The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has announced its support for 29 African start-ups that are working to improve the healthcare supply chain on the continent. The start-ups will receive $50,000 each, as well as access to potential customers, donors, and investors.
The start-ups were selected from 21 African countries, covering various aspects of the healthcare supply chain, such as online pharmacies, telemedicine, inventory management, data analytics, product protection, and visibility. The start-ups will also benefit from the expertise and mentorship of industry giants like Cencora, MSD, Microsoft, and Chemonics, who are sponsoring the initiative.
The initiative, called Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), is a pan-African program that aims to foster the growth and commercialization of promising early- and growth-stage companies in the healthcare sector. This is the second cohort of start-ups supported by i3, following the first one in 2022, which resulted in 24 contracts, pilots, and partnerships.
The i3 program is part of the Gates Foundation’s efforts to improve health outcomes and strengthen local health systems in Africa, by leveraging solutions across the public and private sectors. Kieran Daly, the director of global health agencies and funds at the Gates Foundation, said: “Programs like i3 help us understand, support and engage with technology-driven solutions emerging across Africa, hand-in-hand with our partners.”
The i3 program also prioritized the inclusion of women-led and Francophone start-ups, as they face more challenges in accessing funding and markets. Out of the 29 start-ups, 38% are women-led and 17% operate in Francophone Africa.
The start-ups will participate in the annual Access to Markets event in Nairobi, scheduled for November 14-15, where they will have the opportunity to network and pitch their solutions to industry stakeholders, governments, donors, and large multilateral agencies. The event aims to facilitate connections that will help the start-ups scale and sustain their impact.
The 29 start-ups selected for the i3 program are: Afia Group Limited, Aimcare Health, Bena Care, BioCertica, Chari Pharma, CheckUps Medical, Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Drugstore Nigeria, Famasi Limited, Field Intelligence, Inc, GICMED, Grinta, Healthtracka, Kapsule, Medical Diagnostech, Medpharma Alliance International Limited, Octosoft Technologies Limited, Pharmarun, Pharmaserv Health Project Nigeria Limited, Reductiona, SASA Health Limited, Tech Care For All Eastern Africa, Technovera – Pelebox Smart Lockers, Tibu Health, UltraTeb, Waspito, WellaHealth, and Welo.
The i3 program is a testament to the innovation and resilience of African entrepreneurs, who are using technology to solve some of the most pressing health challenges on the continent.
