NextBillion - A WDI Publication

Tech-Enabled Invention-Based MedTech Enterprises in East Africa

Advancing locally designed medical technologies from validated need to market and health-system impact.

Call at a glance

Who: Tech-enabled, invention-based MedTech companies at prototype, validation, pre-commercial or early-market stage

Geography: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia

Cohort: 6 enterprises

Support period: A tailored 24-month venture and technical assistance sprint

Why this call?

East Africa needs medical technologies designed around the realities of its patients, healthcare workers, facilities and supply chains. Yet promising innovators often face a difficult gap between developing a prototype and delivering a safe, compliant, manufacturable and commercially viable product.

Through this call, Villgro Africa will identify and support a small cohort of high-potential enterprises whose core products can address priority health needs, strengthen local innovation and manufacturing capacity, and improve access to quality care.

What we mean by an invention-based enterprise

An invention-based enterprise (IBE) is a company whose core competitive advantage is built on a differentiated product or process arising from applied science, engineering, design or technology. Its solution requires structured product development, testing, validation and, where applicable, regulatory approval before it can be safely adopted at scale.

Solutions we are seeking

We welcome technology-enabled innovations across the medical product lifecycle, including:

1. Diagnostic and screening devices, including point-of-care and laboratory equipment.
2. Patient-monitoring devices and sensor-enabled medical equipment.
3. Therapeutic, surgical and critical-care devices.
4. Maternal, newborn and child health devices.
5. Devices addressing infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases.
6. Emergency-care devices designed for use in ambulances, health facilities or resource-constrained settings.
7. Connected medical devices incorporating embedded software, artificial intelligence or data capabilities, provided the physical hardware is the core innovation.
8. Portable, energy-efficient or climate-resilient medical devices designed for African healthcare settings.

Priority characteristics

• Designed around a clearly evidenced health-system or patient need.
• Appropriate for East African operating environments, including affordability, usability, maintenance, infrastructure and supply constraints.
• Capable of generating measurable health, access, economic or system-level outcomes.
• Differentiated through proprietary technology, know-how, design, data, materials or a defensible product-development approach.
• Potential to manufacture, deploy and scale responsibly across one or more African markets.

Who is eligible?

Applicants should meet all of the following requirements:

• Be a locally led company headquartered in, incorporated in, or primarily operating from an eligible East African country. Companies in active incorporation may apply but must complete registration before onboarding.
• Have a committed East Africa founding team with clear technical and business leadership and the capacity to participate throughout the support period.
• Have, at minimum, a functional proof of concept or prototype. The strongest fit is generally Technology Readiness Level 4-8: laboratory validation through system demonstration or early-market deployment.
• Demonstrate direct engagement with intended users, healthcare professionals, facilities, patients, payers or other relevant stakeholders.
• Have a clear description of the problem, intended use, target user and anticipated health benefit.
• Disclose ownership of the product, intellectual property, data, licences and any relationships with universities, research institutions or third-party developers.
• Be willing to share relevant technical, regulatory, clinical, financial and corporate information for due diligence under appropriate confidentiality arrangements.

This call is not designed for

• Idea-stage concepts without a tangible proof of concept or a credible technical development plan.
• Importers, distributors or resellers of third-party products without meaningful local product or process innovation.
• Service-only clinics, consultancies or training businesses without a scalable invention-based product.
• Generic consumer, wellness or administrative software without a defined medical purpose and evidence pathway.
• Solutions whose core technology or ownership cannot be clearly disclosed and verified.

What selected enterprises will receive

Support will be tailored following a structured needs assessment and may include:

• Product development and validation: intended use, user needs, design inputs, risk management, traceability, usability, test planning, verification and validation, evidence gaps and access to relevant experts or facilities.
• Clinical, regulatory and quality readiness: clinical evaluation and study planning, ethics, product classification, target-market pathways, regulatory documentation and ISO 13485-aligned practices.
• Manufacturing readiness: design for manufacturing and assembly, bill of materials, supplier planning, tooling, pilot production, quality control and scale-up strategy.
• Market and business model development: market validation, pricing, revenue model, procurement, distribution, partnerships and adoption strategy.
• Investment readiness: milestones, capital needs, use of funds, data room preparation, pitch refinement and connections to relevant funders or partners where appropriate.
• Responsible growth: environmental, social and governance considerations, energy efficiency, product end-of-life and ethical data practices.