The announcement by i3, Techeconomy gathered, was in response to the U.S. State Department’s (USAID) “stop-work” directive for foreign aid issued on January 25th, which is anticipated to impact the distribution of essential medicine in Africa’s healthcare supply chains.

The order highlights and intensifies the need for locally-driven, market-creating approaches to health product distribution and service delivery across Africa.

Funded by the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics (a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation), Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and Chemonics, the i3 program will concentrate its immediate efforts to help innovative growth-stage startups unlock major partnerships to rapidly expand access to patient care.

The selected start-ups will also receive up to $225K in grant funds. i3 aims to expand support to early-stage companies at a later date.

Applications for the 3rd cohort are open until February 28th.

Apply here.

The selected startups will be announced on April 30th. A virtual Q&A session will be hosted by i3 on February 21st to answer any questions regarding the application process.

i3 is coordinated by Salient Advisory and Solina Center for International Development and Research (SCIDaR).

• Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), is calling for leading healthtech startups to join its 3^rd cohort I3 will offer 15 African startups flexible grants, introductions to major healthcare customers and  support to close partnership deals 
• i3 is funded by a powerful network of global healthcare organizations committed to expanding patient access across Africa: the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP  logistics–a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation, Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and Chemonics. 

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative to support African healthtech startups to commercialise and scale their offerings, is calling for leading innovators to join its 3rd cohort.

Funded by the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP  Logistics–a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation, Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and Chemonics, i3 will offer select startups 3 critical resources to prepare themselves for expansion: flexible grants, introductions to potential customers and tailored counsel to close partnership deals.

i3 is selecting a total of 15 leading startups for this cohort: 

• 10 early-stage startups innovating in healthcare delivery or product distribution
• 5 growth-stage startups building the future of pharmacy care

Early-stage startups will receive a $50K grant and growth-stage startups will receive a $225K grant to unlock major partnerships that can expand patient access across the continent. For startups in the cohort,  i3 aims to facilitate at least 150 relationships with key healthcare organizations, worth at least $30M,  which will expand patient access while creating valuable local jobs.

Applications for the 3rd cohort are open now until February 28th.

Apply here:  

The selected startups will be announced on April 30th.

In just two years since its launch, i3 has empowered 60 African health innovators across 16  countries, exceeding expectations with 43% women-led and 20% Francophone-led ventures.

The program provided $3M in direct grants, and facilitated 450 strategic connections, resulting in >$11M in contracted partnerships, expanded reach, and nearly 1,000 jobs created—half of which were held by women. i3 is coordinated by Salient Advisory and Solina Center for Research and Development  (SCIDaR).

Dr. Uchenna Igbokwe, CEO, SCIDaR,

“With the right resources, African-led companies can scale commercially while reaching underserved communities and creating jobs. The i3 program has been able  to prove, in just two years, that an actively engaged network of leading global health institutions and  partners can power African innovators to solve critical African problems in healthcare.”

Oghenetega Iortim, CEO of Figorr, a company that provides end-to-end supply chain tracking technology and an i3 alumni, said,

“We partnered with the Nigerian government to track over 200M health products. Through i3 we met with major global customers who were excited to find ways to expand  Figorr’s impact both in Nigeria, and beyond. We’re grateful to i3 for opening these doors.”

The selected startups will be announced on April 30th. A virtual Q&A  session will be hosted by i3 on February 21st to answer any questions regarding the application process.

i3 is coordinated by Salient Advisory and Solina Center for Research and Development (SCIDaR).

Leading tech hubs – CcHUB and Villgro Africa – will spearhead cohort selection, alongside a distinguished panel of African experts.

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by AmerisourceBergen, Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Microsoft and Chemonics, i3 is supporting the commercialization of 60 promising early- and growth-stage companies. The programme connects African-led supply chain innovators to donors, industry, and government partners, to power start-ups’ growth and impact.

Selected start-ups receive targeted introductions to customers to support commercialization and impact, a $50,000 grant, and tailored investment readiness support. i3 is particularly focused on selecting women-led companies and those operating in Francophone regions.  

The first cohort, selected in September 2022, featured 31 innovators enhancing access to health products across more than 24,000 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in 26 African countries.

To date, the i3 program has facilitated 200+ introductions between the cohort, the sponsors, and potential partners such as USAID, The Global Fund, Benshi.aI, i+Solutions, Chemonics, John Snow Inc., FHI360, Madiro Foundation, government representatives from Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health, representatives from Ekiti and Lagos state, and more.

i3 has featured cohort companies on CNBC Africa, at the World Cup, the Africa Health Agenda International Conference, the forthcoming Africa CEO forum, and more. More than 17 innovators have secured partnerships and pilot projects to date. .  

Applications for the second cohort are open now until June 26^th. Selected start-ups will be announced on September 14^th. i3 continues to be inspired by the progress and potential of African innovators in healthcare supply chains, and is coordinated by Salient Advisory, Southbridge A&I and Solina Center for Research and Development (SCIDaR). Leading regional tech hubs – CcHUB (Co creation Hub), Startupbootcamp Afritech, Villgro Africa, and IMPACT Lab, spearhead cohort selection and investment readiness support.  

For more information and to apply, please visit the programme’s website at innovationsinafrica.com. Join us in our mission to create a more inclusive and innovative ecosystem for health-tech start-ups in Africa. 

Yusuf Rasool, Director, Sustainable Access Solutions, Global Market Access, at MSD commented:   

“Expanding access to medicines requires a new way of thinking that taps into the incredible talent we have across the continent. We can find African solutions for African challenges by bringing together government, industry, and donors to create the scaffolding for entrepreneurs to succeed. MSD is proud to partner with i3 to find, meet and partner with the next generation of African health care companies that are finding innovative ways to solve tomorrow’s healthcare challenges today.” 

Kieran Daly, Director, Global Health Agencies and Funds, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation also commented: 

“i3 intends to jump-start a new way of doing business across aid, industry, and government partners to support local innovation – starting with health care supply chains. With our partners, we’re building a network across the African continent to help structure commercialization support for start-ups, to accelerate their growth and public health impact. We believe local, data-driven innovators closest to the delivery challenges are critical to building the resilient, agile, and responsive supply chains we need.” 

What more can you appreciate in life than that which you need most being reachable to you at your convenience? Well, that’s what the health sector is becoming with the help of innovative healthtech startups.

The works of these Nigerian healthtech startups listed below have gained good recognition globally, being Y Combinator- or Seedstars-backed. They include:

1. Healthtracka 

Healthtracka makes life easier and life assurance rates higher by bringing medical tests to your doorstep and sending the results to you within the twinkle of an eye – really fast.

The startup’s goal is to ensure as many lives as possible are saved in a country where a lot is uncertain. 

Currently present in 12 Nigerian cities, Healthtracka is steadfastly working to ensure it covers the entire country and beyond, taking its health solution global.  

2. Remedial Health

Remedial Health makes the process of purchasing pharmaceutical products seamlessly. While sellers can access different manufacturers easily via the platform, manufacturers in turn gain access to the African market.

All you need to do is place your order digitally and you’d have all you required delivered within 24 hours. Interestingly, healthtech startup offers a buy-now-pay-later service so you don’t need to let your health deteriorate before making purchases due to lack of funds.

3. Lifestores Healthcare

Inclusion is the goal of Lifestores Healthcare. The startup is tackling the inefficiencies that exist in our health sector including poor procurement practices, lack of affordable and quality medical products and services, insufficient operations and many more.

As of October last year, the Lifestores affirmed to be having a monthly marketplace growth of 25%, with plans to increase its customer base of 100,000+ patients to 400,000+ this year.

4. Reliance Health

Reliance Health is also leveraging technology to make healthcare accessible and affordable for all. 

The healthtech provides health insurance and telemedicine by partnering with healthcare facilities and hospitals.

With its business customers including Jumia, Nivea and PwC, the healthtech’s integrated approach currently serves emerging markets in Nigeria and Egypt, but plans to go beyond this soon.

5. Helium Health 

The aspect Helium Health focuses on is an interesting and highly important one. Medical record keeping and operational management are highly essential for any hospital or healthcare facility.

With Helium Health, healthcare providers get a comprehensive suite of technology solutions built to manage all aspects of operations including healthcare delivery, electronic medical records and telemedicine, to administration and financial management.

Payments are transparent on the platform and patients can view personal health records, prescriptions and lab results. 

6. LifeBank

LifeBank is an on-demand delivery healthtech company providing blood, oxygen and medical consumables as quickly as possible. 

This has ensured that hospitals provide improved healthcare services to patients, with 24/7 availability of blood and other medical products.

The healthtech leverages Google Maps to make quick and precise delivery in any location, utilizing multimodal logistics such as drones, boats, bikes, and tricycles.

7. Chekkit

Chekkit leverages blockchain-powered technology to help pharmaceutical and FMCG companies fight counterfeit drugs.

The startup reduces the fragmented supply chain in medical supplies, connecting end users directly to health companies and hospitals.

So far, Chekkit has deployed over 10 million medical products across and beyond the African continent.

8. CribMD

CribMD eliminates the need to spend long hours waiting to see a doctor or qualified medical practitioners.

The healthtech provides affordable healthcare plans for individuals and families to access comprehensive and convenient medical services, including home visits by doctors, telemedicine, health plans, online pharmacy, among other services.

9. DrugStoc

One of the healthtech startups tackling the issue of counterfeit drugs, DrugStoc empowers stakeholders including hospitals, clinics, government facilities, doctors as well as specialists to work towards a healthier continent.

Healthcare providers can manage and procure their medical and pharmaceutical products on the platform without stress.

Interestingly, DrugStoc also provides collateral free loans to pharmaceutical businesses, ensuring they never run out of stock and never fail on quality services.

10. Medsaf

Medsaf is a healthtech marketplace where hospitals and pharmacies can purchase quality products at affordable rates. 

Medsaf automates and finances medication procurement across Africa with its technology and data-driven solution.

It utilizes embedded financing and plugs in financiers, logistics, and quality control as a service, and employs blockchain and data analytics, enabling manufacturers and other stakeholders to have access to crucial data on the movement of medications.

This was disclosed recently by the organizers of the Award as part of the pre-event activities to kick off the 8^th edition of this annual award ceremony.

The webinar theme is the same as this year’s edition of NHEA2022 – Innovative Healthcare Services in the Era of Change.

Dr. Egbe Osifo-Dawodu, Principal Partner Anadach Group, spoke on the webinar “Post COVID, the healthcare system worldwide has undergone a paradigm shift and Healthcare organizations have been forced to Innovate to stay in business. New and Updated methods of delivery of healthcare services are also common place. This webinar aims to showcase how Innovation has improved healthcare delivery.”

Dr. Wale Alabi, NHEA Project Director says it took a while coming but we are happy that this NHEA pre-event webinar has finally belted. It will be a great platform to interact, intergrate and collaborate with our young and upcoming innovative geeks into the values and benefits of the Award.”

The webinar is expected to present an opportunity for HealthTech promoters to pitch to industry stakeholders in the audience, as well as an opportunity to solicit real time feedback, advice and connect with stakeholders in the health tech ecosystem to encourage further collaboration. NHEA has sent a call for pitches and the screening process will be done by Anadach and Global Health Project and Resources (GHPR).

NHEA is an initiative of Global Health Projects & Resources in collaboration with Anadach Group.

The award is an annual event aimed at celebrating individuals and organizations that have contributed to the development of the healthcare sector through innovative, efficient and qualitative healthcare delivery services that have significantly impacted the health and wellbeing of Nigerian citizens at home and abroad.