Global Health Security Fund

What Global Health Security Fund does

The Global Health Security Fund (GHS Fund) is a Geneva-based nonprofit founded in 2019 that supports impact investment in global health security innovation. It operates as an innovation ecosystem and community of practice that aggregates innovators, investors, technologists, philanthropists, and global health practitioners around a proprietary common impact assessment framework. The organization identifies promising health security innovations, matches them to country-defined needs, and organizes funding to scale equitable, financially sustainable solutions with an explicit focus on the Global South.

Its core offerings are programmatic rather than technology products. Flagship initiatives include BioPrevail (a multilateral initiative convened by the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and hosted by WOAH, for which GHS Fund serves as program secretariat), the GHS Fund Access Awards (inaugural Katherine McDonald Urological Oncology Access Award launched at WEF Davos 2025 with a recurring 2026 edition), the GHS Fund Senior Fellowship, the UNODA Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship, the Action Accelerator Vehicle (with South Africa's NICD), the Biosafety Journal Club (reaching 40+ countries), and the BioPrevail Innovation Ecosystem Portal. There is no proprietary technology product, no AI/ML component, and no API surface.

The business model combines grant funding for nonprofit activities with promotion of equity investment in startups developing health security solutions, effectively mobilizing non-traditional capital by pairing philanthropy with venture capital principles. Leadership comprises two Yale-trained physician co-founders (Dr. Andrew Nerlinger as Executive Director and Dr. Lisa McDonald as President of the Board of Directors), veteran venture capitalist Bill Wood, and John Arnold of Arnold Ventures as ambassadors. Revenue is generated through philanthropic grants and donor partnerships (e.g., WHO Innovation Hub Donor Partner relationship) rather than commercial sales; no revenue or grant-inflow figures are disclosed.

Name

Global Health Security Fund

Legal name

Global Health Security Fund

Website

https://ghsfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Global Health Security Fund is a Geneva-based nonprofit that identifies, matches, and funds health security innovations in the Global South, combining philanthropic grants with equity investment promotion through programs like BioPrevail, the Access Awards, and the Senior Fellowship for innovators, investors, and ecosystem partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Global Health Security Impact Investment

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Global Health Financing Mechanisms (HLAJAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

International & Global Public Health Aid Administration (Government Donors) (HLAJALAO), Disease-Specific Global Programs (HIV/TB/Malaria/NTDs) (HLAJAKAF)

Keywords

• Global health security
• Impact investment funding
• Health innovation ecosystem
• Biosafety biosecurity programs
• Nonprofit grant capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding for Nonprofit Activities: The GHS Fund provides grant funding for programs with potential to develop and expand global capacity for health security innovation. They mobilize non-traditional sources of capital through combining traditional philanthropy with venture capital investment principles.
2. Equity Investment Promotion: The organization promotes equity investment in startups developing innovative global health security solutions. They de-risk impact investment in health security innovations, particularly those created in emerging technology ecosystems, and develop and validate new common impact assessment frameworks.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Global Health Security Fund is a Geneva-based nonprofit that supports impact investment in global health security innovation. It identifies promising health security innovations through a common impact assessment framework, matches solutions to country-defined needs, and organizes grant funding and equity investment to scale equitable, sustainable innovations primarily in the Global South. It operates as program secretariat for the BioPrevail multilateral initiative and runs an ecosystem of innovators, investors, technologists, philanthropists, and global health practitioners.

Product overview

The Global Health Security Fund is a Geneva-based nonprofit organization rather than a traditional technology product company. Its offerings consist of impact investment programs and ecosystem development initiatives centered on three pillars: Capital (for investors), Creation (for innovators/startups), and Community (for ecosystem partners). Key programs include BioPrevail (a multilateral initiative for sustainable laboratories hosted by the World Organization for Animal Health), the GHS Fund Access Awards (recognizing healthcare access innovation), the Senior Fellowship program, UNODA Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship, Action Accelerator Vehicle (Africa CDC partnership), and the Biosafety Journal Club. The fund provides grant funding for non-profit global health security activities and promotes equity investment in startups developing innovative solutions, with emphasis on the Global South.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BioPrevail Initiative A health security innovation initiative for sustainable laboratories convened by the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction and hosted by the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The GHS Fund serves as program secretariat leading development of the BioPrevail Innovation Ecosystem to identify, develop, and scale innovations improving diagnostic laboratory sustainability.
• Innovation Ecosystem Portal Online ecosystem portal at bioprevail.startuptree.co connecting health security innovators with resources, partners, and opportunities. Part of the BioPrevail Innovation Ecosystem to identify, develop, and scale innovations improving diagnostic laboratory sustainability.
• GHS Fund Access Awards Annual awards program recognizing leadership and innovation in improving access to healthcare with focus on impact in the Global South. Aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals target 3.8 and the UHC 2030 movement. The inaugural award is the Katherine McDonald Urological Oncology Access Award.
• GHS Fund Senior Fellowship Fellowship program enabling experienced health security professionals to explore engagement opportunities with the innovation community while contributing to the GHS Fund's mission. Fellows receive funding and programmatic support for up to three months, working alongside the GHS Fund team on specific projects.
• Biosafety Journal Club Community-driven approach to health security capacity building providing locally-relevant training for biosafety and biosecurity professionals in diverse languages. Launched in 2022, initially as PandemicTech Journal Club for Latin America-based biosafety experts.
• Action Accelerator Vehicle Collaboration with South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) introducing technical experts from the Africa CDC-designated Regional Center for Excellence in Biosafety and Biosecurity to concepts of innovation, human-centered design, and effective communications through a year-long program.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 patient care encounters facilitated through supported innovator Wella Health
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The GHS Fund sponsored the 2023 UNODA Youth for Biosecurity Fellowship (Y4B), which provides a unique learning and networking experience into multilateral discussions in the framework of the Biological Weapons Convention in Geneva.
• Association of Community Pharmacists of NigeriaminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 December 2021Wella Health signed a partnership with the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria in December 2021 to ensure improved delivery of healthcare and accessibility and affordability of medications for patients.
• Techstars ImpactminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2019Wella Health, a Nigerian startup supported by the GHS Fund, was selected for the 2019 Techstars Impact accelerator in Austin. Techstars provides acceleration and investment support to the health security innovator.
• World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOAH hosts the BioPrevail (Biological Preparedness and Resilience through Evolution and Innovation of Laboratories) initiative, a health security innovation initiative for sustainable laboratories. The GHS Fund serves as program secretariat and leads the development of the BioPrevail Innovation Ecosystem.
• G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass DestructioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe G7 Global Partnership convenes the BioPrevail initiative for sustainable laboratories. The GHS Fund serves as program secretariat for this multilateral effort focused on identifying, developing, and scaling innovations that improve diagnostic laboratory sustainability as a means of strengthening global health security.
• World Health Organization (WHO) Innovation HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe WHO Innovation Hub works with policymakers, the private sector, and the investor community to build foundations for life-saving digital innovations. The GHS Fund supports the WHO Innovation Hub as a WHO Donor Partner, helping facilitate collaborative learning and capabilities strengthening to sustainably disseminate innovation.
• National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) - South AfricamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Action Accelerator Vehicle was presented in collaboration with South Africa's NICD, introducing technical experts from the Africa CDC-designated Regional Center for Excellence in Biosafety and Biosecurity to concepts of innovation, human-centered design, and effective communications through a year-long program.
• Catalyst Fund's Inclusive FinTechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWella Health, a GHS Fund innovator, is part of the Catalyst Fund's Inclusive FinTech portfolio, gaining access to acceleration and investment support.
• Health Innovation Exchange (HIEx)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe GHS Fund and HIEx presented a systems design workshop to coincide with the 2023 World Health Assembly in Geneva. Elina Viitaniemi, Director at ESCA CancerSupport and Co-Founder of HIEx, serves on the GHS Fund team.
• PandemicTechmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAndrew Nerlinger is Co-founder of PandemicTech, an Austin-based venture philanthropy launched in 2016 that supports health security innovators. Luis Ochoa Carrera is Senior Advisor for PandemicTech. The GHS Fund and PandemicTech share founders and strategic alignment in health security innovation.
• University of Texas at AustinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLisa McDonald founded the Texas Global Health Security Innovation Consortium (TEXGHS), a grassroots innovation ecosystem formed within the University of Texas at Austin. She also served as Director of Healthcare at Austin Technology Incubator, the longstanding incubator of the University.
• International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDarja Könnig, Program Manager at GHS Fund, serves on the Board of Directors of IRHA, a Geneva-based NGO promoting ecosystem-based adaptation for sustainable water, food, and health security in vulnerable communities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: Geneva-based multilateral financing mechanism pooling public and private contributions to scale health programs in low- and middle-income countries; GHSF operates in the same funding/ecosystem-building niche but at far smaller scale and focused specifically on health-security innovation.
• Wellcome Trust: Large UK-based charitable foundation funding global health and biomedical innovation, including epidemic preparedness and Global-South research; comparable as a grantmaking health-security philanthropist with deep innovation pipelines.
• Unitaid: Geneva-hosted financing mechanism that invests in innovations to address global health challenges (HIV, malaria, TB, women's health); shares GHSF's grant-plus-innovation-pipeline model and Geneva headquarters.
• Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Public-private partnership financing vaccine access and health-system strengthening across the Global South; overlaps with GHSF in pooled-financing for global health, donor diplomacy, and country-level program matching.

Direct peers

• WHO Foundation: Geneva-based independent grantmaking foundation supporting WHO priorities through pooled philanthropic capital; overlaps with GHSF as a WHO-aligned fundraising vehicle targeting global health security.
• PandemicTech: Austin-based venture philanthropy supporting health-security innovators; co-founded by GHSF's Executive Director and shares leadership, mission, and portfolio interests, essentially a sister organization.
• Impact Investors for Global Health (IIGH): Membership network mobilizing impact capital for health in emerging markets; directly comparable to GHSF's mission of using blended finance to scale Global-South health innovations and lower barriers for impact investment.
• Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI): Multilateral financing mechanism funding vaccine and platform R&D for epidemic threats; most directly comparable to GHSF on the health-security/pandemic-preparedness mission, with grantmaking plus ecosystem-building for innovators.
• GHIT Fund (Global Health Innovative Technology Fund): Japanese public-private blended-finance fund that invests in global health R&D through partnerships, using a partnership-driven model similar to GHSF's innovator-investor-philanthropist community approach.

Regional players

• TED's Audacious Project: US-anchored philanthropic collaborative funding bold, high-impact global-health and climate initiatives; comparable as a high-visibility convener of donors and innovative ventures, though focused on US-driven fundraising scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-health-security-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Global Health Security Fund