Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative to support African healthtech startups to commercialise and scale their offerings, has announced its 3rd cohort of seven growth-stage companies working to transform pharmacy services on the continent.
Sponsored by the Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics (a subsidiary of the Kühne Foundation), Sanofi’s Global Health Unit and Chemonics, the three-year programme will empower innovators to improve patient access to healthcare across Africa and scale their impact.
i3 is coordinated by Salient Advisory and Solina Center for International Development and Research (SCIDaR).
The selected startups include mPharma, Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, myDawa, RxAll, and Sproxil.
These startups were selected by an expert committee and with the support of CcHUB and Villgro Africa and an independent expert advisory committee.
According to a statement, they will each receive up to $225,000 in risk-tolerant funding, tailored customer introductions, bespoke deal facilitation, and professional communications and advocacy support.
i3 also aims to facilitate around 150 strategic partnerships and influence deals valued at $30M million between innovators and major healthcare purchasers.
In addition, the cohort will participate in i3’s flagship Access to Markets event in December 2025, designed to spark high-impact partnerships between innovators and large healthcare companies, governments, donors, and multilateral agencies.
In the past two years, i3 has provided $3 million in direct grant funding to 60 start-ups across 16 African countries. The program has also established a diverse cohort of innovators, with 43 per cent being women-led and 20 per cent Francophone-led.
According to a statement, successes have recorded 450 facilitated strategic connections, including 122 contracts and pilots, resulting in $11 million in contracted partnerships, expanded reach, and nearly 1,000 jobs created—half of which were held by women.
Speaking on the latest move, Mr Boniface Njenga, Deputy Director, Health Delivery and Systems, Africa at the Gates Foundation, commented: “As the global health landscape continues to rapidly shift, we remain committed to supporting innovative solutions and initiatives that strengthen local health systems across Africa. The i3 program emphasises the transformative potential of technology-driven innovations on the continent when empowered with the right resources, and we have already seen impressive results from the cohorts.”
On her part, Dr Priya Agrawal, Vice President, International Health Equity and Partnerships, at MSD, noted: “Now more than ever, investing in local healthcare businesses is essential for securing effective and sustainable medicine and vaccine distribution across Africa. MSD is committed to partnering with i3 to support entrepreneurs that are dedicated to expanding equitable healthcare access. By engaging the local private sector and meeting patients where they are, we can enhance access and strengthen health systems through fostering innovation in pharmacy services.”
For Dr Ashifi Gogo, CEO and Founder at Sproxil, remarked: “It is an honor to be selected as part of the i3 cohort focused on growth-stage companies. The support of leading global life sciences and logistics companies, alongside forward-thinking foundations, is encouraging as we scale our impact. The i3 program continues to differentiate itself through the transformative power of local innovation, and I am eager to see the significant impact this cohort will undoubtedly make.”