The United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with the Timbuktoo Africa
Innovation Foundation, has unveiled the 15 innovative startups selected to
progress to the Acceleration Phase of the Timbuktoo HealthTech Hub’s flagship
program. These startups emerged from an inaugural cohort of 40 Pan-African
innovators, who began their journey in November 2024 with an intensive bootcamp
aimed at identifying the most promising ventures in health technology.
The bootcamp served as a
rigorous filtering process, during which all 40 startups were equipped with
coaching, expert insights, and workshops tailored to meet their business needs.
A thorough evaluation process assessed their performance on key criteria,
including team capacity, business models, and development stage. From this
competitive pool, 15 high-growth startups were selected to participate in the
Acceleration Phase, while an additional five Pre-MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
stage startups were chosen for a customized Pre-MVP Studio program to
fast-track their product development.
The Acceleration Phase,
which begins in January 2025, offers an unparalleled opportunity for the 15
selected startups to scale their transformative solutions. Each startup will
receive $25,000 in funding, alongside mentorship, and access to state-of-the-art
resources. This support is designed to help these innovators tackle Africa's
most pressing healthcare challenges, focusing on areas such as telemedicine,
healthcare logistics, diagnostics, and mobile health.
For the five Pre-MVP
startups, the Pre-MVP Studio provides a tailored pathway to bring their
solutions to market. These startups will each receive $5,000 and targeted
support to refine their products and achieve market readiness.
The Selected Startups
The 15 startups advancing to
the Acceleration Phase include:
Medtech Africa
- Zuri Health
- Mobihealth
- InnovaHyper/BAHO NurseBots
- KeneCare Virtual Hospital
- Adjibola Tech
- MedTrack Technologies
- Gideon Inno Textiles
- WeCare Integrated Health Network
- Malaica
- A-Lite Uganda Limited
- DWEE Healthcare
- STE HELLOPHARM BJ SARL/PHARMAP
- IGAFRI LTD
- Ask-care Senegal
The five Pre-MVP Studio
participants are:
- Fem & Hom
- AIDSS
- Nexur Tech
- Geuza Ltd
- Biomax Plus
Catalyzing Africa’s HealthTech Revolution
The Timbuktoo HealthTech
Accelerator is a vital component of the broader Timbuktoo initiative, which
aims to mobilize $1 billion in catalytic and commercial capital over the next
decade. This ambitious project seeks to empower young innovators and entrepreneurs
to drive global innovation across sectors such as HealthTech, MineTech,
AgriTech, and FinTech.
By supporting these
startups, the initiative is addressing critical healthcare challenges across
the continent while fostering a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem for
innovation. These efforts align with the broader vision of propelling Africa to
the forefront of global technological advancement and ensuring that
transformative solutions emerge from within the continent.
By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
