The startups were selected through the Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) program, which is a pan-African initiative to support the growth of early- and growth-stage healthcare supply chain companies.

The selected startups operate in 21 different African countries and are developing a wide range of innovative solutions, including online pharmacies, telemedicine platforms, inventory management systems, and data analytics tools.

The goal of these startups is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare supply chains in Africa, which will help to ensure that more people have access to the essential medicines and medical supplies they need.

The i3 program provides selected startups with a grant of $50,000, as well as access to market opportunities and tailored investment readiness support.

The program is sponsored by Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Merck Sharpe & Dohme (MSD), Microsoft, and Chemonics.

The following is a list of the 29 healthcare supply chain startups selected for the second cohort of the i3 program:

1. Afia Group Limited (Tanzania)
2. Aimcare Health (Kenya)
3. Bena Care (Nigeria)
4. BioCertica (Ghana)
5. Chari Pharma (Morocco)
6. CheckUps Medical (Nigeria)
7. Chefaa (Egypt)
8. Dawa Mkononi (Tanzania)
9. Drugstore Nigeria (Nigeria)
10. Famasi Limited (Ghana)
11. Field Intelligence, Inc. (Kenya)
12. GICMED (Nigeria)
13. Grinta (Rwanda)
14. Healthtracka (Nigeria)
15. Kapsule (Ghana)
16. Medical Diagnostech (Nigeria)
17. Medpharma Alliance International Limited (Kenya)
18. Octosoft Technologies Limited (Nigeria)
19. Pharmarun (Nigeria)
20. Pharmaserv Health
21. Project Nigeria Limited (Nigeria)
22. Reductiona (South Africa)
23. SASA Health Limited (Nigeria)
24. Tech Care For All Eastern Africa (Kenya)
25. Technovera – Pelebox Smart Lockers (Cameroon)
26. Tibu Health (Kenya)
27. UltraTeb (Algeria)
28. Waspito (Rwanda)
29. WellaHealth (Kenya)
    Welo (Senegal)

The Gates Foundation’s investment in these startups is a significant boost for the healthcare supply chain sector in Africa.

The startups are developing innovative solutions that have the potential to make a real difference in the lives of millions of people.