mHero
mHero is a two-way mobile communication system connecting ministries of health with frontline health workers for disease surveillance and emergency response. Operated by IntraHealth International and co-created with UNICEF in 2014 for Ebola response in Liberia, it now supports COVID-19 coordination across multiple countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersChapel Hill, United States
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What mHero does
mHero is a two-way, mobile phone-based communication system that connects ministries of health with frontline health workers. The platform integrates existing national health information systems with locally popular communication channels (such as SMS and interactive voice response) to enable real-time exchange of health information, disease surveillance, and emergency response coordination. Its core technical value proposition is interoperability rather than greenfield infrastructure — it leverages pre-existing HRHIS data and messaging channels rather than requiring new systems to be built. The platform was created in August 2014 by IntraHealth International and UNICEF, originally to support health-sector communication during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, with initial deployment funded through the USAID Ebola Grand Challenge.
mHero is maintained and operated by IntraHealth International, a global health nonprofit headquartered in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and sits within IntraHealth's iHRIS family of open-source health workforce data solutions. It has since expanded beyond Liberia and is currently deployed in several other countries as a coordination tool for COVID-19 response, as well as for ongoing disease surveillance and health worker communication. The partner ecosystem spans UNICEF, USAID, the U.S. Global Development Lab, the World Health Organization, MEASURE Evaluation, HISP/University of Oslo, Dimagi, eHealth Africa, OpenHIE, Jembi Health Systems, mPowering Health, and Digital Square, with additional corporate funding support from Johnson & Johnson.
From a business model perspective, mHero is not a commercial SaaS product. Development and deployment are funded through USAID grants and other donor mechanisms, and pricing is not publicly disclosed because the platform is operated as a grant-funded public health program for ministries of health. The go-to-market is government-focused and sales-led, working directly with ministries of health and international health organizations. The unit operates inside a nonprofit parent (IntraHealth International) and is private by structure, with no venture funding, no commercial revenue line, and no disclosed headcount, ARR, or revenue figure.
mHero firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- mHero
- Legal name
- mHero
- Website
- https://mhero.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- mHero is a two-way mobile communication system connecting ministries of health with frontline health workers for disease surveillance and emergency response. Operated by IntraHealth International and co-created with UNICEF in 2014 for Ebola response in Liberia, it now supports COVID-19 coordination across multiple countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
mHero industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Health Workforce Communication Software
- NAICS
- Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Omnichannel Patient Communications & Contact Center (Voice/SMS/Email/Chat) (HLACAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interoperability Standards, Profiles & Implementation (HL7/FHIR/IHE) (HLACABAA)
Keywords
Where mHero is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chapel Hill
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
mHero business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- USAID-funded Development: mHero development and deployment is funded through the USAID Ebola Grand Challenge, indicating grant-based funding for global health initiatives rather than commercial revenue generation
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
mHero product offering
Product offeringCore offering
mHero is a two-way, mobile phone-based communication system that connects ministries of health with frontline health workers by bringing together existing health information systems (such as iHRIS) with locally popular communication platforms to enable real-time exchange of health information. Originally created in 2014 to support Ebola response in Liberia, it is now also used for COVID-19 response coordination in several countries and is operated by IntraHealth International under USAID and UNICEF partnerships.
Product overview
mHero is a single unified product — a two-way mobile communication platform designed specifically for health sector coordination. It connects ministries of health with frontline health workers by integrating with existing national health information systems and popular communication channels. The platform enables real-time information exchange for disease surveillance, health worker communication, and emergency response coordination. Originally developed in 2014 for Ebola response in Liberia, it has since been deployed for COVID-19 response coordination in multiple countries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- mHero mHero is a two-way, mobile phone-based communication system that connects ministries of health with frontline health workers by integrating existing national health information systems (such as iHRIS) with locally popular communication platforms, enabling real-time exchange of health information for disease surveillance, health worker communication, and emergency response coordination including Ebola and COVID-19.
Companies that use mHero
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
mHero technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
mHero partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IntraHealth InternationalcoreIntraHealth International maintains and operates mHero as part of the iHRIS family of health workforce data solutions. As the parent organization, IntraHealth provides operational infrastructure and global health expertise.
- UNICEFcoreUNICEF co-created mHero with IntraHealth International in August 2014 to support health-sector communication during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia. UNICEF continues as a key development partner.
- eHealth AfricaminorImplementation partner supporting deployment in African regions.
- World Health OrganizationminorWHO is referenced as a partner in global health coordination efforts.
- Digital SquareminorDigital health development partner supporting mHero ecosystem.
- mPowering HealthminorHealth technology partnership supporting mHero deployment.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
mHero competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dimagi: Dimagi builds CommCare, a mobile data collection and service delivery platform used by frontline health workers in low- and middle-income countries — directly overlapping with mHero's frontline health worker and ministry of health use cases.
- Viamo: Viamo operates a mobile engagement platform that connects organizations to beneficiaries via SMS, IVR, and mobile channels across LMICs, serving ministries of health and development organizations — a comparable channel and customer profile to mHero.
- Medic (formerly Medic Mobile): Medic builds mobile health tools for community health workers and ministries of health, with a similar focus on two-way communication and workflow support — making it one of the closest direct comparables to mHero.
- OpenMRS: OpenMRS is an open-source electronic medical record platform widely deployed with ministries of health in LMICs, targeting similar interoperability and government health system use cases as mHero.
- iHRIS (IntraHealth International): iHRIS is the parent iHRIS family of health workforce data solutions maintained by IntraHealth — the same organization that operates mHero — making it a sister-product peer with overlapping ministry of health deployments.
- RapidPro (UNICEF): RapidPro is UNICEF's open-source platform for building mobile-based workflows and two-way communication flows — directly comparable to mHero's core SMS/mobile two-way communication functionality, and built by one of mHero's co-creators.
- DHIS2 (HISP, University of Oslo): DHIS2 is the dominant open-source health information management platform used by ministries of health globally and is a listed mHero partner (HISP/University of Oslo). It competes and complements mHero in the same digital health stack.
Others
- eHealth Africa: eHealth Africa is a listed mHero implementation partner focused on health information systems in West Africa — an adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct product competitor.
- OpenHIE: OpenHIE is a community-driven health information exchange framework and listed mHero partner — adjacent ecosystem infrastructure rather than a direct competitor, but defines the interoperability standards mHero builds on.
Emerging players
- Praekelt: Praekelt builds mobile health and engagement platforms (e.g., MomConnect in South Africa) targeting ministry of health and frontline health worker use cases with similar technology and LMIC focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
mHero social profiles
Digital presencemHero financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
mHero leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
mHero funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
mHero 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 mHero
What does mHero do?
mHero is a two-way, mobile phone-based communication system that connects ministries of health with frontline health workers by bringing together existing health information systems (such as iHRIS) with locally popular communication platforms to enable real-time exchange of health information. Originally created in 2014 to support Ebola response in Liberia, it is now also used for COVID-19 response coordination in several countries and is operated by IntraHealth International under USAID and UNICEF partnerships.
Is mHero a public or private company?
mHero is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was mHero founded?
mHero was founded in 2014.
Where is mHero based?
mHero is headquartered in Chapel Hill, United States, in the North America region.
How does mHero make money?
One revenue line is on record: USAID-funded Development.
Who are mHero's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dimagi, Viamo, Medic (formerly Medic Mobile), OpenMRS, iHRIS (IntraHealth International), RapidPro (UNICEF) and DHIS2 (HISP, University of Oslo). Others are eHealth Africa and OpenHIE. Praekelt is listed as an emerging player.
Does mHero have an API?
No public API is recorded for mHero.
What industry is mHero in?
mHero's product category is Health Workforce Communication Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAEAC, Omnichannel Patient Communications & Contact Center (Voice/SMS/Email/Chat), with a secondary code of HLACABAA, Interoperability Standards, Profiles & Implementation (HL7/FHIR/IHE). Its NAICS code is 621 and its SIC code is 8000.