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The HealthTech Hub Africa Mission.

We help governments and start-ups collaborate on data and technology-enabled innovations that strengthen health systems in Africa.

About the Program

About the Program

The HealthTech Hub Africa is a health tech accelerator with a physical co-working and community space in Kigali, Rwanda. The program aims to drive the development of health technologies in Africa and fast-track innovation in public health systems through collaboration with government partners. The Hub hosts scale-ups and growth startups. They are provided with a thoughtfully designed program that allows startups to create a great impact.

01

Our Goals

The HealthTech hub aims to help local authorities tackle the largest health challenges in low-income and underserved populations through catalytic partnerships to achieve these three main goals:

  • Help local startups deliver more impactful HealthTech innovations driven by data and generate evidence on how they decrease health inequities.
  • Create a launchpad for local HealthTech solutions in Africa with regional and global potential through fostering dialogue and value-driven partnerships between innovators, policymakers, funders, and researchers.
  • Inform forward-looking policies on data and technology in health.

02

Growth Stage Startups

Startups in this stage are post-revenue African registered companies with an African founder operating in one of the HealthTech Hub’s four thematic areas. The startups are expected to impact at least 5,000 to 50,000 beneficiaries directly. As part of the cohort, startups can refine their business models, enhance investment readiness, validate their solutions, and integrate them into the public health sector.

Benefits to Growth Stage Startups

  • Mentorship from 2 volunteer mentors, per startup, with strong expertise in population health and technology
  • Coaching and access to an interactive platform for growth level support allowing for structuring and refinement of existing and new business models and preparing executive summaries
  • Expert masterclasses
  • Pitch practice sessions
  • Community support
  • Startup solution demos and opportunities to pitch during the two annual HealthTech summits in Kigali, Rwanda
  • Invitation to networking meetups and hybrid events across Africa and beyond

03

Scaling Stage Startups

These will be post-revenue startups registered in an African country operating in one of the program sectors and led by an African founder and will be expected to have directly impacted more than 50,000 beneficiaries to date. The goal will be to select ten startups in this stage, primarily from the focus countries, and support them to validate and embed at scale their solutions in one or more public health systems in Africa.

Benefits to Scale Stage Startups

  • Access to all the above benefits offered to growth startups
  • Free access to world-class legal services, accounting, marketing, talent acquisition, and accelerated fundraising
  • Media training and exposure

04

Currently, The Healthtech Hub Africa focuses on the following four thematic areas with impact goals for public health systems:

Cardiovascular Health

Reducing cardiovascular disease deaths on the population level through improved screening, referral, diagnosis, and management.

Breast Cancer

Reducing breast cancer deaths on the population level through improved screening, referral, diagnosis, and management.

Virtual health and care

Improving quality, access to equitable care, and digital literacy through remote delivery of preventative and curative health and care services.

Optimization of data-driven decision making

Improving health system capabilities and epidemic preparedness through stronger integrated health information.

1. Lifetime Access To The Hub’s Alumni Network And Open-Source Resources

All startups and scale-ups who have completed the program will receive a Participation Certificate and a lifetime Alumni membership to the HealthTech Hub Africa’s resources and future opportunities.

2. Funding Opportunities For Innovation Acceleration In Public Health

Through the digital platform of the hub, all selected startups will be able to apply for grant funding and in-kind benefits exceeding USD 1M.

The funding will serve the startups to test, refine, validate, integrate and, accelerate and/or scale their solutions inside the public health systems of Rwanda, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Uganda, to drive forward health equity in the continent.

Following the projects’ completion, the solutions successfully integrated into the respective national health systems will be spotlighted and will have the opportunity to seek further support in the future.

3. Full-Year Access To A State-Of-Art Co-Working Space

The membership comes with 12 months of serviced office space, meeting and conference spaces, and an invitation to startup community events hosted by the Norrsken East Africa House in Kigali.

4. Membership In The HealthTech Public-Private Partners Network, Which Includes:

  • Free expert-level support from established local and global organizations in the form of advisory, facilitation, match-making with prospective partners, consulting, and more
  • Perks in the form of free and/or highly discounted infrastructure credits, software licenses, technical and design services, royalty-free images, and videos
  • Access to the hub’s investor circle
  • Access to various opportunities shared by the network