctors that, that I talk to is like, AI will take care of the transactional side, but it will not replace the relationship side. It might, it might aid you to, um, simplify the transactional aspect, but it will not replace the relationship.

Max Baybak

Man, I love that. I love two things that you just said here. Transactional versus relationship. Love that. Also, it— this may not seem profound, but to me, I'm hearing what you said and I'm going, I think that is kind of profound. I've said very similar things many times, but what I'm hearing when you say AI— what's up, Tyler? Um, when I say— sorry, I love keeping these podcasts just casual. So, oh, there's Terry, too. Um,

I, I love the concept that you're saying it will replace— it will replace tasks, but not people. That seems obvious, but when you really think about it, it can never replace people. People may have to shift, but it can never replace people. I believe that truly. I really believe that. I mean, maybe it'll get to the point where it's so sentient that we don't know the difference, but I think it's going to take a long time to get there. And replacing tasks versus replacing people, I've been thinking about this a lot. And, and in other words, there will always be a human element that adds value. That's another way to put it. Even if that shifts.

Facundo Formica

Exactly.

Max Baybak

And so, I love that we've both built our businesses. I think that's commonality. You and I have seen a lot of people come and go from this industry, put up a booth, maybe come one or two years, not stay. Whether they just gave up or maybe they couldn't cut it, I don't know. But it doesn't matter. I think the fact that we're here, in that longevity, does speak to our philosophy. So, I feel very aligned with you on that, and I look forward to another 10 years of coming to these shows and expanding our businesses and helping our, our clients deliver the level of service to them that they deliver to their patients. Like you said. I love that, Facundo.

Facundo Formica

Love it.

Max Baybak

Thank you so much for the time, man. Appreciate it. Oh, let me ask you one other question. Are you still riding the bike?

Facundo Formica

Which one?

Max Baybak

Well, I just remember—

Facundo Formica

With motors or without motors?

Max Baybak

Oh, I'm, I'm, I'm interested in without motors. I used to ride bikes so much. Uh, bicycle, road bikes. And right around when I met you, I was riding a lot. And you did this whole ride across Florida.

Facundo Formica

Yes.

Max Baybak

Which I thought was so cool. And you were visiting clients along the way and riding on your bike.

Facundo Formica

No. And that one I didn't visit clients.

Max Baybak

Oh, I merged two.

Facundo Formica

I did. Okay. Exactly. But, um, yeah, I love to do crazy things like that. Um, that one was just pure bicycle riding. I did like Fort Lauderdale to St. Augustine.

Max Baybak

So cool.

Facundo Formica

It was fun. It, it was good. It was, it was, uh, refreshing. Uh, right, like you, you just get on the bike and you're just thinking. I don't even listen to music when, when I ride. I'm just in my head.

Max Baybak

I love it.

Facundo Formica

And I do the same thing with, in motorcycles. I just went to Chile, uh, a few months ago and I did like 3,500 miles in, in 10 days. Again. No, no. Um,

Max Baybak

It's reminding me of that movie. No music. I love that. Just experiencing the world. It's reminding me of that movie that's about Che. Uh, what is the movie where he rides a motorcycle down in South America?

Facundo Formica

I can't remember the name of the movie, but it's the story of the Che Guevara.

Max Baybak

Yeah.

Facundo Formica

That made it all the way to Cuba.

Max Baybak

That's cool. Um, the longest bike ride I've ever done, I think, was maybe I did from LA to Santa Barbara, about 130 miles, with some elevation in it, too. Um,

Facundo Formica

But I bet you did that in a day.

Max Baybak

I did it in a day. Yeah.

Facundo Formica

I took like five days.

Max Baybak

Well, how many miles is that from St., uh—

Facundo Formica

400? From Fort Lauderdale to St. Petersburg.

Max Baybak

Okay. Yeah, that's awesome.

Facundo Formica

I mean, to St. Augustine.

Max Baybak

That's awesome. Well, you're inspiring me. I want to get back on the bike. But again, Facundo, this was fun. Thank you so much for your time.

Facundo Formica

Thank you, Max.

Max Baybak

We'll see you at the next one. We'll see you in Boston in a few weeks.

Facundo Formica

We'll see you in Boston in May 14th.

Max Baybak

Okay. We'll see you there.