The funds are earmarked to support the expansion efforts of Waspito, particularly in the Francophone region.

Waspito, often described as the ‘Facebook for healthcare,’ is a health-focused social network that empowers users across Africa to connect with verified doctors instantly through video calls, breaking away from traditional telemedicine models involving pre-registration and appointment booking.

The startup, founded by Jean Lobe Lobe in early 2020, strategically positioned itself at the intersection of technology and healthcare just before the global health emergency caused by the Covid pandemic. Waspito’s mission is fixed on making quality healthcare accessible to all Africans, especially in regions where the doctor-to-patient ratio is strikingly low.

Waspito’s unique approach allows users to choose from a list of online doctors for immediate video consultations. For medical tests, the platform collaborates with partner laboratories, offering home sample collection services. Waspito has also forged partnerships with local hospitals to ensure seamless transitions for patients requiring further attention or admission.

Jean Lobe Lobe emphasizes the importance of keeping doctors constantly available online. With less than 2 doctors for every 10,000 people in target countries, Waspito aims to bridge the gap by providing a one-stop-shop for all healthcare services. Patients can make payments through various options, including insurance, incentivizing doctors to stay online for extended periods.

The startup, recently honored as the best health startup in Africa at the VivaTech awards has reached 650,000 users in Cameroon and Ivory Coast, onboarded 950 doctors, and facilitated 60,000 consultations. Waspito anticipates further growth with its hybrid model, currently being piloted in Ivory Coast.

The hybrid model involves the establishment of mini-clinics within the branch network of La Poste Corporation, Ivory Coast’s national postal service, providing offline patients with virtual access to doctors and other healthcare services. This innovative approach addresses the challenges of internet and smartphone accessibility in Africa, particularly among underserved populations.

Waspito plans to roll out the hybrid model in Cameroon and Senegal by the end of the first quarter next year. With the support of funds from DP World and other investors, Waspito is focused on making quality medical services readily available to all.

Having raised an initial $2.1 million in seed funding, 2020, the current pre-Series A round boosts the total funding amount raised by Workpay. Investors in the current round were Launch Africa, Saviu Ventures, Acadian Ventures, Proparco, Fondation Botnar, Kara Ventures, Axian, P1 Ventures, and Norrsken. 

The YC-backed startup, W20 batch, was founded by the CEO, Paul Kimani and COO, Jackson Kungu. It plans to launch a payroll engine to serve customers in more markets, while it ensures efficient service provision and will release an API to enable firms such as accounting companies become payroll providers.

Workpay is a full-stack HR Payroll company that helps employees to manage and pay workers. The HR company offers tools that enable these clients pay salaries in local currencies across and outside Africa through partners, provides file taxes, and processes employee benefits. The tools also help employers track and manage employees’ time and attendance, as well as leave days.

The startup looks to include financial services in its offerings as it adds linkages to investment accounts, medical and asset insurance, and earned-wage access for employees attending to emergencies or bills.

Workpay affirms to experience a tremendous user base increase with revenue doubling annually, and has about $200 million in total payroll value being handled for customers every year.

The investment will enable Zanifu to upgrade its platform and extend its stock-financing to reach more micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Saviu Ventures, Launch Africa Ventures, Sayani Investments and several angel investors from Kenya and Nigeria participated in the round, which brings Zanifu’s total funding received so far to $1,200,000.

Zanifu provides short-term stock-financing of up to $2,000 to MSMEs in Kenya and is set to add 15,000 FMCG retailers within one year.

Founded by Steve Biko and Sebastian Mithika, some of the company’s partners include Unilever, Nestle, Soko, Coca-Cola, P&G and Brookside.

Biko and Mithika founded Zanifu in 2017 and so far, the company affirms to have extended 85,000 working capital loans worth over $13,000,000 to 7,000 businesses in Kenya.

The informal businesses in Kenya are an integral part of the economy contributing 33.8% of the country’s GDP and providing 83.4% of employment outside of small-scale agriculture. 

However, access to financing remains the main impediment to growth for these micro and small businesses. And thus, over the last few years, fintech companies like Zanifu have introduced products that are tailored to the financing needs of the MSMEs.

Zanifu works with a number of manufacturers and distributors to extend the credit to these small businesses with retailers already sourcing products from the startup’s partners qualifying for the financing. Zanifu has created platforms for manufactures, distributors and retailers that ensure seamless ordering, payment, tracking and fulfilment.

Retailers borrow through Zanifu’s loan app, where they upload information that includes historical purchase data. The retailers are then assigned a credit limit, after its algorithm scores them, within six hours after signing up. Retailers have up to a month to pay back the loans, which attract an interest rate of 3.5 to 5%.

Zanifu, which has a presence throughout Kenya, is now eyeing Ghana and Uganda. A regional presence will step-up competition for the likes of Uganda’s Numida and Nigeria’s Payhippo, some of the fintechs providing unsecured financing to small businesses.