In Nigeria and other African countries, , fragmented and under-resourced health supply chains continue to undermine access to essential medicines. Startups across the continent are building promising digital platforms and pharmacy financing tools, yet many struggle to scale.
Why? Mainly because three core barriers persist:
- Limited access to growth capital
- Weak integration with major health systems and institutional buyers
- Minimal market access and technical support
Launched in 2022, the Investing in Innovation (i3) Africa program backed by Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora, Sanofi, HELP Logistics, Chemonics, and others exists to close these gaps by supporting African-led health startups to commercialize, scale, and access critical systems through three pillars:
- Risk-tolerant Funding: Equity-free grants of up to $225,000
- Connections: Linkages to over 150 healthcare buyers and partners
- Capacity-building: Tailored technical assistance and commercialization support
i3 Cohort Three: A Milestone Moment for Pharmacy Innovation in Africa
This third cohort is a landmark achievement for i3: its first-ever, fully pharmacy-focused cohort, selected from nearly 200 applications across Africa.
Seven exceptional startups were chosen to receive tailored support, strategic introductions, and up to $225,000 each in equity-free funding, as they lead the charge in transforming pharmacy systems across the continent.
With a shared target to close $30 million in new deals, this cohort is redefining how health products are financed, tracked, and delivered at scale.
The selected startups are: Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, MyDawa, RxAll Inc., and Sproxil.
Their innovations focus on four solution areas:
- Financing Access: Embedded credit and working capital for pharmacies
- Inventory Management: Digital tools to prevent stockouts and improve forecasting
- Distribution Infrastructure: Tech-enabled logistics and last-mile medicine delivery
- Authentication Tools: Verification platforms for medicine traceability and patient safety
This new cohort is launching at a time when the government is stepping up its support for innovation in health. At the recent i3 Stakeholder Workshop in Abuja, Dr. Muyi Aina, Executive Director of NPHCDA, put it clearly: “Success means positioning the health sector as a driver of economic growth in Nigeria.” With stronger collaboration between government and the private sector, this cohort is better placed to align with national priorities and drive real impact across health systems.
Read more about the event here.
The i3-supported startups will connect with investors, public buyers, and global supply chain actors at the i3 Access-to-Markets event in December 2025. With dedicated support from the i3 team and partners, these startups are positioned to scale rapidly and shape the future of pharmaceutical access in Africa.
SCIDaR celebrates i3’s bold achievement; not only as a win for the seven selected startups, but as a strategic leap toward resilient, innovation-enabled health systems. With every cohort, i3 is building the connective tissue between African ingenuity and structural change.
