Ona

What Ona does

Ona (Ona Systems, Inc.) is a privately held social enterprise founded in 2013 that builds mobile and cloud-based data infrastructure for humanitarian, development, and public health organizations. The company operates a three-product platform: Ona Data, the flagship subscription-based mobile data collection service built on the XLSForm standard and integrated with ODK Collect (Android) and Enketo Smart Paper (web) for offline-capable data capture; OpenSRP 2, an open-source electronic health record platform for frontline health workers in low-connectivity environments that integrates with DHIS2 and OpenMRS; and Akuko, a no-code data publishing and storytelling tool for building data portals and map apps. Forms can capture GPS, error validation, logic, repeats, signatures, photos, and multimedia, with automatic sync on reconnect, and submissions are protected by RSA public-key encryption and role-based permissions. The company also offers premium add-ons such as Submission Review workflows, Entities for longitudinal case management, Merged Datasets, XLS Reports, and embedded BI dashboards from Power BI, Tableau, Superset, and Infogram.

Ona's business model is a freemium SaaS tier (Free, Standard, Pro, Enterprise) with self-service signup, supplemented by custom enterprise pricing tied to monthly submission volume, number of private forms and projects, multimedia needs, and priority support. Distribution is hybrid: a PLG self-serve funnel feeds thousands of global organizations, while enterprise sales and partner-led deployments drive larger institutional contracts. The go-to-market is anchored by deep partnerships with PATH, the Zambia Ministry of Health, Blue Code, Gavi, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and other Tier-1 global development institutions, with the Zambia Electronic Immunization Register (ZEIR) serving as the marquee reference deployment scaled to 500+ facilities. The company is incorporated in Burlington, Vermont, with additional offices in Washington D.C. and Nairobi, and has raised approximately $2.27M in disclosed funding across a 2019 round and a 2021 grant from the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation.

Name

Ona

Legal name

Ona Systems, Inc.

Website

https://ona.io

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ona builds cloud-based mobile data collection and electronic health record platforms (Ona Data, OpenSRP 2, Akuko) for humanitarian, development, and public health organizations, anchored by enterprise deployments with PATH, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Data Collection Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Aggregation, Interoperability & APIs for RPM (FHIR/IoMT Gateways) (HLACAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Sharing, Data Exchange & Data Marketplace Platforms (HDAEABAH), Data Privacy, Consent & Compliance Management (HDAEADAG), Healthcare Data Governance, Stewardship & Metadata Management (HLACAIAD)

Keywords

• Mobile data collection
• Offline data collection
• Electronic health records
• Data visualization software
• Field survey platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription Plans: Tiered subscription model with Free, Standard, Pro, and Enterprise plans. Pricing based on number of private projects, private forms, and monthly form submissions allowed. Paid plans include additional features, integrations, and support.
2. Enterprise Custom Pricing: Enterprise pricing determined based on usage metrics including expected monthly submissions, private forms, private projects, and whether multimedia collection or priority support is required.
3. Premium Support: Premium support options including guaranteed 1-day or weekend support available as add-ons to subscription plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ona builds and sells cloud-hosted mobile data collection and management software for humanitarian, health, and development organizations. Its flagship product, Ona Data, enables offline-capable form authoring via the XLSForm standard and data collection on smartphones and desktops with automatic synchronization. The company also offers OpenSRP 2 (an open-source electronic health record platform for frontline health workers) and Akuko (a data publishing and visualization tool).

Product overview

Ona offers a portfolio of three interconnected data collection and management platforms: Ona Data (flagship mobile data collection platform for surveys and monitoring), OpenSRP 2 (electronic health record platform for frontline health workers), and Akuko (data publishing and visualization tool). The platforms share common infrastructure and can integrate with each other. Ona Data serves as the primary data collection layer supporting XLSForms, ODK Collect, and Enketo; OpenSRP 2 provides specialized health workflow management; and Akuko enables data storytelling and portal creation. Additional premium features include encrypted forms, XLS Reports, merged datasets, submission review workflows, and embedded dashboard support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ona Data: Flagship mobile data collection platform used by thousands of organizations globally for data collection and real-time monitoring. Supports offline-capable surveys, GPS, error validation, logic, repeats, signatures, and photos on any device.
• OpenSRP 2
• Akuko

Products and services

• Ona Data Flagship mobile data collection platform used by thousands of organizations globally for data collection and real-time monitoring. Enables form authoring using XLSForm standard or online form builder, offline-capable data collection on smartphones and desktops, automatic data upload, and real-time data visualization and analysis.
• OpenSRP 2 Open-source electronic health record platform designed for frontline health workers in low connectivity environments on basic Android devices. Supports data collection, client management, reporting, and integrates with health information system platforms like DHIS2 and OpenMRS.
• Akuko

Quantifiable outcome

• 27% increase in health workers' ability to identify vaccine defaulters
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PATHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Ona partnered with PATH on the Better Immunization Data (BID) Initiative to develop the Zambia Electronic Immunization Register (ZEIR). Ona served as design lead for OpenSRP, adapting the platform to Zambia's vaccine schedule and clinical workflows. The partnership involved collaboration with the Ministry of Health Zambia and local technical partner Blue Code.
• Ministry of Health ZambiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Government ministry partner for ZEIR deployment, providing health system workflows, clinical requirements, and national scale-up coordination for the electronic immunization registry program.
• Blue CodeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal technical partner in Zambia that helped build ZEIR on top of OpenSRP platform, providing on-the-ground technical implementation support.
• Amazon Web ServicescoreTechnology or IntegrationCloud infrastructure provider for Ona Data platform, hosting the mobile data collection and management service.
• ODK (Open Data Kit)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with ODK ecosystem including ODK Collect for mobile data collection and ODK Briefcase for data aggregation and encrypted form decryption. ODK Collect is developed by University of Washington.
• EnketocoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with Enketo Smart Paper for web-based data collection with offline capability. Enketo provides the web form functionality for Ona.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KoboToolbox: KoboToolbox is a direct competitor offering open-source mobile data collection for humanitarian and research use, very similar to Ona Data. Both serve NGOs, governments, and researchers with offline-capable form-based data gathering.
• SurveyCTO: SurveyCTO provides a mobile data collection platform with strong offline capabilities and is widely used by academic researchers, NGOs, and development organizations. It directly competes with Ona Data for the same enterprise humanitarian/research customers.
• Open Data Kit (ODK): ODK is the open-source mobile data collection framework from the University of Washington that Ona integrates with. It is both a partner technology and a free alternative that competes with Ona Data for the same offline-collection use cases.
• Dimagi (CommCare): Dimagi's CommCare is a frontline health worker data collection and case management platform, similar in target market and offline functionality to OpenSRP 2. Both target community health programs in low-resource settings for governments and NGOs.
• DHIS2: DHIS2 is the dominant open-source health management information system used by ministries of health globally. It both integrates with Ona/OpenSRP and competes at the aggregate health data layer, making it a key ecosystem peer.
• Magpi: Magpi (formerly DataDyne) provides mobile data collection tools used by NGOs, governments, and field workers, including strong offline SMS and smartphone survey capabilities. It competes with Ona Data in international development and humanitarian deployments.
• OpenMRS: OpenMRS is an open-source electronic medical record platform used in low-resource health settings, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. It overlaps with OpenSRP 2 in serving frontline health and clinical workflows in ministries of health.

Emerging players

• REDCap: REDCap is a widely adopted research-focused electronic data capture platform used by academic and clinical researchers. It overlaps with Ona Data's research and survey use cases, particularly for institutional and clinical workflows.
• FormAssembly: FormAssembly is a web-based form builder and data collection platform serving enterprise compliance and customer data workflows. While not focused on humanitarian use, it competes for general form-based data capture customers Ona also serves.

Others

• Tableau Public / Power BI: Power BI and Tableau are embedded dashboard partners for Ona but also represent adjacent visualization capabilities that compete with Ona's Akuko product for the data publishing and storytelling use case.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/onadata
• Facebookfacebook.com/onadata

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ona