According to a 2019 UNICEF research, mothers in Sub-Saharan Africa are fifty times more likely to die during childbirth than women in high-income countries, and their newborns are ten times more likely to die in their first month of life. This problem has also led to the untimely death of pregnant women and nursing mothers without post-natal care.
To manage the situation, Japan International Cooperations Agency (JICA) in partnership with National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Office for Nigerian Digital Innovation (ONDI), and National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR), and Ventures Park, made a call for applications to startups solving Africa’s most relevant problem.
One of the startups that ranked highest in the health tech sector is Wekebere. They are envisioning the future of prenatal care with technologies that will benefit both moms and babies. Connected gadgets and data analytics are being combined to reassure and empower women while also providing clinicians with tools and information to better anticipate and manage pregnancy outcomes.
The team, led by Tashobya Stephen (founder & CEO), aims to improve birth outcomes through remote pregnancy care and the development of digital biomarkers. Their product predicts and manages pregnancy issues throughout the pregnancy period, typically between conception and the first 1000 days of life. These are the most crucial days for the mother and child’s long-life development.
During the program, they were officially incorporated in Nigeria and developed a digital platform for doctor consultations that will be available soon. Their business is combining connected devices and data analytics to reassure, empower mothers, and provide doctors with tools, services, and information to predict better and manage pregnancy outcomes. For more information about the business and available partnership opportunities, reach out to sato.shohei@jica.go.jp and support@theventurespark.com.
They are now raising $1 million USD in grant and equity funding. They are also searching for specialists and trade alliances in their core demographic who can help and mentor them as they scale through the Nigerian market entrance, local alliances, and regulatory landscapes. Visit their website at www.wekebere.org/ for more information.
