Investing In Innovation Africa

What Investing In Innovation Africa does

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), founded in 2022, is a pan-African initiative that supports commercialization and scaling of early- and growth-stage African healthtech startups through a structured four-part program delivered over a 36-month engagement: (1) risk-tolerant grant funding ($50K for early-stage, up to $225K for growth-stage), (2) customer introductions to major healthcare organizations, governments, donors, and industry players, (3) bespoke deal facilitation to refine strategic positioning, and (4) professionalized communications and advocacy. The initiative is funded by a consortium led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation alongside MSD, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics (Kühne Foundation), Sanofi Global Health Unit, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chemonics, and Merck for Mothers, with $7M in cumulative program funding. Since launch i3 has supported more than 60 innovators across 21 African countries, distributing $3.71M in direct grants, facilitating over 720 introductions, and helping portfolio companies raise more than $50M in additional capital and $17M+ in contracts.

The initiative's flagship platform is the annual invite-only Access to Markets event series, now in its third edition (Lagos, December 2025), which convenes 15–20+ innovators with global pharmaceutical manufacturers, governments, donors, and global health organizations to close commercial partnerships; the fourth edition is scheduled for September 2026. i3 is coordinated by Salient Advisory and SCIDaR (Solina Center for Research and Development), with operational presence in Lagos and Nairobi and a team of approximately 11–50 people distributed across Kenya, Nigeria, and Canada. The portfolio spans drug authentication (Sproxil), AI-powered pharmacy platforms (Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect), pharmacy chains (mPharma, MYDAWA, Field), telemedicine (Zuri Health, Healthtracka, Contro), procurement (DrugStoc, LifeBank, Viebeg), cold chain monitoring (Figorr), fintech for pharmacies (Chari Pharma, Famasi), and AI diagnostics (Deepecho).

i3 does not generate revenue; it operates as a donor-funded program that distributes grants to portfolio companies. The business model centers on securing multi-year commitments from global healthcare funders, selecting high-potential African healthtech innovators, providing non-dilutive capital plus facilitation services, and convening an annual partnership event. Pricing is structured around two grant tiers rather than commercial fees, and value capture is measured in patient reach (6.85M), healthcare providers served (31K+), products distributed (209M+), and downstream contracts for portfolio companies (>$17M) rather than direct revenue.

Name

Investing In Innovation Africa

Legal name

Investing in Innovation Africa

Website

https://innovationsinafrica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) is a pan-African initiative that supports early- and growth-stage African healthtech startups with grants ($50K–$225K), customer introductions, deal facilitation, and advocacy, funded by foundations like the Gates Foundation and global pharma companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthtech Accelerator and Innovation Funding

NAICS

Miscellaneous Intermediation (523910)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare Access & Life Sciences Impact Funds (FSANAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Supply Chain, Procurement & Market-Shaping Partnerships (Medicines/Diagnostics/Vaccines) (HLAJAOAK)

Keywords

• Healthtech accelerator program
• Startup grant funding
• Market access facilitation
• Deal facilitation services
• Healthcare innovation support

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding from Foundations and Corporations: i3 is a pan-African initiative funded by global healthcare organizations and foundations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSD, Sanofi, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics (Kühne Foundation), Sanofi Global Health Unit, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Chemonics. The initiative provides grants to selected startups rather than generating revenue.
2. Program Support Services: i3 provides risk-tolerant funding, development support, customer introductions, and bespoke deal facilitation to African healthtech startups to help them commercialize and scale their offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) is a pan-African initiative that supports early- and growth-stage African healthtech startups through a four-part program: customer introductions to major healthcare organizations (donors, governments, industry), risk-tolerant grant funding ($50K for early-stage and up to $225K for growth-stage), bespoke deal facilitation to refine strategic positioning, and communications and advocacy support. The program is anchored by an annual flagship Access to Markets event that connects innovators with pharmaceutical manufacturers, governments, and global health institutions.

Product overview

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) is a pan-African initiative that does not operate a single unified product but rather a structured four-part support program for African healthtech startups. The core offerings are: Customer Introductions (connecting innovators with major healthcare organizations, donors, governments, and industry), Risk-Tolerant Funding (grants of $50K for early-stage and up to $225K for growth-stage companies), Bespoke Deal Facilitation (refining strategic positioning to close partnerships), and Communications and Advocacy (amplifying innovators' work and resolving ecosystem barriers). i3 also runs the annual Access to Markets flagship event. Across its three cohorts, i3 has supported over 60 startups operating across 21 African countries, spanning diverse healthtech categories including telemedicine platforms (Zuri Health), AI-powered pharmacy solutions (Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi), drug authentication and anti-counterfeit systems (Sproxil, Chekkit), pharmacy management SaaS (Meditect, Famasi), pharmacy chains and primary care (mPharma, MYDAWA, Field), cold chain logistics (Figorr), health financing (ClinicPesa, Chari Pharma), telehealth and diagnostics (Healthtracka, GICMED, Contro), and medical supply procurement platforms (DrugStoc, LifeBank, Viebeg Medical).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customer Introductions i3 connects African healthtech innovators with major healthcare organizations, facilitating introductions to donors, governments, and industry players to drive adoption and scale of their solutions.
• Risk-Tolerant Funding i3 provides $50,000 grants for early-stage innovators and up to $225,000 for growth-stage innovators to unlock partnerships and bridge funding gaps in African healthcare innovation.
• Bespoke Deal Facilitation i3 refines innovators' strategic positioning and provides tailored counsel to boost partnership and deal success, helping startups close major healthcare partnerships across Africa.
• Communications and Advocacy i3 delivers highly professionalized communications and advocacy support to amplify innovators' work and resolve ecosystem barriers, including media placements and global event participation.
• Access to Markets Event i3's flagship annual invite-only event connecting leading African healthtech innovators with major healthcare organizations, industry leaders, government officials, global health organizations, and donors to spark meaningful partnerships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6.85M patients reached by i3-supported innovators
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• Nigeria's National Malaria Elimination ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2025Government partner in MoU with Sproxil for malaria diagnostics and treatment access tracking, signed at i3's 3rd Access to Markets event.
• Presidential Initiative for Unlocking the Healthcare Value ChainmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 December 2025Government partner in MoU with Sproxil for malaria diagnostics tracking and treatment access improvement across Nigeria.
• SwipeRxminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025Leading Asian innovator providing mentorship and credit advisory to Dawa Mkononi, enabling closure of a bank partnership to finance medicines for 20K+ pharmacies.
• Salient AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinating organization for i3, responsible for program management, selection committee leadership, and ecosystem research. Globally distributed team in Kenya, Nigeria, and Canada.
• SCIDaR (Solina Center for Research and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordinating organization for i3, led by Dr. Uchenna Igbokwe as CEO. Manages program operations, cohort selection, and implementation across Africa.
• CcHUBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading tech hub in Africa spearheading cohort selection for i3, bringing expertise in startup ecosystem development.
• Villgro AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrican startup incubator spearheading cohort selection for i3, bringing expertise in healthtech innovation support.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CcHUB (Co-creation Hub): Leading African tech hub that runs startup programs and ecosystem support across Africa. Cited as a cohort selection partner for i3, making it a directly comparable African startup ecosystem enabler.
• Villgro Africa: African healthtech-focused incubator that supports commercialization of early-stage African health innovators, including serving as a cohort selection partner for i3. Directly comparable as an African healthtech venture-builder.

Broad incumbents

• PATH: Global health nonprofit that drives market-shaping partnerships to bring health technologies to low-resource settings. Comparable as an intermediary brokering between innovators, governments, donors, and industry players in African and global health.
• Grand Challenges Canada: Global development innovation funder that provides grant-based risk-tolerant capital to breakthrough solutions in global health. Comparable as a development-focused impact fund with similar grant-driven innovation model.
• Global Innovation Fund: Development-focused investment fund that provides risk-tolerant capital to innovative businesses serving low-income populations. Comparable as a grant and investment vehicle targeting global development innovation.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): Global health organization that brokers partnerships between governments, donors, and healthcare suppliers across Africa. Comparable in facilitating market-shaping partnerships in African health supply chains, though at significantly larger scale.
• AMREF Health Africa: Large African health NGO running programs in healthcare supply chain strengthening and innovation partnerships. Comparable in leveraging donor funding to scale African health solutions and partnerships with ministries of health.

Emerging players

• Reach52: One of i3's portfolio companies that operates a health tech platform reaching underserved populations. Listed here as it represents the type of investee i3 supports, illustrating an emerging player in the same space that the program cultivates.

Regional players

• Impact Hub Network: Global network of impact-focused innovation hubs supporting early-stage entrepreneurs. Comparable as an ecosystem platform that combines funding introductions and capacity building for social ventures.

Others

• Salient Advisory: Coordinating organization for i3, leading program management and ecosystem research. While administratively linked rather than a pure peer, it operates adjacent deal-facilitation and ecosystem research across African health supply chains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/investing-in-innovation-africa-i3-
• Xx.com/i3africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments46 records

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Frequently asked questions about Investing In Innovation Africa