Medtronic LABS
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Medtronic LABS does
Medtronic LABS is an independent non-profit health-systems innovator founded in 2016, operating separately from Medtronic plc despite shared brand lineage. The organization designs community-based, tech-enabled programs for underserved patients with non-communicable diseases and adjacent conditions in low- and middle-income countries, and has expanded into hearing care, maternal and child health, mental health screening, and U.S. underserved communities. Its core product is SPICE, an open-source, FHIR-compliant, offline-first digital health platform certified as a Digital Public Good by the DPGA and a Global Good for Health; SPICE bi-directionally links community health workers with facility services through clinical decision support, closed-loop referrals, and interoperability with DHIS2, KHIS, EMRs, and other national HMIS systems, and ships with modules for telehealth (Engage), referrals (Connect), and analytics (Insights).
Programmatic delivery is organized around country-specific offerings—Empower Health/Afya Dumu (Kenya), Akoma Pa (Ghana), Turambe (Rwanda), Betteh Lyfe (Sierra Leone, with Sanofi), NCD 360 (Bangladesh, with BRAC), Prerna (India), Padayon (Philippines, with reach52), Hear, Listen & Speak (Bhutan, with ADA/UNTB/MED-EL), and Healthy Neighbor (Camden, NJ, with Virtua Health)—delivered in collaboration with ministries of health, bilateral donors (KOICA, ADA), multilateral partners (UN Technology Bank), foundations (Patrick J. McGovern), and corporate partners (Novartis, Sanofi, AWS, Roche, Novo Nordisk, Google, Causal Foundry).
Medtronic LABS does not sell a commercial product; it is funded by grants, donor contributions, public-sector allocations, and partner co-funding (including AWS in-kind cloud credits). Reported cumulative impact exceeds 1M patients screened, 270,000+ enrolled, and ~100,000 patients with improved clinical outcomes (peer-reviewed systolic BP reductions of 8.6–17.6 mmHg), with program costs under ~$20 per patient per year in select deployments. The platform incorporates an applied AI/ML layer (survival analysis, Bayesian belief networks, neural networks, restless-bandits) built with Causal Foundry for churn prediction, enrollment prioritization, telehealth timing, and outreach optimization.
Medtronic LABS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Medtronic LABS
- Legal name
- Medtronic LABS
- Website
- https://medtroniclabs.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Medtronic LABS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Health Platform for Community-Based Population Health
- NAICS
- Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (6215), Offices of Physicians, Mental Health Specialists (621112), Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multi-Condition RPM Platforms & Care Orchestration (device-agnostic, population management) (HLALAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Patient Education, Content & Personalized Journey Orchestration (HLACAEAE), Health Access & Social Care Innovations (Community Health, Telehealth for Underserved) (BPAGALAG)
Keywords
Where Medtronic LABS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices4 records
Markets served
Medtronic LABS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grants, public-sector funding, and partnership contributions: Medtronic LABS is an independent non-profit that does not sell a commercial product. Operations are funded through grants, donor contributions, public-sector allocations (e.g., additional $300K in public-sector funding for the Rwanda Turambe program), and partner co-funding from entities such as KOICA, AWS (in-kind credits), ADA, MED-EL, Novartis, Sanofi, Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, and the UN Technology Bank.
- Strategic partnership and consortium funding (CGI-style Commitments to Action): Funding mobilized via cross-sector consortium Commitments to Action (e.g., Clinton Global Initiative 2023) where corporate, multilateral, and philanthropic partners pool capital, technology, and capacity around shared measurable patient-outcome targets in target countries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Programs are funded through grants, public-sector allocations, and partner co-funding; no commercial pricing is charged to end users. |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
Medtronic LABS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Medtronic LABS develops and distributes SPICE, an open-source, FHIR-compliant digital health platform for community-based population health, and operates country-specific health-system strengthening programs for non-communicable diseases, maternal/child health, and pediatric hearing care. Its offering pairs the SPICE platform (with Clinical Decision Support, telehealth, referral, and analytics modules) with ground-level program delivery through community health workers in partnership with ministries of health, multilaterals, NGOs, and donors across LMICs and underserved U.S. communities.
Product overview
Medtronic LABS offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its open-source digital health platform SPICE, accompanied by a portfolio of country-specific programs. The core SPICE platform (with its Pepper initial release and SPICE 2.0 evolution) bi-directionally links community health work with facility services and is composed of named modules including SPICE Engage (telehealth), SPICE Connect (referral/counter-referral linkage), and SPICE Insights (analytics/dashboards). The platform is certified as a Digital Public Good and Global Good for Health, HL7 FHIR-compliant, and interoperable with DHIS2 and EMRs. Layered on top of SPICE are country-specific program offerings, including Empower Health (Kenya/Ghana, also the digital system underlying Afya Dumu), Prerna (India), Padayon (Philippines, with reach52), Akoma Pa (Ghana), Betteh Lyfe (Sierra Leone, with Sanofi), Turambe (Rwanda), Hear, Listen, and Speak (Bhutan), Healthy Neighbor (U.S., with Virtua Health), and NCD 360 (Bangladesh, with BRAC).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SPICE: Medtronic LABS' flagship open-source digital health platform for community-based population health; certified as a Digital Public Good.
- Healthy Neighbor
Products and services
- SPICE (Pepper release) SPICE is Medtronic LABS' flagship open-source digital health platform for community-based population health. The Pepper release enables community health workers and providers to manage cohorts of chronic disease patients based on risk levels, with offline-first workflows, interoperability, and customizability.
- SPICE 2.0 SPICE 2.0 is the next major version of the platform, expanding clinical disease areas beyond NCDs to include malaria, ANC, PNC, child health, and integrated community case management, with TB, HIV, and immunization workflows planned. Built on a modular, FHIR-compliant architecture.
- SPICE open-source release SPICE was released as open-source in August 2023, enabling governments and health system partners to deploy the platform as a long-term, country-owned solution. Source code is publicly available on GitHub at github.com/Medtronic-LABS with full documentation.
- Empower Health Empower Health is Medtronic LABS' digital health system for longitudinal, end-to-end NCD care in Kenya and Ghana, consisting of automated blood pressure monitors, glucometers, smartphones/tablets, and software used by CHWs and providers. Powers the Afya Dumu program in Kenya.
- Afya Dumu Afya Dumu ("lasting health" in Swahili) is a Kenya cross-sector partnership between the Kenyan Ministry of Health, Novartis Global Health, Medtronic LABS, and Management Sciences for Health (MSH) to address NCDs through community awareness, screening, and longitudinal care.
- Prerna Prerna ("Inspiration") is Medtronic LABS' India-based program providing group-based comprehensive care for people living with or at risk of type II diabetes and hypertension. Methodologies and content from Prerna were adapted for the Padayon program in the Philippines.
- Padayon Padayon ("Keep Moving Forward") is Medtronic LABS' Philippines diabetes and hypertension program with reach52, providing affordable testing, medicines, and coaching in rural communities; piloted in Pototan, Western Visayas.
- Akoma Pa Akoma Pa is Medtronic LABS' Ghana healthcare program for patients with diabetes and hypertension, delivered through SPICE-enabled community care models in partnership with the Ghana Health Service.
- Betteh Lyfe Betteh Lyfe is Medtronic LABS' Sierra Leone healthcare program for patients with non-communicable diseases, partnering with Sanofi to reduce NCDs in Sierra Leone and Tanzania.
- Turambe Turambe ("Live Longer") is Medtronic LABS' Rwanda initiative supporting the country's digital health roadmap through collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Rwanda Biomedical Center, and Patrick J. McGovern Foundation to enhance NCD management.
- Hear, Listen, and Speak Hear, Listen, and Speak is Medtronic LABS' Bhutan pediatric ear and hearing care program delivered in collaboration with ADA, the United Nations Technology Bank (UNTB), and MED-EL, providing screening, diagnosis, hearing aid fitting, and surgical capabilities across nine districts.
- Healthy Neighbor Healthy Neighbor is Medtronic LABS' joint program with Virtua Health in Camden, New Jersey, deploying SPICE-enabled community health workers to improve hypertension and type 2 diabetes outcomes in underserved U.S. communities.
- NCD 360 NCD 360 is Medtronic LABS' Bangladesh program with BRAC and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, focused on hypertension and diabetes screening, treatment adherence, and data-driven care delivery.
- KOICA Ghana community-based screening program (CHPS+ Phase II) Community-based screening, diagnosis, and management program for diabetes, hypertension, and maternal health in the Upper East Region of Ghana under the CHPS+ Phase II Project, in partnership with KOICA across 10 CHPS Zones linked to three health centers and one district hospital; expected to enroll ~3,000 patients including 500+ pregnant women.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15.2 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure in uncontrolled hypertension subgroup (Journal of Hypertension publication)
- +7 more outcomes
Companies that use Medtronic LABS
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Medtronic LABS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability1 record
Feature7 records
Medtronic LABS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
25 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Virtua HealthflagshipJoint operator of the Healthy Neighbor program in Camden, New Jersey. Three community health workers from Virtua's health equity team use SPICE for hypertension and type-2 diabetes follow-up, social-determinants-of-health tracking, and connections to Virtua's Eat Well Food Farmacy. Quoted: Dan Master, Director of Health Equity at Virtua Health.
- BRACflagshipBRAC (the world's largest non-governmental development organization) is the implementing partner for the NCD 360 Program in Bangladesh. Medtronic LABS tailors SPICE technology to Bangladesh's needs while BRAC drives effective ground-level implementation alongside the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. To date: trained 25 healthcare providers and 220 CHWs; screened 9,000 individuals; 5,500 referred; 1,700 enrolled in hypertension/diabetes care.
- Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)coreMedtronic LABS announced a Commitment to Action at CGI 2023 to form a multi-sector consortium scaling tech-enabled healthcare for underserved patients; CGI convenes global leaders to translate commitments into measurable action.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)flagshipSelected as part of AWS's $40M, three-year Health Equity Initiative. AWS provides cloud computing credits and customized technical expertise to advance Medtronic LABS' tech-powered healthcare delivery models and the SPICE platform. Aimed at helping Medtronic LABS become the first digital global good for precision population health.
- Patrick J. McGovern FoundationflagshipMedtronic LABS participates in the Patrick J. McGovern Data to Safeguard Human Rights Accelerator and partners with the foundation on AI for SPICE (e.g., Bayesian/neural-network models for patient outreach and enrollment). Patrick J. McGovern Foundation is also a co-funder of the Turambe program in Rwanda.
- Causal FoundrycoreAI/ML partner applying survival analysis to SPICE for user-churn prediction and intervention recommendations such as refresher trainings and UX A/B testing. Strengthens Medtronic LABS' applied-AI capabilities.
- SanoficorePartnered with Medtronic LABS to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Tanzania and Sierra Leone. Logo also appears on the homepage partner section.
- United Nations Technology Bank (UNTB)flagshipCo-developer and consortium partner (with ADA and MED-EL) for the Hear, Listen, and Speak pediatric ear and hearing-care program in Bhutan. UNTB logo also displayed on Medtronic LABS' homepage partner section.
- MED-ELflagshipProvides donated screening technologies and supported the first in-country cochlear implant surgery in Bhutan (in collaboration with Charité Berlin) as part of the Hear, Listen, and Speak program.
- Ministry of Health, Rwanda & Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC)flagshipGovernment partners for the Turambe ("Live Longer") initiative. In 2022, Medtronic LABS worked with the MoH ICT department and RBC to enhance the NCD management system and draft the National Community Guidelines for NCDs. An additional $300K in public-sector funding was deployed to expand reach.
- Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of BangladeshflagshipGovernment partner for the NCD 360 Program with BRAC, aimed at strengthening hypertension and diabetes care at NCD corners in Upazila health complexes and Community Clinics.
- reach52coreCo-developed the Padayon ("Keep Moving Forward") diabetes and hypertension program in rural Philippines (Pototan, Western Visayas). reach52 brings offline-first mobile apps, marketplace medicines, and teledoctor services; Medtronic LABS adapts the Prerna methodology. Pilot to deliver measurable changes in FBS, HbA1c, and BP.
- Novartis Social BusinessflagshipCo-lead of the Afya Dumu ("lasting health") initiative in Kenya alongside the Ministry of Health, county governments, and Management Sciences for Health (MSH). Aimed at strengthening local health systems for community awareness, screening, linkage to care, and longitudinal NCD management for diabetes and hypertension.
- Management Sciences for Health (MSH)coreImplementation partner in the Afya Dumu initiative in Kenya; MSH Project Director Dr. Ndinda Kusu quoted as a lead voice on the program. Co-lead with Novartis Social Business, Medtronic LABS, Ministry of Health of Kenya, and county governments.
- Ministry of Health, Kenya & County GovernmentsflagshipGovernment partners for the Empower Health / Afya Dumu NCD programs across multiple counties (Kakamega, Makueni, Nakuru). Government of Kenya logo (GOK) also appears on the homepage partner section.
- Novo NordiskminorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall. (No detailed program description in source text beyond logo presence.)
- RocheminorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall. (No detailed program description in source text beyond logo presence.)
- PATHminorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall. (No detailed program description in source text beyond logo presence.)
- GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)minorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall. (No detailed program description in source text beyond logo presence.)
- Ghana Health Service (GHS)corePublic-sector implementing partner for Medtronic LABS' Ghana programs (Akoma Pa and the KOICA CHPS+ Phase II project). Logo displayed on homepage.
- Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG)minorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall; CHAG operates a network of faith-based health facilities in Ghana supporting NCD program delivery.
- Catholic Secretariat / CSSC (Ghana)minorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall; supports community-level health service delivery in Ghana.
- NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme — Ghana)minorListed as a partner on the Medtronic LABS homepage logo wall; supports alignment with Ghana's universal health coverage objectives for NCD programs.
- Charité BerlinminorCollaborated with MED-EL to support the first in-country cochlear implant surgery in Bhutan as part of the Hear, Listen, and Speak program.
- Resound (GN Hearing) & Hear the World FoundationminorProvide donated hearing aids and audiology support to children identified in the Hear, Listen, and Speak program in Bhutan.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves15 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Medtronic LABS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Medic: Medic (formerly Medic Mobile) builds an open-source CHT (Community Health Toolkit) platform for community health workers, with similar offline-first architecture, FHIR compatibility, and government/MoH deployments in LMICs. Medic and Medtronic LABS pursue overlapping ministry of health RFPs and global health donor grants for digital community-health platforms.
- Sana: Sana (MIT-spinout) builds an open-source mobile health platform with clinical decision support for CHWs and frontline providers in LMICs. Sana and SPICE overlap directly on AI/ML-augmented decision support and offline-first CHW workflows targeting the same LMIC ministry of health and NGO customer base.
- OpenMRS: OpenMRS is a widely deployed open-source electronic medical record platform used across LMICs with FHIR-based interoperability. While OpenMRS is facility-focused where SPICE is community-focused, both are Digital Public Goods serving the same ministry-of-health customers and are listed together on the Global Goods Guidebook for Health.
- Dimagi: Dimagi builds CommCare, an open-source mobile data collection and service delivery platform widely used by community health workers across LMICs. Both Medtronic LABS (SPICE) and Dimagi (CommCare) target the same end users — frontline CHWs in low-resource settings — with offline-first, FHIR-interoperable digital health platforms, and both compete for the same ministry of health and global health funder budgets.
Emerging players
- THINKMD: THINKMD provides AI-driven clinical decision support for frontline health workers in low-resource settings, focused on integrated assessment of multiple conditions. Both companies are applying ML to improve CHW assessment accuracy and both target global health buyers, though THINKMD focuses more on assessment and SPICE more on longitudinal NCD management.
- Noora Health: Noora Health provides tech-enabled health education and caregiver training programs in hospitals and homes across South Asia (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia). Both Noora Health and Medtronic LABS target patient education and behavior change in LMIC settings — Noora in Bangladesh/India where Medtronic LABS also runs NCD 360 and Prerna — and compete for similar global health philanthropic funding.
- Living Goods: Living Goods operates tech-enabled community health worker programs in Kenya and Uganda focused on maternal and child health, with similar CHW-led service delivery, mobile tooling, and ministry-of-health co-creation models. Living Goods and Medtronic LABS share Kenyan MoH partnerships and overlap on Empower Health-style community NCD/maternal programs.
- Last Mile Health: Last Mile Health builds and supports community health worker programs in last-mile settings in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and other African countries. Both organizations deploy technology-enabled CHW models with national MoH partnerships in countries (Sierra Leone specifically) where Medtronic LABS' Betteh Lyfe program is also active.
Others
- BRAC: BRAC — the world's largest NGO — is Medtronic LABS' implementing partner for NCD 360 in Bangladesh but also operates its own health programs in multiple LMICs. BRAC is a partner-competitor in the LMIC community health space, with overlapping ministry relationships and donor relationships across South Asia and Africa.
- PATH: PATH is a global health nonprofit that designs and implements digital health solutions in LMICs (including the BID Initiative and various MoH digital health programs). PATH is listed as a partner on Medtronic LABS' homepage logo wall and competes for similar digital health implementation grants from the same funders (Gates Foundation, USAID, multilateral donors).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Medtronic LABS social profiles
Digital presenceMedtronic LABS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Medtronic LABS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Medtronic LABS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Medtronic LABS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Medtronic LABS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Medtronic LABS
What does Medtronic LABS do?
Medtronic LABS develops and distributes SPICE, an open-source, FHIR-compliant digital health platform for community-based population health, and operates country-specific health-system strengthening programs for non-communicable diseases, maternal/child health, and pediatric hearing care. Its offering pairs the SPICE platform (with Clinical Decision Support, telehealth, referral, and analytics modules) with ground-level program delivery through community health workers in partnership with ministries of health, multilaterals, NGOs, and donors across LMICs and underserved U.S. communities.
Is Medtronic LABS a public or private company?
Medtronic LABS is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Medtronic LABS founded?
Medtronic LABS was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Medtronic LABS based?
Medtronic LABS is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Medtronic LABS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grants, public-sector funding, and partnership contributions are the primary driver. The others are strategic partnership and consortium funding (CGI-style Commitments to Action).
Who are Medtronic LABS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Medic, Sana, OpenMRS and Dimagi. Emerging players are THINKMD, Noora Health, Living Goods and Last Mile Health. Others are BRAC and PATH.
Does Medtronic LABS have an API?
Yes. SPICE platform offers a REST-based API covering Common Services such as Account Create, Login, Logout, Change Password, Forgot Password, Reset Password, Get User Details, Get User Profile, User Profile Update, Country Create, Site Create, Operating Unit Create, Locked Users List, Unlock User, Set Password for New User, Validate User Email, and Verify Set Password, plus Super Admin endpoints. Developer support is offered via [email protected]. Public API documentation is published at the SPICE Product Docs site. Developer documentation is at spice.docs.medtroniclabs.org/engineering/api-documentation.
What industry is Medtronic LABS in?
Medtronic LABS's product category is Digital Health Platform for Community-Based Population Health. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLALAFAL, Multi-Condition RPM Platforms & Care Orchestration (device-agnostic, population management), with a secondary code of HLACAEAE, Patient Education, Content & Personalized Journey Orchestration. Its NAICS code is 6215 and its SIC code is 8000.