Innovate Health Hub

02/02/2026

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬 𝗙𝗲𝗺𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮

Women’s health remains one of the most underfunded areas of healthcare innovation.
FemTech startups are using digital and community-driven solutions to close long-standing gaps in women’s health from menstruation and reproductive health to pregnancy, childbirth, and early childhood.

📌 Here are 10 FemTech startups leading the way:

✅Helpmum Africa: Improving maternal care access and reducing preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

✅Totohealth - Saving lives of children under 5 years using mobile technology: Delivering pregnancy and child health information via SMS at scale.

✅YeneHealth: Expanding access to reproductive health products, services, and education.

✅Mammy App: Supporting women’s health needs across fertility, pregnancy, and motherhood.

✅my pregnancy Journey: A digital companion offering pregnancy education and tracking.

✅MumsVillage: Connecting mothers to trusted maternal and child health information.

✅Uteroo: Addressing menstrual and reproductive health through digital tools.

✅Babymigo: Linking expectant mothers with healthcare professionals via mobile platforms.

✅Hamil guide: A tech-enabled pregnancy guide focused on education and tracking.

✅Eve’s Mama: A content-driven platform delivering trusted blogs and resources on pregnancy and parenthood, with a focus on personalised care and guidance for expectant mothers.

29/01/2026

Call for Social Innovation in Health Initiative ISIHI) Fellows

Are you a young African researcher or innovator passionate about locally driven health innovation with social impact?

The SIHI Fellowship offers a 6-month opportunity to join a global community of practice and co-create open-access learning resources on social innovation in health.

This fellowship is ideal for those interested in health innovation, implementation science, digital learning, systems thinking, and knowledge translation.

📝 Apply here:https://unc.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8J1on6f4rRWAtiC

⏰ Deadline: 16 February 2026

28/01/2026

𝗔𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮’𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺, 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀.

✅Solutions focused on health supply chains and virtual or hybrid care models continue to lead. This likely reflects persistent system challenges around access, continuity of care, and service delivery.

✅For health startup founders and innovators, this offers a useful reference point. Areas gaining momentum tend to be those addressing operational bottlenecks and everyday realities within health systems, rather than purely novel or experimental ideas.

✅ Other domains such as diagnostics, medical devices, financing, and EMRs remain important, but may require stronger alignment with implementation pathways and health system priorities to achieve scale.

📍Where does your solution sit within these priorities?

24/01/2026

Primary health care is where most people first interact with the health system and it is where simple, well-designed digital tools can make the biggest difference.

As innovators, builders, and problem-solvers, these pillars are opportunities to design tools that work in low-resource settings, scale sustainably, and strengthen everyday care.

Which pillar are you building for?

22/01/2026

Data-As-A-Service (DaaS): Africa’s Quiet HealthTech Opportunity

Across the continent, enormous volumes of health data are generated every day from:
- Patient registers
- Facility records
- Digital health platforms
- Supply chain and insurance data

Yet most of this data remains fragmented, underused, and locked in silos.

DaaS involves collecting, cleaning, structuring, and delivering health data as a service to provide insights and enable evidence-based decisions.

Some DaaS opportunities to explore as health innovators:

✅ Disease Surveillance & Early Warning Systems

Build DaaS platforms that aggregate facility, lab, pharmacy, and community data to deliver real-time surveillance, trend analysis, and early alerts for governments and partners.

✅ Insurance Risk & Utilisation Analytics

DaaS that offers risk scoring, utilisation insights, and predictive analytics using anonymised claims, pharmacy, and clinical datasets.

✅ Medicine & Supply Chain Demand Forecasting

Provide DaaS solutions that use real-world consumption data to support forecasting, inventory optimisation, and procurement planning for national medical stores, NGOs, and private distributors.

✅ Embedded Analytics for Digital Health Platforms

EMRs and digital health tools collect data but rarely generate insights.
DaaS can serve as an embedded analytics layer powering multiple platforms with:
• Clinical quality indicators
• Population health insights
• Performance benchmarking

✅ AI-Ready Health Data Infrastructure

AI fails without clean, structured, interoperable data.
DaaS can provide services that are focused on data standardisation and Interoperability.

21/01/2026

TIME 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝’𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Despite funding gaps, fragmented health systems, and infrastructure constraints, African innovators are still building solutions that meet global standards of excellence.

Meet the four African healthtech companies that made the TIME 400 global healthtech companies in 2025.

Remedial Health (YC W22) 🇳🇬
Remedial Health is a Nigerian healthtech company that digitises the pharmaceutical supply chain for community pharmacies, hospitals, and health centres. Their impact lies in last-mile access, affordability, and trust.

Deepecho 🇲🇦
DeepEcho is a healthtech and AI company focused on prenatal and maternal care, originating from Morocco and now operating globally. It is using AI to enhance medical imaging and diagnostics. Their work proves that deep tech, AI, and clinical excellence can be built in Africa and compete globally.

RecoMed 🇿🇦
RecoMed is a South African healthtech company that simplifies how patients find and book healthcare services. In a system where access is often fragmented, their platform brings transparency, efficiency, and patient-centred design.

Reliance Health 🇳🇬
Reliance Health combines digital health, insurance, and provider networks to make healthcare accessible, cashless, and scalable. What sets them apart is ex*****on at scale ; serving corporates and individuals while integrating care delivery, financing, and data.

These companies aren’t just “African success stories.” They are global healthtech leaders solving real problems with scalable, high-quality solutions.

Congratulations to the teams pushing boundaries and putting African healthtech on the world map.

19/01/2026

Health Innovation Opportunities 2026 | Funding • Hackathons • Accelerators
If you’re a health startup founder, digital health innovator, clinician-entrepreneur, or impact-driven builder, 2026 is shaping up to be a big year.

Here are high-impact opportunities that offer funding, mentorship, visibility, and pathways to scale.

1️⃣ The Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme 2026
One of Africa’s largest entrepreneurship programmes.
✔ World-class training
✔ Mentorship
✔ $5,000 non-refundable seed capital
🔗https://lnkd.in/ePJMAzva

2️⃣ Harvard Health Systems Innovation Lab (HSIL) Hackathon 2026 – AI for Health Systems
Design AI-enabled solutions to build high-value, resilient health systems.
✔ Global teams
✔ Mentorship & incubation pathway
✔ Exposure to Harvard’s innovation ecosystem
🔗 https://lnkd.in/dkywhipk

3️⃣ African Impact Initiative Pan‑African Health Entrepreneurship (HENT)
The program is designed to equip, connect, and accelerate African health innovators who want to move from ideas to impact.
✔ Funding + capacity building
✔ Mentorship & international exposure
🔗 https://lnkd.in/dpggzFhp

4️⃣ AUDA NEPAD – PIFAH Health Investment
Have a bankable health project ready for investment?
✔ Continental visibility
✔ Technical assistance
✔ Pathway to blended financing
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eE4bdajg

5️⃣ Unitaid – Diagnostics Access Innovation
For innovators working on diagnostics, integration, and access at scale.
✔ Large-scale funding
✔ Health systems & market-shaping focus
✔ Global impact potential
🔗 https://lnkd.in/gnPFWh6K

6️⃣ World Food Programme Innovation Challenge
For solutions at the intersection of health, humanitarian response, and resilience.
✔ Field pilots with WFP
✔ Global scale potential
🔗 https://lnkd.in/d4Z3AQEe

16/01/2026

In our Think, Build & Scale webinar series, we break down how using the right tools for problem identification can transform how you think about health challenges, using real-world examples.

Great health innovations don’t start with solutions; they start with the right problem.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬 (𝐏𝐓𝐀) 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐧𝐞𝐠𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬.

PTA helps you:

1️⃣ Move beyond symptoms to uncover root causes

2️⃣ Understand how social, cultural, system, and behavioural factors interact

3️⃣ Design solutions that address the real problem, not assumptions

4️⃣ Build innovations that are relevant, adoptable, and scalable

🎥 Watch the full session on YouTube and learn how to think clearly before you build boldly. https://youtu.be/-QsARfkJBf8

Problem Tree Analysis (PTA) is a critical tool for health innovators, global health professionals, and start up founders who want to solve the right problem....

15/01/2026

Are you building a solution to Africa’s health challenges or thinking about starting one?

The Pan‑African Health Entrepreneurship (HENT) program is designed to equip, connect, and accelerate African health innovators who want to move from ideas to impact.

Eligibility Criteria:
✅Young Africans under 39 living in Africa.
✅A desire to pursue impact-focused entrepreneurship as a means of livelihood.
✅A desire to solve critical problems with technology.
✅Full time commitment from the team building the venture.

Learn More and Apply Here: https://www.africanimpact.ca/our-initiatives

hashtag Mastercard

13/01/2026

𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐀𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬

Are you a student, health professional, or early-stage health founder committed to shaping the future of healthcare?

Building a strong foundation in health innovation, digital health, and global health is essential.

Innovate Health Hub has curated a list of high-quality courses designed to equip you with the mindset, skills, and knowledge to think better, build smarter, and scale impact.

Your learning journey starts here 👇

1️⃣ Innovating in Health Care
Best for understanding how innovation transforms healthcare delivery, policy, and systems.
https://www.edx.org/learn/healthcare/harvard-university-innovating-in-health-care

2️⃣ Co-design for Digital Health
Best for human-centred design and co-creation with patients and communities.
https://learninghub.kingshealthpartners.org/course/codesigncourse

3️⃣ Global Health Innovations
Understanding innovation in global health systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/global-health-innovations

4️⃣ An Introduction to Innovation in Healthcare
For beginners who are exploring healthcare innovation concepts and real-world applications.
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/innovation-in-healthcare

5️⃣ AI in Healthcare Specialisation
For understanding how AI is applied in diagnosis, imaging, workflows, and decision-making.
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/ai-healthcare

12/01/2026

𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐇𝐮𝐛 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦
We’re excited to announce the healthtech startups selected for the Innovate Health Hub Mentorship Program.

Zyenova Technologies (SimukaMinds) – Zimbabwe
Zyenova Technologies is a Zimbabwe based start up building SimukaMinds, a digital mental health platform leveraging AI and conversational tools to improve access to mental health support and reduce stigma across African communities.

Home Health Management Services Limited (HHMSL) – Nigeria
HHMSL is a Nigeria based start up that is improving access to healthcare through telehealth and home-based care, with a strong focus on serving rural and underserved communities. Their work addresses chronic disease management and remote care delivery in areas with the most limited access.

We’re proud to support these start-ups as they navigate the health innovation journey and look forward to sharing updates, lessons learned, and the program's impact.

12/01/2026

In 2025, the disruptions in global funding placed a significant strain on healthcare systems across Africa.

Despite these challenges, the healthtech subsector showed resilience, with innovation and adaptation standing out.

This article reviews key trends across Africa’s Big 4 healthtech ecosystems: Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Together, the Big 4 account for more than 80% of healthtech investment on the continent and consistently lead in innovation and startup activity.

The review highlights the dominant trends that emerged in each country:

✅ Nigeria: Scaling through a new business model
✅ Kenya: From Pilots to System Integration
✅ South Africa: Pivot into DeepTech and Genomics
✅ Egypt: Healthtech And Fintech Nexus

Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e3NF_NVE