Nigeria has three of its thriving tech startups selected as part of 11 finalists to pitch and compete at Sanofi’s AfricaTech challenge holding online on June 11, 2020. This is following the cancellation of the 2020 edition of Viva Technology organised by Sanofi.
This being the third edition of the tech startup competition, Sanofi says it received 268 applications, up from 222 last year, from 34 different countries. 11 finalists were selected, based on five criteria: project maturity, early results, relevance of the solution, market potential and business model, as well as the skills and expertise of the team.
The company says that the objective is to continue Sanofi’s commitment to encourage innovation in Africa, improve access to healthcare and transform the health ecosystem throughout the continent.
At the finals, three start-ups (namely Bypa-ss of Egypt, Keeplyna of Tunisia and EYONE of Senegal) are tasked with the first challenge : ‘How to support patients with a digital health book in order to access information and make decision.’
The second challenge; ‘How to help healthcare systems leapfrog from manual to smart logistics solutions at point of care’, has a Nigerian start-up, Mobilhealth International and an Indian start-up, Doctor 4 Africa pitching.
Another Nigerian start-up, SOSO CARE will compete against MamaPrime of Kenya and JokkoSanté of Senegal in the challenge: ‘How to improve financing and impact of innovative health solutions in Africa’.
Natal Cares of Nigeria, Teheca of Uganda and The University Agency Innovation of Cameroun are tasked with the challenge: ‘How to improve maternal and neonatal health in sub-Saharan Africa.’
At the 2020 AfricaTech live virtual pitch, these startups will compete in their respective challenge categories before an online audience and a jury made up of global professionals, investors and thought leaders in technology and healthcare.
Folake Odediran, Sanofi’s general manager, general medicines, Nigeria & Ghana and country lead, Nigeria, commenting on the upcoming live pitch, said: “The AfricaTech initiative is in line with our purpose of empowering lives. We are so far impressed with the progress of the 2020 Challenge and are happy for all the finalists who have made it this far. We are even more excited that three of them emerged from our Nigeria-Ghana affiliate and we hope that the best techpreneurs win.”
After Viva Technology 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the selected startups will now be invited to pitch their solutions at 2:00pm CET (Paris time) on June 11, 2020, during a special Sanofi Africatech day by video conference.
The live virtual event will be hosted by Sanofi Africa zone and will comprise of four pitch sessions, each of 30 – 45 minutes duration. Attendance is open to external audiences through prior registration on the Sanofi website.
The four winning startups will be announced at the end of this event, and Sanofi will then evaluate longer-term partnership opportunities with the winners.
