Leap Posts 25x Growth; Expands Executive Team and Appoints Hani Elias as CEO

Co-Founders Amir Sharif and Rob LaHayne appointed to new operating leadership roles and Naguib S. Sawiris as Chairman

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Leap, the leading infusion therapy partner for self-funded employers, today announced a major expansion of its leadership team and Board of Directors following a breakout year of growth. In 2025, Leap expanded its coverage to all 50 states and grew its number of covered lives to a 25x year-over-year increase. Employers working with Leap realize claims-validated hard-dollar savings of up to $3 million per 10,000 covered lives, while improving patient outcomes.

To support the company's next phase of growth, Leap's Board has appointed its co-founders to new roles. Hani Elias will serve as Chief Executive Officer, Amir Sharif as President, Rob LaHayne as Chief Commercial Officer, and Naguib S. Sawiris, Chairman of Orascom Development Holdings, as Chairman of the Board.

Specialty infusion has become one of the fastest-growing and least transparent drivers of self-funded employer healthcare spend. Specialty drugs account for <2% of prescriptions but ~54% of total U.S. drug spending, with the pharmacy segment growing at ~2× the rate of total health benefits spending.

Most infusions are still delivered in hospital outpatient departments, the highest-cost setting, where buy-and-bill markups often push prices 400% higher for the same specialty therapies. Employers are forced to manage the rising costs through increased prior authorizations and other utilization controls, while patients often pay the price in delayed treatment, unnecessary travel, and fragmented care.

"The market has reached a breaking point," said Hani Elias, CEO of Leap. "In many cases, high-cost settings like hospital outpatient departments generate more profit from specialty drugs than the manufacturers who develop them. That kind of distortion ultimately shows up in employers' healthcare costs. Leap is built to realign incentives with value so costs come down and people can get treatment faster and closer to home."

"At Koch, we look for partners who are focused on mutual benefit. That culminates in two key priorities — improving health outcomes and experiences for our employees and reducing cost," said Matthew Hall, Benefits Strategy Manager at Koch, Inc. "Leap Health delivers on both. Now, our employees get more convenient, high-quality infused medications, and Koch pays less. Win-win."

Improving patient experience is core to Leap's mission. Leap pairs every member with a licensed Care Guide of nurses and pharmacists who manage the infusion journey end-to-end, accelerating time to treatment, navigating prior authorizations, and coordinating care in the home or at convenient near-home locations so employees can receive care without missing work.

"Leap took a difficult medical experience and made it one where I could focus on my health," said Petrina M., a Leap member. "They took care of everything. I'm so thankful to have Leap as a benefit because I don't know how I'd do this without them."

Leap's leadership team brings healthcare expertise, consumer-grade care design, and employer benefits experience to help self-funded employers address specialty infusion spend at scale. CEO Hani Elias, JD, MPH, previously led Lumere (acquired by GHX); President Amir Sharif oversees product and technology and helped build Care/of (acquired by Bayer) and Tend, and founded Kins; and CCO Rob LaHayne brings nearly two decades of employer benefits experience, including roles at TouchCare and Namely.

About Leap
Leap is the only transparent infusion benefit solution for self-funded employers. Leap eliminates provider markups on specialty drugs and coordinates infusion care end-to-end, while delivering a personalized patient experience that earns an industry-leading Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 92. Learn more at leaphealth.com.

Media Contact: Lindsey Hall, [email protected]

SOURCE Leap