WHO, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and others launch $7 million Africa-focused healthtech fund

Oluwajuwonlo Afolabi -

The African arm of the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), AUDA-NEPAD, and AmerisourceBergen have launched a $7 million healthtech fund to support impact-making health-driven African startups.

  • The investment alongside market support is earmarked for 60 early and growth stage African health-led startups for scaling and improvement.
  • The funding will be conducted through the program tagged Investing in Innovation (i3), with coordination from Salient Advisory, SCIDaR, and the SouthBridge A&I.
  • Applications are currently open for the first 30 companies to participate in the innovation program, focusing on improving accessibility and availability of health products in Africa.
  • The funding launch is coming after the release of a market intelligence report by Salient Advisory, a healthcare consulting firm, detailing the stellar performances of healthtech startups in the continent.