Zim Health startups! Check out this Gates Foundation-backed US$50K accelerator

Southbridge A&I, Salient Advisory and SCIDaR have partnered to launch a program called i3 (Investing in Innovation) that is seeking to help 30 African health startups with up to US$50K in funding. The initiative, according to a report by Disrupt Africa, is bankrolled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and any startup from the continent can apply.

Eligibility criteria for the i3 program

If you are an African entrepreneur creating a solution to a health product distribution challenge in Africa, you are invited to apply for the 2022 cohort. You stand the chance of receiving a US$50,000 grant and access to leading donors, industry and institutional players who will support introductions to customers. Up to 30 companies will be selected this round. However, you’ll need to be an:

• Early-stage and Growth-stage tech-enabled businesses owned or operated by African Nationals, and with a legal presence on the continent.
• Businesses focused on tech-enabled product distribution with validated proof of concept, recorded revenues and demonstrable potential for growth.
• Demonstrable potential for social and societal impact.

What your startup needs to provide

The i3 program is also looking for startups that have innovations or products that:

• Improve health product availability – Services that minimize supply chain inefficiencies and provide critical linkages between manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, providers, and consumers, to reduce stockouts and ensure the availability of essential medicines, consumables and devices needed.
• Enhance the accessibility of health products – Solutions that help bring products closer to people, through lower-level providers, solutions to bring products closer to people in rural areas and/or create digital access are needed.
• Health product quality – Innovations that enable providers and consumers to authenticate health products, track and trace the origin and movement of health products, and ensure the appropriate storage of health products to preserve their efficacy.
• Address affordability of health care products – Solutions to reduce prices and price variability of medicines, consumables, devices, and assistive technologies are required.
• Improve visibility of health care product movement – Solutions that improve visibility into product movement, consumption and demand are important
• Address waste management in the healthcare supply chain – Technology-enabled innovations to improve safe disposal and appropriate management of medical waste are needed.

Applications for the i3 accelerator close on the 14th of August 2022 and you can find the application form with the link here.

You should also check out

Around this time last year, we were joined on an episode of Technikari by Tafadzwa Munzwa the co-founder of Dawa Health. The startup had recently announced its inclusion in the US$750,000 Telecel Group and Startupbootcamp Afritech finals because it was looking to reduce maternal mortality by providing pre and post-natal care to expecting mothers across southern Africa.

You can check out that episode with the player below or with the link here.