The masterclass was designed for learners on the ALX Founders Academy. This comprehensive entrepreneurship program offers participants insights and tools to ideate, develop, and validate their innovative ideas into viable businesses.

The programme engages a vibrant community of peers who gain insights from successful African startup founders with live masterclasses such as this.

The master in this case, Chidi Afulezi, a product specialist, founder, and Managing Principal of redKola Digital Labs, led the session with an in-depth look into the key principles of product development and management.

Emphasizing the importance of discovering and validating the problems and crafting solutions that align with the needs and opportunities of the market.

“Entrepreneurs need to fall in love with the problem they are trying to solve. The entrepreneur’s journey is one of discovery. Discovering the problem, discovering the customers that have these problems, and discovering the solutions to the problem. With this discovery, they can build a product that is viable, feasible, and valuable,” Chidi remarked.

Reflecting on the event, Ruby Igwe, country general manager, ALX Nigeria, said,

“We organize impactful sessions like this masterclass to inspire our learners and give them the tools they need to succeed. Our goal is to ensure that they are equipped with the best resources and knowledge to create products that will shape the future of Africa’s economy.”

ALX Founder Academy has contributed to the success stories of many African startups, including Aquatrack, Luna, and Healthtracka, a digital health platform that raised $1.5m in 2022.

The program is designed to support high-potential startups across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) that are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionise healthcare and medical research.

Among the selected startups are Nigeria’s Healthtracka, Kenya’s Thalia Psychotherapy and TibuHealth, and South Africa’s Zoie Health.

These companies exemplify the potential of AI to address pressing healthcare challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa, advancing mental health integration, providing accessible outpatient services, and delivering affordable healthcare to underserved populations.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 116 million  people across Africa were already estimated to be living with mental health conditions pre-pandemic and as things stand, there are fewer than two mental health workers for every 100 000 people.

Thalia Psychotherapy’s AI-powered chatbot provides initial assessments and therapy sessions, increasing access to mental health support in a region with a critical shortage of mental health professionals.

TibuHealth, on the other hand, delivers affordable outpatient services via “minute clinics” in partner pharmacies in high-density neighbourhoods.

Dorothy Ooko, head of Communications and Public Affairs, Google, Africa, said:

“We are committed to supporting the growth of innovative startups, particularly those that are leveraging AI to address critical healthcare challenges. The Growth Academy: AI for Health program is a testament to this commitment, and we are excited to see the impact these startups will have on the future of healthcare.”

The three-month program will provide participants with intensive training, mentorship, and networking opportunities.

Startups will benefit from workshops on best practices for AI, leadership development, responsible innovation, product design, and customer acquisition.

Additionally, Google experts from Research, Health, Verily, Fitbit, and DeepMind will offer one-on-one mentorship sessions and technical project support.

Below are the participating startups, representing 13 countries from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and how they’re using AI models and technology to improve patient care and advance medical research:

• Aide (United Kingdom) is a digital service that helps patients and clinicians better understand and manage chronic disease, specifically comorbidity.
• AmplifAI (Saudi Arabia) combines AI driven thermography and computer vision to create a standardised and objective assessment for diabetic foot ulcers.
• Biorce (Portugal) is developing solutions to enhance clinical trials through the power of AI, having created Jarvis, a clinical AI assistant.
• C the Signs (United Kingdom) is an AI cancer prediction platform that helps identify patients at risk of cancer at its earliest and most curable stages.
• Callyope (France) develops speech-based remote patient monitoring solutions that help caretakers assess treatment efficacy and detect relapses in serious mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
• bio (Netherlands) works to reverse diabetes type 2 by precision nutrition, providing best in class digital therapeutic based on real-time glucometry.
• Ephion Health (Spain) develops digital biomarkers to ensure accurate disease monitoring and therapy assessment, through wearables data, clinical reports and AI for precise patient assessment.
• Exakt Health (Germany) is a certified medical app for physiotherapy and evidence-based training with hyper-personalised treatment plans.
• FiveLives (France) is a digital brain health platform for people aged 50+ to take control of their cognitive health, through combining clinically-validated brain health assessment and an engaging coaching program.
• Healthtracka (Nigeria) is decentralising access to healthcare in Africa through remote medical diagnostics, connecting users with a seamless way to access at-home lab tests, receive clear results and doctors consultations.
• HearMe (Poland) supports employees’ mental health through anonymous and secure 1:1 sessions with mental health professionals.
• Juniver (United Kingdom) delivers on-demand help for eating disorders, with AI-powered interventions for urges, evidence-based education, personalised tools, peer support and telemedicine.
• Mindgram (Poland) is a platform offering a holistic solution providing employees and their relatives with psychological and self-development support around the clock.
• Motherbeing (Egypt) is a digital solution dedicated to Arab women’s sexual and reproductive health. The platform connects users with doctors, experts, personalised health education and an AI-powered health assistant.
• Noah Labs (Germany) develops a voice-based machine learning software for the early detection of decompensated heart failure.
• Nui (Germany) is an app providing family caregivers with support through an intelligent chatbot that provides guidance to find answers to the most pressing questions.
• O7 Therapy (Egypt) bridges the treatment gap with cutting-edge tech and top-tier mental health professionals. The O7 Therapy app offers instant, anonymous support via encrypted Chat, Audio and Video Sessions.
• Powerful Medical (Slovakia) revolutionises cardiovascular diagnostics with its AI-driven platform, enabling healthcare professionals across the EU and beyond to diagnose and manage 39 cardiovascular conditions.
• Research Grid (United Kingdom) is an automation engine enabling faster, more successful clinical trials by engineering smart software that safely automates back office admin across the full lifecycle.
• Rofim (France) specialises in developing telemedicine software. The Rofim platform is a telemedicine platform designed to connect patients with healthcare professionals, enable diagnosis and improve access to care.
• SYCAI Medical (Spain) develops medical device software with the aim of preventing the appearance of cancer in the abdomen non-invasively.
• Thalia Psychotherapy (Kenya) is a mental health startup focused on integrating mental health services into primary healthcare systems.
• TibuHealth (Kenya) delivers affordable outpatient services via “minute clinics” in partner pharmacies in high-density neighbourhoods.
• Zoie Health (South Africa) is a digital health platform focused on providing underserved, high-need populations with affordable, accessible and healthcare.

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative for start-ups building the future of healthcare supply chains, has announced its second cohort of 29 companies.

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Microsoft, and Chemonics, i3 is dedicated to facilitating the commercialization of promising early- and growth-stage companies.

Selected startups receive introductions to leading potential customers in industry, donor agencies and governments, a $50,000 grant, and tailored investment readiness support from leading accelerators Villgro Africa, IMPACT Lab, Startupbootcamp Afritech, and CcHUB.

The 29 start-ups chosen operate in 21 different African countries, delivering digitally-enabled healthcare supply chain solutions. Innovators are building online pharmacies and telemedicine firms, as well as inventory management services for pharmacies, clinics and hospitals, supply chain data analytics, product protection, product visibility and more.

Thirty-eight (38%) of the companies selected are women-led and 17% are conducting operations in Francophone Africa.

The selected companies are, in alphabetical order: 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.

Innovators selected will benefit from the i3’s annual Access to Markets event in Nairobi, which will be held between 14-15 of November.

The event facilitates dynamic partnership dialogues between industry stakeholders, governments, donors, and large multilateral agencies. Connections are made to drive the commercialization and scale of the start-ups through mutually beneficial contracts, pilot projects, and investments.

The first cohort of 31 companies supported by i3 last year forged 24 contracts, pilots, and strategic partnerships to date.

Kieran Daly, Director, Global Health Agencies and Funds at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, commented: “As countries and global health institutions work to expand access to priority products, we face an urgent need to leverage solutions across the public and private sectors to improve health outcomes and strengthen local health systems. Programs like i3 help us understand, support and engage with technology-driven solutions emerging across Africa, hand-in-hand with our partners.”

Yusuf Rasool, Director, Global Market Access, Sustainable Access Solutions at MSD, noted, “We are excited to have a second cohort of 29 innovative changemakers in African healthcare enter the program. Investing in these companies are a means of delivering lifesaving solutions and empowering communities through the access of critical medicines across the continent.”

Jason Dinger, Senior Vice President of Global Products and Solutions at Cencora

“The range of startups selected for the second cohort reflects the breadth of talent and creativity in the

African entrepreneurial landscape, and we look forward to witnessing the transformative impact of their solutions in the years to come.”

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) is coordinated by Salient Advisory and SCIDaR and is operationalized by leading technology hubs across the continent: CCHub for West Africa, Startupbootcamp AfriTech for Southern Africa, IMPACT Lab for North and French-speaking Africa, and Villgro Africa for East Africa.

The Impact Investors Foundation, Nigeria’s leading platform for unlocking impact capital, is calling on nominations of social enterprises and impact investors in Nigeria and non-profit organisations in West Africa for its annual awards, which will close in the next three weeks.

This year, the award recipients would be celebrated at the 5th edition of the prestigious IIF Annual Dinner and Awards, which is part of the 2023 Annual Convening on Impact Investing, in Lagos at the Oriental Hotel on the 31st October and 1st of November 2023.

The IIF Award for Impact Investing is a platform that recognises a leading institution and/or an individual who has made significant environmental and social contributions through their investments, products, services, or innovations.

Impact in this context is measurable by contributions that are making the lives of many Nigerians better and improving the environment.

The award is intended to inspire others to deliberately build impact into their business and investment strategies and measure their contributions, thereby, growing and strengthening the impact investing ecosystem in Nigeria.

Eligible individuals or organizations are advised to visit the IIF award website to read more about the selection criteria and submit nominations before July 7, 2023.

In 2022,  Acumen, a philanthropic investor that focuses on early stage companies, won the Impact Investor of the Year award; Healthtracka, a digital health platform that provides home lab testing available, won the Social Enterprise of the Year award while Mamamoni Empowerment Foundation,  a non-profit that supports, equips and mobilises local African women, clinched the Innocent C. Chukwuma Award for Social Impact.

The IIF Annual Award for Impact Investing is in three categories.

They are:

• Impact Investor of The Year
• Social Enterprise of The Year
• Innocent C. Chukwuma Award for Social Impact

Ms Etemore Glover, The Chief Executive Officer, IIF, said, “We are excited to be bringing back the 5th edition of our annual dinner and awards, one of the most exciting sessions of the 2023 IIF Annual Convening on Impact Investing that celebrates impact heroes in Nigeria and West Africa. 

We look forward to honouring investors who are advancing our efforts in the ecosystem by creating equitable access to impact funds; innovators who are significantly influencing social and environmental issues and non-profits that are delivering measurable impact in the areas of social justice, community organizing and sustainable development.”

Glover said.

The IIF is committed to eliminating the barriers to impact investing by building an effective ecosystem that supports the growth of investment pipelines and sustainable impact.

In line with the 2023 IWD theme, ‘Embrace Equity’, the event line up included a panel discussion that dissected ways in which individuals, organisations, businesses and governments can support the push for gender balance in today’s world.

Speaking on the essence of the celebration, Franklin Ali, Chief Human Resources Officer, Interswitch Nigeria said “International Women’s Day is not only an opportunity for us to reflect on the progress we’ve made towards gender equality, but also to celebrate and appreciate the phenomenal women in our organization who have contributed immensely to the growth of Interswitch with their unwavering commitment.

“Achieving gender equity is not only a plus for the society as a whole, but also an imperative for sustainable business growth. It is important to note that a diverse and inclusive workplace leads to better decision-making, and increased innovation which in turn improves our customer experience,” Ali added.

Affirming this, speakers on the panel also recognised that a diverse and inclusive workplace is essential for the growth of female employees and the business at large. “By creating a work environment where everyone feels valued and included, organisations can tap into the full potential of its employees and better serve its customers,” Deborah Odim, Founder and CEO, Gush Lifestyle, said.

While admitting that women are achieving outstanding feats across many fields, the panelists called out the need for more recognition and support for womenfolk.

According to Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Founder and CEO, Healthtracka, “70 percent of women make up the global healthcare workforce, while only 6.7 percent of funding goes to female-owned healthcare businesses, undermining their capacity to build businesses. “

Other notable female entrepreneurs who made up the panel include Stella Ndekile, Founder and CEO of Nuban Beauty and Blessing Adesiyan, Founder and CEO of MH Worklife.

To wrap up the panel session, women were encouraged to emulate the qualities of other great women who have made a mark on society, and to strive for the best in their various endeavors.

Highlighting the company’s commitment to gender diversity and inclusion, in 2022, Interswitch emerged as one of Nigeria’s top five leading companies in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) according to a report by advisory consulting firm, Hofstede Insights.

Each year, International Women’s Day takes place on the 8th of March (#IWD2023) to celebrate the cultural, political, and economic achievements of women globally, and to also re-echo the call for gender balance and inclusion.

According to the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, an estimated 36 million women aged 15 years and over, are at risk of developing cervical cancer in Nigeria.

The lack of access to health services severely impacts women – this needs to be addressed urgently as detecting symptomatic patients as early as possible gives them the best chance for successful treatment.

“We are proud to partner with Healthtracka to support women drivers by playing a role in early detection of cervical cancer. Through this collaboration, we can increase screening, support early detection of the disease and help provide some peace of mind not only for women drivers but for their communities too,” explains Tope Akinwumi, Uber Country Manager, Nigeria.

Through this partnership, women drivers in Lagos will receive an HPV Self-Sampling Kit provided by Healthtracka. This allows women drivers who are always on the road, to have the screening done at the most convenient time. Once their sample arrives in the laboratory, confidential results will be available from their secure online account in seven days. The Healthtracka team will be available on a call to explain the results and provide guidance on next steps.

During the event, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, CEO at Healthtracka added, “We are pleased to team up with Uber to roll out this important initiative, which will help more women take steps to take charge of their health. With cervical cancer affecting a significant part of the population, early detection and creating awareness of the disease are important ways of making a difference.

“We believe this partnership is a step in the right direction to ensure that women have equal access to healthcare and we commend Healthtracka for the work they are doing,” concludes Akinwumi.

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.

The story of Healthtracka spurred out of a need to save lives and prevent antecedent situations, making the world understand that negligence to our health is a trap we set for ourselves.

In a chat with Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson, Founder and CEO of Healthtracka and Olumide Lawrence Odeyemi, Marketing Manager at Healthtracka, the beginning, challenges, drive and goals of the startup are explained.

Anyone can guess from the name Healthtracka that it deals in health and tracks the well-being of its users, but please tell us how Healthtracka came to be and what’s been the drive behind it.

The idea of Healthtracka came from a place of personal loss to the CEO and Founder, Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson.

Her dad, who was full of life and vibrant, suddenly slumped one day and was rushed to the hospital; that was the beginning of the end for him.

By the time the diagnosis was brought back, it happened that he had diabetes and hypertension untreated for a very long time. He didn’t make it eventually.

That rang up the need for more people to be aware of what’s going on in their bodies. We wake up every day, try to go about our daily lives, provide for our families, make ends meet and achieve our dreams but not many of us are paying attention to our health.

We’ve realised that the reason this is happening is because there are lots of barriers to getting healthcare or health information in Nigeria for example.

If an average person wants to get to the hospital today, they would think of how to get off work, go through traffic, the wait time to see a doctor or even get the test done, when the results would be out, how to understand the result and others.

For a lot of people, they are just very content with ‘God forbid’ as their insurance policy. A lot of people only wait until they are sick or until they start feeling symptoms before they get medical help. For people feeling the symptoms or feeling sick already, some don’t even have the energy to go to the hospital, they have to wait for someone to come and help them.

What we are doing is removing all these barriers. You don’t even have to be sick for medical care; whether you have a 9 to 5 or not, we come to you. You don’t have to go through traffic or stress and all of the delays in seeing a doctor will be taken away from you.

All of those stress being taken away is what we’ve packaged into a product which is Healthtracka today. It means now, you can just pick up your phone, go to www.healthtracka.com and be able to book a test, someone will come to your house to take your test and your results are delivered within 48 hours and a doctor will be speaking to you once your result is out to let you know what you need to do and how you can get better care for your health.

So the whole idea of Healthtracka started from the need to help people get health information on time so they can begin to live better and longer lives. We know currently the average life expectancy for men and women in Nigeria is between 54 and 55 years and who says we can’t live longer?

The only reason we’re not living longer is because we are not being upfront about our health and that’s what Healthtracka is aiming to solve.

I’d say your success is not just tied to the fact that you’re in the health sector and lots of people need medical attention every day so that’s why you’re scaling. Tell us the uniqueness of Healthtracka

What makes Healthtracka unique is that we are addressing a niche problem and a very important need. You’d realise that since 2020, when Covid hit, there’s been a rise in telemedicine across Nigeria. But what people consider to be telemedicine is being in your house and talking to a doctor directly. 

What Healthtracka is doing is that we are taking healthcare from the very beginning which means before you even say you need to talk to a doctor, you need to know what exactly is wrong at least, you don’t just start talking to a doctor, most doctors would refer you to do a test based on your symptoms so they can know the best way to give you care. Also, most people have to go to a physical lab to get these tests done and if you’re really talking about telemedicine, it means that you should be able to access healthcare from any location, not necessarily visiting a physical brick-and-mortar location. That is exactly what we are doing, that’s what makes us unique; the fact that as simple as a lab test, you can now get it done in the comfort of your home.

Secondly, we are addressing an important need and that is the fact that people need to have their health information handy. You should be able to know if you’re overweight or underweight, you should be able to know your blood pressure, sugar level and certain facts about your health. What is my health condition right now? What are the things I need to do to stay healthy? Am I getting enough sleep? Am I eating right? Am I stressing too much? All of these things are what make Healthtracka unique because we are not just giving you results for your health test, we are also giving you lifestyle notifications that would help you stay healthy. That’s what makes us unique.

How are you able to thrive in a country like Nigeria, where we have infrastructural deficiency? Yes you leverage technology but there are situations where you require other facilities that technology can’t resolve — transportation, electricity, etc

For us, it is a growing concern and in each phase of this concern, we always find a way to resolve it. First off, in terms of reaching the customers faster, we initially started out using vehicles but realised the traffic situation would not allow us reach the customers in time to be able to get the test done so we evolved into using motorbikes so we could move faster around Lagos and get the samples to the lab in good time.

Also, we’ve had partnerships with different top-certified labs to ensure customers can get their results in good time. Normally, most labs would take time because they have to deal with lots of samples in a day so they could get results across to customers. Most people who go to brick-and-mortar labs wait longer before they get their results but with us, because of the understanding we’ve built with these labs, we are able to have a quick turnaround time on results for customers and these are critical things that customers need. 

Basically, they want a service that is fast, reliable and test results are accurate. Those are the key things we are solving; ensuring we can move around quickly and get results quickly to customers so they can make decisions about their health as soon as possible. 

Can your service be accessed without the internet?

We have looked at that as well. There are different ways to access our services, you can go to the website which definitely requires the internet. If you are not very internet savvy, you can at least use a WhatsApp platform where you can place test bookings directly. If you don’t have any of these, you can also book a test just by a phone call, there’s a number on all our platforms you can call and someone would get to you as soon as possible. This needs no internet service.

This takes us deeper into the challenges you encounter. What are the challenges you faced in setting up Healthtracka and what are the current challenges?

What I would say is the major challenge right now is that we are still evolving in Nigeria, and there’s still a need for education about our health. A lot of Nigerians are still getting into the reality that their health is as important as their hustle. If we have more people who are proactive about their health, then we would be able to leave much longer. 

So the major challenge is that we still have lots of Nigerians who are not very proactive about their health. Many people still depend on ‘oh let me feel symptoms before I get healthcare’. This issue is what we are trying to solve through our regular outreach, educative events, online events on Twitter spaces, webinars and a couple of partnerships we are working on. We are also going beyond Lagos and other places just to ensure we can spread the word and allow people to be able to take charge of their health as soon as possible.

The other challenge is the issue of moving around the country as quickly as possible, the ease of doing business, something beyond our scope. The ones we would like to work on, which we have a level of control over, would be getting more Nigerians to become aware of their health and the need to not wait before something happens before checking. It is about staying in constant touch with your health so you can live longer and achieve those dreams you always talk about all the time.

After Healthtracka raised $1.5 million 5 months ago, where have you expanded to and what new impact have you made?

One of the greatest goals of Healthtracka is to have our footprints in all 36 States of Nigeria. Before the grant came in, we were in just five Nigerian cities, now we have expanded into 12 cities including Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt, Osun, Ibadan, Oyo, Ogun, Benin, Ilorin, Kaduna, Ekiti and Ondo States. We’ve covered the entire Southwest and are in other strategic locations. Before the end of next year’s first quarter, we should also have covered a significant part of the Southeast and South-South so we can ensure more people can get access to healthcare in the comfort of theirs.

It’s not just for the people in those locations, it’s also for people outside Nigeria, who have parents in those places and they need reliable healthcare to get to them. That’s one of the reasons our presence in those places becomes important. 

You can now book healthcare packages for your parents that would go to them, not them having to leave their homes to go to the hospital because some are too weak to move.

In terms of new products, one of the most significant products we’ve created between the time we got the grant and now is a PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome) test. We created this test based on data and things we’ve noticed are affecting women a lot. We realised that lots of women are suffering from PCOS silently without even understanding that PCOS is what they are dealing with. 

We launched this test so that more women can diagnose exactly what is wrong with them when they discover the symptoms. For instance, their hormones are all over the place, they are struggling to conceive, they are having stubborn acne, having mood swings, hairs growing on different parts of their bodies they do not understand, irregular periods without getting pregnant and others. Some women even think it’s normal, but PCOS has a long-term effect that if untreated can cause bigger damage to women.

So we are helping more women have more control of their hormones with this test. This is one of the most significant products we have created so that we can make more impact on Nigerians and women in general.

You were recently among the top 3 women selected by Veuve Clicquot for the Bold Woman Award. Where do you draw your inspiration to keep moving despite hiccups and confrontations to give up?

Our mission drives us at Healthtracka. When we start something, until we see the actual goal being fulfilled, it doesn’t feel like we can stop yet. Despite the ups and downs as well as challenges which are a lot, because we know that we set out to solve this problem of access to diagnosis, we have no choice but to wake up every morning, and keep being motivated to finish what we started.

It’s definitely a journey, but thankfully as well, in the team, we also have lots of passionate people trying to solve the same thing. There are days when we can draw inspiration from each other so that helps.

I have two children, have a daughter as well and it’s important for her to see that her dreams are valid and she can do whatever she wants to do. She can pick a problem she’s passionate about and solve it.

It’s really important for me to see women actually go after their dreams.

Healthtracka will utilize the funding to scale its B2B2C offering where partner companies in Nigeria can deliver at-home testing to their employees and accelerate its growth beyond current reach.

Investors who participated in this round include Africa-focused early-stage VC Ingressive Capital and U.S.-based venture fund Hustle Fund. Angel investors included Alumni Angels Alliance and Flying Doctors.

Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson and Victor Amusan launched Healthtracka in May 2021 to bridge the medical gap and lack of infrastructure that exists in Africa.

The digital health platform offers at-home health services with easy-to-read diagnostic test results for patients, received within 3 days. The health startup, leveraging technology, makes the entire medical process stress-free, with screening tests done in the comfort of users’ homes.

Healthtracka asserts to have excellent laboratory partners who are the best in pathology laboratories m, with labs that have the highest level of accreditations such as ISO and MLSCN certifications.

The company has plans to launch its subscription plans for retail customers, offer APIs for telehealth service providers, hospitals, and pharmacies to provide at-home blood testing for their patients and expand operations beyond Nigerian to Kenya and Ghana before the end of the year.

Healthtracka’s network of phlebotomists has increased 20x since its launch to over 100 and the startup has delivered almost 7,000 tests at home, with revenue growing 30% month-on-month.

It goes without saying that technology has greatly improved accessibility, affordability and the effectiveness of medical services across the globe. This has been made possible by individuals and groups coming together to decentralise products and services across countries and continents. 

Healthtech companies have brought medical services to our doorsteps, solving the issue of distance and ridiculously expensive services. Definitely not limited to these, but the top 10 health startups we are watching this year include CribMD, DrugStoc, mPharma, Chekkit, Field Intelligence, 54gene, LifeBank, BYON8, Ilara Health and Healthtracka.

1. CribMD

Inspired by the need to bring on-demand medical services closer to individuals, Ifeanyi Ossai, Ngiri Michael, and Lorna Mae Johnson founded CribMD. The telemedicine startup provides a pay-as-you-go subscription model to service patients who can also request home services.

With a goal to ensure quality, affordable, and accessible healthcare services, CribMD offers Basic, Pro, and Family plans costing $7.87, $13.11, and $49.84 monthly. 

The startup, which has raised total funding of $2,600,000, was among the five startups enlisted in the Austin-based VC fund and accelerator, 2021 Winter Batch cohort on Sputnik ATX, from which it received $100,000 in investment.

2. DrugStoc

A startup with over 1,500% monthly revenue growth, Chibuzo Opara and Adham Yehia founded DrugStoc to fight the spread of fake and illicit substandard drugs across Nigeria.

The eHealth startup serves as a bridge between drug companies and medical institutions, in Nigeria and has linked over 400 manufacturers to 3,200 doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, ensuring quality pharmaceutical products are delivered across the country.

With its $4,400,000 Series A funding raised in November 2021, the startup set on an expansion plan into 16 Nigerian states and subsequently into other African markets beyond Nigeria.

3. mPharma 

Also on a mission to increase access to quality medications, Ghanaian-based mPharma is providing innovative financing and inventory management solutions to hospitals, pharmacies and patients.

Serving the millions of underserved communities who lack access to affordable medicines, mPharma operates in six African countries, and affirms to have partnered with 155 hospitals, 850 pharmacies and drugstores and has attended to over 2,000,000 patients.

The digital health startup provides analytical data to drug companies as well as health ministries and is building an infrastructure and a drug monitoring system that connects patients, hospitals and pharmacies to cloud-based software. Via its platform, doctors get real-time information about exact locations and availability of medication interest, enabling patients get more reliable access to medicines.

4. Chekkit

Incorporated in Nigeria and the USA, Chekkit is a blockchain technology company that protects users against counterfeited goods and drugs. The company, founded in 2018 by Dare Odumade, Tosin Adelowo and Samuel Ukhueleigbe, asserts to have pharmaceutical products, protected over 200,000 consumers, and expanded its partnership with the Afghan government to verify and track over 200 million products.

Its products include ChekkitApp which enables users to verify the originality of products before purchase, report fake products and win rewards. Chekkit’s second product is Consumer Intelligence, a blockchain-secured anti-counterfeit, consumer engagement and data collection tool for consumer goods and pharmaceutical companies.

The third product is Chekkit USSD which enables users to verify original products by dialling a code that works on all networks and phones.

5. Field Intelligence 

Field Intelligence is focused on bringing simplicity, affordability and effectiveness to the pharmaceutical supply chain. The startup was founded in 2015 to provide services to both large health companies and drug stores, helping them provide better services and thrive well in the sector.

The company’s partners include Unicef, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, McKinsey & Company, Pharmacists Council of Nigeria, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Nigerian Supply Chain Integration Project, among others.

Field Intelligence has over 30,000 locations under management, also manages 2,000+ medical products, more than $1.1 billion product value managed annually and has served 75,000,000+ patients so far.

6. 54gene

Located in Nigeria and the USA, 54gene is a healthtech company that builds on innovation. Bridging the gap in the global genomics market, the startup develops diverse datasets to unlock scientific discoveries to improve diagnostic and treatment outcomes within Africa and the global community.

The healthtech startup, with $44,700,000 total funding raised so far, was launched in 2019. In partnership with US-based biotech company, Illumina, 54gene launched its genetics sequencing and microarray lab in Lagos, in September 2020 and currently has a biobank capacity for 300,000 samples, but targets increasing this in the long term.

7. LifeBank

LifeBank leverages technology and a multi-modal distribution platform to deliver medical supplies to hospitals across Africa, with current operations in Nigeria and Kenya.

Interestingly, LifeBank uses Google Maps Platform to show the routes between blood banks, doctors, and drivers across locations; this has helped reduce delivery time from 24 hours to 45 minutes.

Backed by EchoVC Pan-Africa Fund, CcHub Growth Capital and several other investors, the startup continues to strengthen its focus in the optimisation of its blood supplies given the size, fragmentation and severity of the need. It has over 41 authenticated blood banks on its online platform and is trusted by over 500 hospitals, saving 10,401 lives so far.

8. BYON8 

Kenya’s BYON8 provides free symptom checkups to patients and seamless access to doctors 24/7. The company has partnered with non-profit organisations, ventures, universities and health industry leaders to guarantee great service provision for users.

The company was built on a goal to make high-quality healthcare more accessible, affordable and equal by digitizing healthcare on an individual level. 

One of its products, BYON8 PRO, allows users to interact with a network of quality healthcare professionals with the highest of standards. 

9. Ilara Health

Kenyan healthtech, Ilara Health leverages tech-powered diagnostic devices to save lives by making the service accessible and affordable to over 500,000,000 people who struggle to gain access to even basic medical services such as blood tests.

The company has partnered with over 800 clinics, has five medical labs, administered 100,000+ tests to over 100,000 patients.

In 2020, Ilara Health received a $1,100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop effective antenatal care (ANC) interventions and tech-based solutions for pregnant women unable to access essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In December of the same year, the company raised $3,750,000 in Series A funding to further strengthen its goal.

10. Healthtracka

Healthtracka is a fast-growing e-health platform offering home services including health tests with understandable diagnostic test results presented to patients digitally and without time wastage.

The Techstars Toronto-backed startup has laboratory partners who it affirms to be the best private pathology laboratories at the forefront of diagnostic testing in Nigeria, with ISO and MLSCN certifications. 

Included in its home services, the startup provides customers with a wide range of testing options and clinical services, empowering users to take an active role in their health in order to have a longer life span.

Which of the top 10 health startups we are you standing up for?