The funding was made through the Bridge Fund by Digital Africa, a financing initiative designed to help African technology startups scale their operations and bridge growth-stage funding gaps.

Founded in 2020 by Jason Carmichael, Tibu Health has built a technology-enabled healthcare model aimed at making quality medical services more accessible and affordable for Kenyans.

The company focuses particularly on middle-income households and communities that often struggle to access reliable primary healthcare services.

The investment comes as Tibu Health continues to expand its “Minute Clinics” model, which it launched in 2024. The clinics are located within facilities that people already visit regularly, including pharmacies and supermarkets.

Through a partnership with pharmacy chain Goodlife, the company has been establishing small healthcare centres that offer patients convenient access to consultations and basic medical services closer to where they live and work.

These clinics are linked to a central medical hub that provides more specialized services, including laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging, pediatric care, gynecology services, and telemedicine consultations.

The hub-and-spoke model allows patients to access a wider range of healthcare services without the need to visit large hospitals for routine care.

Announcing the financing, Proparco Deputy Chief Executive Officer Djalal Khimdjee said the institution sees Tibu Health as a strong example of how innovation can help address healthcare access challenges in Africa.

“We are proud to support Tibu Health, an innovative company transforming access to primary healthcare through an accessible and affordable proximity-based model. By combining mini-clinics embedded within pharmacies with a centralized medical hub, Tibu Health enables thousands of patients – particularly among middle- and lower-income populations – to access essential, high-quality healthcare services,” said Khimdjee.

He added that the investment reflects Proparco’s commitment to supporting healthcare solutions capable of sustainably expanding access to care for underserved urban communities.

The financing also highlights growing investor interest in healthcare technology across Africa, where digital tools and alternative healthcare delivery models are increasingly being used to address shortages of medical personnel and healthcare infrastructure.

According to Tibu Health, its Minute Clinic model is designed to leverage existing retail networks to bring healthcare services closer to patients while maintaining operational efficiency.

Tibu Health Executive Chairman Jason Carmichael said the company’s strategy is centered on integrating healthcare services into infrastructure that communities already use every day.

“Expanding access to primary healthcare at scale requires embedding care within the infrastructure people already use. The hub-and-spoke model we have built – linking community-level Minute Clinics to a centralised hub offering specialist diagnostics and telemedicine – is designed precisely for that purpose: to deliver consistent, high-quality care across urban and peri-urban communities in a financially sustainable way,” he said.

Carmichael noted that Proparco’s backing will help accelerate the rollout of the model and further demonstrate its potential as a scalable healthcare solution for emerging markets.

The latest financing strengthens Tibu Health’s position as one of Kenya’s fast-growing healthtech companies, as it seeks to broaden access to affordable primary healthcare while leveraging technology and existing retail networks to reach more patients across the country.