Five African healthtech startups selected in Google AI Program

STARTUP VENTURE CAPITALSeptember 28, 2023 at 8:49 PM UTC

The Google for Startups Growth Academy: AI for Health has unveiled the thirty startups from around the world selected for its 2023 cohort. Five startups made it to the list. They include Eden Care (Rwanda), iZola Limited (Kenya), mDoc (Nigeria), Pharmarun (Nigeria) and Zuri Health (Kenya). All these startups are reshaping healthcare with AI-empowered solutions.

“Africa’s innovative spirit in the AI for Health domain is profoundly inspiring. These startups stand as a testament to the continent’s ability to develop global health solutions.’’ Yuval Passov, Head of Google for Startup and lead of the program, said. ‘’We aim to stand alongside them, offering support and partnership as they strive to scale and disseminate their groundbreaking solutions.”

Startups worldwide are harnessing AI as a transformative instrument, addressing significant challenges from early disease detection to ensuring information accessibility. Their innovations not only improve billions of lives but also drive robust economic growth.

Key Takeaways

Across Africa, a number of startups offer innovative AI-driven solutions and are increasingly attracting VC dollars to serve several industries, including financial services, logistics, healthcare, and consumer goods (FMCGs). Earlier this year, Germany’s BioNTech SE announced its acquisition of InstaDeep, a Tunis-born AI startup, for up to $680 million. Egypt-based Instabug and Synapse Analytics raised $46 million and $2 million respectively last year and with the InstaDeep acquisition, we anticipate even more investments in the fast-growing AI space going forward. Capturing only 10% of the fast-growing global Artificial Intelligence market could expand Africa’s economy by as much as $1.5 trillion by 2030—about 50% of its current gross domestic product (GDP).