Ugandan women-led healthcare startups secure investment, mentorship from WiNFUND

In a significant boost to women empowerment and healthcare innovation, three Ugandan healthcare startups have secured vital investment and mentorship support from WiNFUND, a non-profit initiative committed to empowering women and female entrepreneurs in the healthcare sector.

The initiative allocates 100% of its proceeds toward this noble cause.

The triumphant Ugandan startups include CHIL AI Lab Group, led by Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa, Peleyta Health, and Mama Ope Medicals. These three, along with three other African women-led healthcare innovations, were announced as the winners of investment and mentorship opportunities over a 12-month acceleration period.

The exciting unveiling took place at the prestigious UN Climate Week 2023, where the spotlight shone on these Ugandan women-led healthcare startups. Patty O’Hayer, Global Head of Communications and Government Affairs at Rickett, expressed the importance of supporting grassroots solutions, stating, "We need to support the best solutions, and those are the solutions that are born in the community, by these entrepreneurs. They do not need a handout, but a hand up."

Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa, a 28-year-old finalist from Africa, was among the six finalists selected for the WiNFUND initiative. This 100% non-profit endeavor is dedicated to supporting female-led health innovations with real-world impact. Shamim's CHIL AI Lab Group leverages the power of machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide specialized, affordable, and medically proven chronic disease prevention and management services to women in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, regardless of their location or income.

The CHIL AI team is on a mission to expand its hub-and-spoke telemedicine model, with the potential to revolutionize the healthcare industry in Africa. Their product aims to connect the previously unlinked healthcare ecosystem in Africa to critical resources such as doctors, pharmacies, and modern laboratories.

These remarkable startups were selected from a pool of over 300 applications spanning seven countries in Africa, including Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and the Middle East. The selection process considered their potential to make a significant impact in the healthcare sector.

Comprising experts in AI, healthcare, and business, these teams are deeply committed to improving women's lives by promoting health equity and creating sustainable healthcare solutions that can be scaled to reach more women.

Peleyta Health, one of the winning startups, is a flexible, affordable, and convenient fintech platform aimed at assisting low-income earners in preparing for and affording quality healthcare anytime and anywhere through a digital healthcare micro-savings and lending system. MamaOpe Medicals, another successful Ugandan startup, specializes in developing innovative solutions to enhance access to quality healthcare for individuals in low-resource settings.

In addition to the Ugandan winners, other African startup beneficiaries announced include Famasi Africa (Nigeria), Ambulex Solutions (Kenya), and Cape Bio Pharms (South Africa).

WiNFUND adopts a unique approach to empower female-led healthcare startups to make a tangible real-world impact. It combines grassroots movements, technological innovation, and insights from frontline healthcare workers to drive change.

Corinne Hart, Senior Gender Advisor and Team Lead for Energy, Environment, and Climate at USAID, emphasized the importance of creating a platform that empowers women to be decision-makers and change agents. She stated, "We're focused on how to create a platform like WiNFUNDNFT for women to be the decision-makers, to be the change agents? How do you provide funding that enables their meaningful participation?"

To fund these pioneering projects, WiNFUND utilizes innovative non-fungible tokens (NFTs) alongside traditional funding methods. This initiative serves as a compelling testament to how technology and innovation can positively impact society, particularly in the crucial healthcare sector, which is pivotal to the progress and advancement of any nation.