Lafyia Innovators Startup Incubation Program 2021 for early- to mid-stage startups.

by OFA June 8, 2021

Application Deadline: June 30th 2021

Applications are open! Join the second cohort of Lafyia Innovators. Designed by Impact Hub Basel, Lafiya Innovators is locally implemented by Impact Hubs in Accra, Dakar, and Medellín. Specialized health expertise and networking support is provided for all Lafiya entrepreneurs by the African Health Innovation Centre.

Lafiya Innovators is a startup incubation program to support and accelerate early- to mid-stage startups in emerging economies – focused on public health, healthcare, or directly impacting the determinants of health. Are you launching or leading a startup that will help make your local community healthier? Lafiya Innovators could be the right fit for you.

Lafiya Innovators is a six-month incubation and acceleration program taking place in three locations throughout West Africa and Latin America. Each regional cohort will combine community collaboration with specialized health and business expertise, providing entrepreneurs with a locally-rooted, globally-connected experience.

Participating startups will be enrolled in a regional cohort hosted in Accra (Ghana), Dakar (Senegal), or Medellín (Colombia). Early-stage startups will grow their professional network, establish a basic business model, and develop a minimum viable product. Mid-stage startups will further iterate and expand on their existing business model and complete the due diligence process for fundraising.

Each program location (Accra, Dakar, and Medellín) will kick off on the 12th of July!

Requirements

Aiming to deliver impact at scale, the program focuses in particular on technological innovations and systemic solutions targeting underserved populations, including children, adolescents, and women. Specific criteria is listed below:

Open to for-profit and non-profit startups.
Startups may be focused in any area of health and wellbeing, including but not limited to clinical care, public health, community-based health, nutrition, and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). Startups may also focus on core operational areas, such as health-focused logistics, fintech, or edtech solutions.
Solutions directly impacting a determinant of health must be able to clearly explain the health impacts of their business, and why creating connections in the health space would be strategic for their growth.
Solutions may be focused on both the public or private sectors and may have a business-to-business (B2B) or business-to-consumer (B2C) approach.

Timeline

– Application window: 1 June, 2021 – 30, June, 2021