2024 HealthTech Hub Africa (HTHA) Accelerator Program

Calling on startups from across Africa

Background:

Africa is burdened with a disproportionate share of global health challenges, where limited healthcare resources and financing hinder access to high-quality healthcare services for all citizens. Innovative technology solutions offer promising solutions to address these issues. The region is experiencing a rapid growth of entrepreneurial innovation, with exciting examples ranging from virtual health assistants to drone delivery of medical supplies.

HealthTech Hub Africa (HTHA) is a hybrid pan-African health tech accelerator with a physical co-working space in Kigali, Rwanda. Founded by the Novartis Foundation and supported by the Global Fund and the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, HTHA aims to address these challenges by actively integrating innovations into public health systems through collaboration with key government stakeholders. The accelerator aims to offer entrepreneurs a powerful platform to create sustainable businesses and meaningful health impact.

Thematic areas:

Cardiovascular health: Reducing cardiovascular disease deaths on the population level through improved screening, referral, diagnosis, and management.

Breast cancer: Reducing breast cancer deaths on the population level through improved screening, referral, diagnosis, and management.

Virtual health and care: Improving quality, access to equitable care, and digital literacy through remote delivery of preventative and curative health and care services.

Optimization of data-driven decision-making: Improving health system capabilities and epidemic preparedness through stronger integrated health information.

Who should apply:

For the 2024 Cohort, we are looking for Growth Startups and Scale ups from the whole African continent with innovative business models allowing for collaboration with local and national governments, and aiming to support health systems in their digital transformation journeys.

For each of the two tracks the key criteria of evaluation for the applicants are based on their ability to demonstrate the innovation potential to successfully address challenges in one or more of the four thematic areas of focus for the hub, their product excellence, team, fit-to-market, sustainability and scalability model in relation to working with the public system.

What you get:

Participation in 10-Month Accelerator Program, which includes:

For the Startups

Expert masterclasses
Media training, public speaking and pitch practice sessions
Community support and peer learning, and collaboration opportunities
Invitation to networking meetups and hybrid events across Africa and beyond
Access to the HealthTech Hub Africa Impact Framework and training on its use
Startup solution demos and opportunities to pitch during the HealthTech summits in Kigali, Rwanda
Mentorship from volunteer mentors, per startup, with strong expertise in population health and technology
Support to understand national digital health strategies and roadmaps and develop public-private partnerships
Free access to world-class legal services, accounting, marketing, talent acquisition, and accelerated fundraising
Introduction to digital interoperability standards (e.g., HL7 FHIR/ WHO SMART Guidelines) to support public sector integration
Access to the HTHA public-private network, providing pro bono technology credits, advisory, market access support, funding opportunities
Training and access to an interactive platform for growth-level support allowing for better structuring and refinement of existing and new business models and preparation of executive summaries

For the Scaleups:

Access to all the above benefits offered to growth startups.
Media training and exposure.
Additional Investment Readiness Support.
Free access to world-class accounting, marketing, talent acquisition, and accelerated fundraising.

Membership In The HealthTech Public-Private Partners Network, Which Includes:

Free expert-level support from established local and global organizations in the form of advisory, facilitation, match-making with prospective partners, consulting, and more
Perks in the form of free and/or highly discounted infrastructure credits, software licenses and technical and design services
Access to the hub’s investor circle
Access to various opportunities shared by the network

Funding Opportunities For Innovation Acceleration In Public Health

Through the digital platform of the hub, all selected startups will be able to apply for grant funding and in-kind benefits exceeding USD 1M.

The funding will serve the startups to test, refine, validate, integrate and, accelerate and/or scale their solutions inside the public health systems to drive forward health equity in the continent.

Following the projects’ completion, the solutions successfully integrated into the respective national health systems will be spotlighted and will have the opportunity to seek further support in the future.

Full-Year Access To A State-Of-Art Co-Working Space

The membership comes with 12 months of serviced office space, meeting and conference spaces, and an invitation to startup community events hosted by the Norrsken East Africa House in Kigali.

Lifetime Access To The Hub’s Alumni Network And Open-Source Resources

All startups and scale-ups who have completed the program will receive a Participation Certificate and a lifetime Alumni membership to the HealthTech Hub Africa’s resources and future opportunities.

Eligibility criteria:

The Accelerator Program is open to all HealthTech startups with the following mandatory conditions:

For Startups:

African Registration: Startups must be registered in an African country.
Team Composition: A co-founding team with at least two members, including one African founder.
Thematic Alignment: The startup’s product or service should align with one or more of HealthTech Hub Africa’s four thematic areas: cardiovascular health, breast cancer, virtual health and care, and Optimisation of data-driven decision making.
Revenue Stage: Startups can be either pre-revenue or post-revenue.
Funding Stage: Pre-SEED to SEED stage startups are eligible.
Operational Duration: Startups should have been in operation for a minimum of one year.

For scale ups:

African Registration: The startup must be registered in an African country.
Team Composition: A co-founding team with at least two members, including one African founder.
Thematic Alignment: The product or service should align with one or more of HealthTech Hub Africa’s four thematic areas, which include cardiovascular health, breast cancer, virtual health and care, and data for decision making.
Evidence-Based Solution: The startup’s product or service should be evidence-based and demonstrate positive health benefits.
Impact Monitoring: A rigorous approach to monitoring the solution’s impact on individuals is essential.
Revenue Stage: Startup’s must be post-revenue.
Funding Stage: Pre-Series A or Series A