The pan-African “Investing in Innovation” i3 program, supported by the Gates Foundation, will give 30 African e-health startups each year access to a regular grant of $50,000 USD, market and federal govt access events across the region, and connections to a top-tier global ecosystem in the healthcare industry.
A joint report on the financial difficulties faced by African e-health delivery enterprises was released about a year ago by the Moroccan consulting firm Southbridge A&I and its Canadian affiliate Salient Advisory.
They suggested two continental frameworks to better provide pooled working capital solutions in Africa and better direct foreign investment to African businesses. The first recommendation of this report is put into practice through the i3 initiative.
The US$7 million pan-African program is created to help 30 businesses annually over a two-year period that specialize in supply chain and e-health in Africa.
Regarding accessibility, quality, availability or transparency of health supply chains, i3 seeks to discover early-stage or growth-stage innovators across the continent who can have a real impact on public health.
These businesses, chosen by four of the top accelerators on the continent, will be qualified for both a market outreach program through regional events and a continuous grant of US$50,000.
The accelerators include Co-Creation Startup boot camp AfriTech in South Africa for Southern Africa, Hub (CcHub) in Nigeria for West Africa, IMPACT Lab in Morocco for North Africa, and Villgro Africa in Kenya for East Africa.
How to apply
Applications for the initial round of 30 companies for the i3 Programme are currently being accepted here. The deadline for application is Sunday, August 14, 2020.
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