Kenya’s MamaPrime and Uganda’s Teheca emerged winners at Sanofi’s AfricaTech competition which was supposed to be part of the canceled VivaTech 2020 Global Challenge.
MamaPrime and Teheca were part of an online final challenge organized by Sanofi following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of VivaTech that was to be held in Paris, France due to the global pandemic.
The two are set to receive partnership opportunities with Sanofi in the realization of the projects and innovation in their local markets.
The two are part of the five start-ups that were announced winners during the final of the Sanofi AfricaTech challenges (the African lab of Viva Technology) which was conducted online. The five were selected from a pool of 11 start-ups who pitched at the finals of the challenge. This year, Sanofi received a total of 268 application from 34 countries across the continent.
The five include;
Challenge #1: How to support patients with a digital health book in order to access information and make decision?
EYONE (Senegal) offers a shared medical file. Patients have their medical records in real time everywhere and are connected to 35 online health professionals that have partnered with the startup.
Challenge #2: How to help healthcare systems leapfrog from manual to smart logistics solutions at point of care?
Mobihealth International (Nigeria) is Africa’s first fully integrated telehealth electronic medical records and video app. Its mission is to use telemedicine to provide people in developing countries with access to quality healthcare services in the most cost and time effective way, anytime, anywhere.
Challenge #3: How to improve financing and impact of innovative health solutions in Africa?
MamaPrime (Kenya) is a health fintech company that enables mothers and their families to prepay for their prenatal & postnatal care and child wellness services in installments throughout their pregnancy.
Challenge #4 - Sanofi Espoir Foundation: How to improve maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa?
- Teheca (Uganda) connects new and expectant mothers to qualified nurses for at home post-natal checkups and supports by using low cost and low-tech solutions. The accessibility increase to post-natal cares aims a timely identification and a referral of life-threatening complications during post-natal period.
- The University Agency Innovation (Cameroon) is a hub of scientific, technological and enterprise-based innovations. Its spin-off AUI Techno designs and produces an interactive infant incubator connectable to doctors’ smartphones, in order to reduce the neonatal mortality rate.
The objective of this initiative is to continue Sanofi’s commitment in encouraging innovation in African continent in order to create a health ecosystem that is at the service of the patient . An ecosystem that includes all stakeholders in the sector: public authorities, private companies, start-ups, etc.
The next step is the respective local Sanofi teams will assess partnership opportunities with the 5 winning startups.
