Investing in Innovation Africa  (i3), a pan-African initiative for startups building the future of healthcare supply chains, has announced its second cohort of grant recipients. 

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and sponsored by Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Merck Sharpe & Dohme, Microsoft, and Chemonics, i3 aims to facilitate the commercialization of promising early- and growth-stage companies. Each of the 29 grantees will receive introductions to leading potential customers in industry, donor agencies, and governments; a $50,000 grant; and tailored investment readiness support from Villgro Africa, IMPACT Lab, Startupbootcamp Afritech, and CcHUB. The startups operate in 21 African countries; 38 percent are women-led, and 17 percent are operating in Francophone Africa. The companies are building online pharmacies and telemedicine firms, as well as inventory management services for pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals, and solutions for supply chain data analytics, product protection, and product visibility.

“As countries and global health institutions work to expand access to priority products, we face an urgent need to leverage solutions across the public and private sectors to improve health outcomes and strengthen local health systems,” said Gates Foundation director of global health agencies and funds Kieran Daly. “Programs like i3 help us understand, support and engage with technology-driven solutions emerging across Africa, hand-in-hand with our partners.”  

(Photo credit: Getty Images/willpunt)