i3 Announces Second Cohort Towards Supporting 60 Promising Healthcare Startups in Africa.

Investing In Innovation (i3), a pan-African initiative is set to support the commercialization and growth of supply chain startups like Tibu Health, Checkups Medical and Waspito amongst 26 other healthcare supply chain startups in its second cohort. 

This is another step towards fulfilling its goal of impacting 60 promising early & growth-stage companies with grants & access to market support. 

i3 is closing in on achieving another successful cohort program after its first cohort of 31 companies yielded 24 contracts, pilots, and ongoing strategic partnerships last year.

The investments in these startups such as a systematic $50,000 grant and other growth resources by i3 is being bankrolled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. With Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Microsoft, and Chemonics working hand-in gloves as i3 sponsors.

i3 initiative is dedicated to investing in these companies as a means of delivering sustainable lifesaving solutions and access to critical medicines across Africa. The solutions these startups provide range from online pharmacies and telemedicine platforms for convenient home-based healthcare to inventory management services for pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals, along with supply chain data analytics for seamless access to diverse pharmaceutical products to name a few.

These 29 startups which sprout from 21 different African countries will be exposed to a multitude of opportunities, through matching sessions with donor agencies, governments, captains of industries and renowned accelerators such as Villgro Africa, IMPACT Lab, Startupbootcamp Afritech, and CcHUB.

While i3 primarily targets startups in the healthcare supply chain segment, other segments of healthcare startups in Africa are welcomed.  As long as their products/services contribute to bringing quality health products closer to African users at an affordable price point. 

This implies that they register for the program with emphasis on synergies between i3 and their value proposition which can be accessed via their online platform. According to i3, the 29 selected innovators will benefit from the i3’s annual Access to Markets event in Nairobi, which will be held between 14-15 November 2023.