Access Afya
Access Afya operates a digital and physical primary care platform for Kenya's underserved urban and peri-urban communities, combining a Curafa franchise clinic network with proprietary clinic management software and a 150+ data-point quality scoring system, serving over 625,000 patients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Access Afya does
Access Afya, Inc. operates a digital and physical primary care platform targeting the global mass market and concentrated in Kenya's urban and peri-urban communities. The company delivers care through its Curafa franchise clinic network, partnering with local nurses, doctors, and entrepreneurs who co-finance and operate standardized clinics. As of the most recent disclosures, more than 15 Curafa clinics have been established and over 625,000 patients have been served, with franchisees completing 65 hours of pre-launch and 74 hours of hands-on training and clinics typically launching within 30-60 days of contract signing.
The technology layer consists of a proprietary clinic management software that integrates clinical and non-clinical data into a unified platform and a proprietary Clinic Quality Score that captures over 150 unique data points per clinic to drive quality standardization across the network. The system has securely managed more than 1 million health records. Access Afya complements the platform with consolidated supply chain access, marketing support (a Self-Marketing Toolkit plus a dedicated patient engagement team and national advertising campaigns), and a network of insurance and technology partners including the Social Health Authority, Jubilee, APA, Britam, KenBright, Carepay, Savannah Informatics, and Philips Foundation.
The business model combines franchisor-style repayments from franchisees (who pay back Access Afya over time for clinic setup, training, and asset procurement) with patient-level primary care revenue collected at the clinic level through out-of-pocket payments and insurance reimbursements. Access Afya is privately held and venture-/grant-backed, with a 2023 SEC Form D filing of $2,216,480 in equity securities, a $3.1M round in 2021, a $900K MIT Solve grant in 2020, and earlier seed capital, alongside mission-aligned support from Grand Challenges Canada (which holds a board observer seat), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FHI Ventures, Kepple Africa Ventures, Waterloo Foundation, and the Philips Foundation. Leadership comprises Founder and Board Chair Melissa Menke, CEO Daphne Ngunjiri, and co-founder Duncan Goldie-Scot.
Access Afya firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Access Afya
- Legal name
- Access Afya Inc.
- Website
- https://accessafya.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Access Afya operates a digital and physical primary care platform for Kenya's underserved urban and peri-urban communities, combining a Curafa franchise clinic network with proprietary clinic management software and a 150+ data-point quality scoring system, serving over 625,000 patients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Access Afya industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Primary Healthcare Services
- NAICS
- Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623)
- SIC
- Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Care Navigation, Referral & Digital Front Door Platforms (HLALABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ)
Keywords
Where Access Afya is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Access Afya business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Franchise Fees and Clinic Operations: Access Afya covers the costs of setting up the physical clinic space, training, and initial asset procurement for franchisees. Franchisees then pay back Access Afya for its investment over time. Revenue is generated through franchise fee repayments and the operation of Curafa Medical Clinics providing primary healthcare services.
- Health Insurance Partnerships: Curafa clinics have established partnerships with health insurance providers (Social Health Authority, Jubilee Health Insurance, APA Insurance, Carepay, Britam Insurance, KenBright Insurance), allowing patients to pay via insurance coverage. This creates a third-party payer revenue stream alongside out-of-pocket payments.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Access Afya product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Access Afya provides a digital and physical primary care platform combining affordable clinic franchising with proprietary health technology. Its core offering consists of the Curafa Franchise Clinic Network — a franchise-based network of 15+ primary healthcare clinics across Kenya's urban and peri-urban areas — supported by proprietary clinic management software that integrates clinical and non-clinical data, applies a proprietary clinic quality score, and standardizes care delivery across all franchise locations.
Product overview
Access Afya provides a digital and physical primary care platform combining affordable clinic franchising with health technology. The core offering consists of Curafa Franchise Clinics (a network of over 15 franchised primary healthcare clinics across Kenya) and the Access Afya Clinic Management Software (proprietary tools integrating clinical and non-clinical data to enable patient management, operational efficiency, and quality standardization across the network). Together, these form a scalable health operating system that automates backend operations while maintaining care quality standards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Curafa: Curafa Franchise Clinics — a network of primary healthcare franchise clinics delivering high-quality but affordable care across Kenya's urban and peri-urban areas.
Products and services
- Curafa Franchise Clinics A network of franchised primary healthcare clinics delivering high-quality but affordable care across Kenya's urban and peri-urban areas. Franchisees (local healthcare professionals and entrepreneurs) co-finance and launch Curafa Medical Clinics within their communities, receiving business planning, marketing, supply chain, and insurance partnership support. To date, over 15 franchise clinics have been established and over 625,000 patients served.
- Access Afya Clinic Management Software Proprietary software tools that help health providers manage patients and clinic operations, integrating clinical and non-clinical data into a unified platform. The system captures over 150 unique data points through its proprietary clinic quality score to standardize quality across the franchise network, and has securely managed 1M+ health records.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 625,000 patients served across 15+ Curafa franchise clinics with a franchise satisfaction score of 85+.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Access Afya
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Access Afya technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Access Afya partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Social Health AuthoritycoreSocial Health Authority is a government health authority in Kenya. Curafa clinics accept Social Health Authority coverage, enabling patients to pay for healthcare services using public health insurance. This partnership is fundamental to the franchise's revenue model and increases accessibility for patients.
- Jubilee Health InsurancecoreJubilee Health Insurance is a private health insurer in Kenya. Curafa clinics accept Jubilee Health Insurance coverage, enabling insured patients to access primary healthcare services at franchise clinics.
- APA InsurancecoreAPA Insurance is a Kenyan insurance provider. Curafa clinics accept APA Insurance coverage, expanding payment options for patients at franchise clinic locations.
- CarepaycoreCarepay provides a health payment platform enabling digital health insurance payments and claims processing. Integration with Curafa clinics allows for seamless insurance payment processing and data management.
- Britam InsurancecoreBritam Insurance is a Kenyan insurance provider. Curafa clinics accept Britam Insurance coverage, enabling patients to pay for healthcare services using private health insurance.
- KenBright InsurancecoreKenBright Insurance is a Kenyan insurance provider. Curafa clinics accept KenBright Insurance coverage as a payment option for patients.
- Savannah InformaticscoreSavannah Informatics is a health informatics company providing software solutions for healthcare data management. Listed as a partner and investor, supporting Access Afya's technology and data infrastructure capabilities.
- DOT GlassesminorDOT Glasses provides affordable eyeglass solutions. Partnership enables Curafa clinics to offer vision care services as part of their primary healthcare offering.
- Philips FoundationcorePhilips Foundation supports innovators improving healthcare access in underserved communities. Listed as a partner and investor in Access Afya, providing strategic support alongside funding.
- Miller Center GSBI AlumniminorMiller Center for Social Entrepreneurship's GSBI (Global Social Benefit Institute) program supports social enterprises with mentorship and training. Access Afya is listed as a GSBI Alumni, indicating it participated in and graduated from the program.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Access Afya competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Penda Health: Penda Health operates a network of outpatient primary care clinics in Kenya focused on affordable, high-quality care for middle and low-income patients. Most directly comparable peer: same geography, same patient demographic, similar clinic-based primary care model with emphasis on standardized quality.
- mPharma: mPharma is a Ghanaian healthtech company managing pharmacy and primary care services across multiple African countries with inventory data and patient management technology. Comparable as an Africa-focused healthtech operator combining physical service delivery with proprietary technology infrastructure.
- Living Goods: Living Goods supports community health networks across Kenya and Uganda with tech-enabled tools, training, and supply chain. Comparable as a mission-driven organization using franchise/agent networks plus digital tools to deliver primary health services in East African underserved communities.
Emerging players
- Babylon (now eMed): Babylon Health pioneered AI-driven virtual primary care and partnered with providers in Rwanda (Babyl) to deliver digital health services. Comparable as a digital-first primary care platform targeting emerging markets with tech-enabled service delivery.
- RelianceHMO: RelianceHMO is a Nigerian health insurance technology company that partners with clinics to deliver affordable health plans to underserved customers. Comparable business model combining tech-enabled insurance administration with a partner clinic network in an emerging market.
- WellaHealth: WellaHealth is a Nigerian digital health insurer providing microhealth plans and pharmacy benefits through partner clinics. Comparable as an emerging-market primary care enabler combining health insurance with clinic network management.
- Last Mile Health: Last Mile Health operates community health worker networks in sub-Saharan Africa with digital tools, training, and supply chain support. Comparable as a digitally-enabled primary care network operator serving underserved communities in Africa.
- HealthifyMe: HealthifyMe is an Indian digital health platform combining AI-powered coaching with offline service delivery (clinics, labs). Comparable as an emerging-market healthtech operator combining digital tools with physical health service delivery at scale.
Others
- CarePay (now MicroEnsure Health): CarePay is a Kenyan health payments and insurance platform that enables mobile health insurance administration. Listed as an Access Afya partner; comparable as a Kenya-based healthtech infrastructure provider enabling insurance and payment integration for clinic networks.
Broad incumbents
- Teladoc Health: Teladoc Health is a global virtual care and digital health platform operating across multiple specialties. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the digital health platform space with technology and data assets that increasingly extend to primary care delivery in emerging markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Access Afya social profiles
Digital presenceAccess Afya financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Access Afya leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Access Afya funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Access Afya M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Access Afya
What does Access Afya do?
Access Afya provides a digital and physical primary care platform combining affordable clinic franchising with proprietary health technology. Its core offering consists of the Curafa Franchise Clinic Network — a franchise-based network of 15+ primary healthcare clinics across Kenya's urban and peri-urban areas — supported by proprietary clinic management software that integrates clinical and non-clinical data, applies a proprietary clinic quality score, and standardizes care delivery across all franchise locations.
Is Access Afya a public or private company?
Access Afya is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Access Afya founded?
Access Afya was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Access Afya based?
Access Afya is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Access Afya make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Franchise Fees and Clinic Operations are the primary driver. The others are health Insurance Partnerships.
Who are Access Afya's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Penda Health, mPharma and Living Goods. Emerging players are Babylon (now eMed), RelianceHMO, WellaHealth, Last Mile Health and HealthifyMe. CarePay (now MicroEnsure Health) is listed as an others. Teladoc Health is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Access Afya have an API?
No public API is recorded for Access Afya.
What industry is Access Afya in?
Access Afya's product category is Primary Healthcare Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALABAH, Care Navigation, Referral & Digital Front Door Platforms, with a secondary code of HLALABAJ, Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated). Its NAICS code is 623 and its SIC code is 8011.