Seven healthtech startups across Africa have been selected for the third cohort of the Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) program, an initiative funded by global partners including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSD, and Sanofi.

Each startup will receive up to $225,000 in grant funding along with tailored support to scale their pharmacy-focused technologies across 19 African countries.

With pharmacies serving as the first point of care for roughly 70% of healthcare visits on the continent, these startups are introducing innovative tools aimed at making access to medicine more efficient, affordable, and reliable.

The selected companies are Chefaa, Dawa Mkononi, Meditect, mPharma, myDawa, RxAll, and Sproxil.

Their solutions span last-mile medicine delivery, cloud-based pharmacy platforms, AI-powered prescriptions, and embedded financing for pharmacies and consumers.

Boniface Njenga of the Gates Foundation said, “We remain committed to supporting innovative solutions that strengthen local health systems across Africa.”

Similarly, Dr. Priya Agrawal of MSD stated, “MSD is committed to partnering with i3 to expand equitable healthcare access by investing in local healthcare businesses.”

Dr. Ashifi Gogo, founder of Sproxil, emphasized the importance of corporate backing in growing their reach: “The support of leading global life sciences and logistics companies…is encouraging as we scale our impact.”

Since launching, i3 has supported 60 startups with $3 million in grants, facilitated 122 pilots and contracts, and helped generate nearly 1,000 jobs—half of which went to women.

The newly selected startups will join i3’s upcoming Access to Markets event in December 2025, where they’ll pitch to healthcare buyers, donors, and government partners.

The program ultimately aims to facilitate 150 strategic partnerships and influence $30 million worth of healthcare deals across the continent.