i3 Selects 7 African Startups to Receive Up to $225K to Transform Pharmacy Care

Investing in Innovation Africa (i3), a pan-African initiative dedicated to scaling healthtech solutions, has announced the selection of seven promising startups for its third cohort. These companies are at the forefront of transforming pharmacy care across the continent through innovative, tech-enabled solutions. The program, backed by notable global health stakeholders such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSD, Cencora (formerly AmerisourceBergen), Sanofi’s Global Health Unit, Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics, and Chemonics, aims to address pressing healthcare delivery gaps in Africa.

Pharmacies remain the first point of contact for healthcare in many African countries, accounting for up to 70% of initial medical visits. Recognizing this critical role, i3 has targeted startups with pharmacy-focused innovations capable of improving healthcare accessibility and strengthening local systems. These startups operate in 19 African countries, providing scalable, locally grounded solutions that support sustainable development and economic growth.

The seven selected startups are Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, myDawa, RxAll, and Sproxil. Their offerings span across several transformative services including AI-powered prescription refills, last-mile delivery, embedded financing, real-time inventory tracking, counterfeit detection, and cloud-based pharmacy management systems. These technologies are making healthcare more accessible, affordable, and secure for millions of patients.

Each startup will receive up to $225,000 in risk-tolerant grant funding, strategic partnership facilitation, customer engagement support, and advocacy services. Through these investments, i3 seeks to foster around 150 strategic partnerships and catalyze deals worth approximately $30 million between innovators and key players in the healthcare ecosystem. Additionally, the selected cohort will showcase their solutions at the i3 Access to Markets event in December 2025, aimed at generating impactful collaborations with large corporations, government agencies, donors, and development partners.

Boniface Njenga, Deputy Director for Health Delivery and Systems in Africa at the Gates Foundation, emphasized the urgency of empowering homegrown health innovations in a shifting global health landscape. He noted that previous i3 cohorts have already demonstrated substantial impact when equipped with the right resources. Similarly, Dr. Priya Agrawal of MSD highlighted the importance of investing in local businesses to secure effective and sustainable access to medicines and vaccines across the continent.

Dr. Ashifi Gogo, CEO of Sproxil, expressed his excitement about the opportunity, noting that i3’s unique support model positions startups for long-term success and deep impact. He praised the program’s focus on scaling local innovation and creating lasting value for patients and communities.

Since its inception, i3 has awarded $3 million in grants to 60 startups in 16 African countries. The initiative boasts a diverse portfolio with 43% of its beneficiaries being women-led companies and 20% based in Francophone countries. Its efforts have yielded over 450 strategic connections, 122 contracts and pilots, $11 million in partnership value, and nearly 1,000 jobs—half of which are held by women.

The program is coordinated by Salient Advisory and the Solina Center for International Development and Research (SCIDaR), with additional selection support from CcHUB, Villgro Africa, and an independent expert advisory committee.