2 Nigerian, 28 Other Startups Selected for Google’s “AI for Health” Program

Olufemi Adeyemi 

Google for Startups Growth Academy: AI for Health has today unveiled its 2023 cohort spotlighting innovative global startups set to reshape healthcare with AI-powered solutions

Two startups from Nigeria are among the 30 companies selected globally by Google to participate in its AI for Health program. 

The Nigerian startups include mDoc, a digital health company that provides virtual self-care health coaching to people living with or at risk for chronic health needs, and Pharmarun, an on-demand platform simplifying how Africans access medication through the use of technology. 

According to Google, the 30 startups were selected from Europe, the Middle East and Africa. From Africa, two companies were also selected from Kenya, while one was selected from Rwanda and Egypt. 

The two companies selected from Kenya are iZola, an online therapeutics platform for families with neurodivergent children, and Zuri Health, a company providing affordable and accessible healthcare solutions for people without smartphones and living in underserved areas.

From Rwanda, Eden Care, a health insurance solution, offering seamless and affordable digital healthcare coverage to businesses across Africa was selected, while Pharmacy Marts, a digital marketplace that connects pharmacies and medical suppliers was selected from Egypt.

 This three-month program consists of virtual workshops on best practices for AI and leadership development, responsible innovation, product design and customer acquisition. It also includes one-on-one mentorship sessions and technical project support from experts from Google Research, Google Health, Verily, Fitbit, Google DeepMind and more. There will be two in-person summits (including the program kickoff in London on September 27 and 28) designed to connect founders to venture capitalists, industry experts and other founders building with AI in the healthcare and wellbeing space. After the program’s conclusion founders will continue to receive expert support through the Google for Startups alumni network.

The 30 startups selected for the program, representing 15 countries from the whole region as follows:

• Acorai (Sweden): A heart failure monitoring platform.
• Activate Health (Estonia): A platform that uses data, AI and gamification to help users improve their physical and mental wellbeing.
• ADNTRO GENETICS (Spain): A DNA kit requiring only a saliva sample to discover personalized nutrition, training, predispositions to diseases and more.
• Anya (United Kingdom): A startup supporting parents during their first 1,001 days of parental journey — from conception to toddlerhood.
• Biocam (Poland): An endoscopic capsule for real-time determination of potential digestive system threats.
• Cara Care (Germany): A holistic companion for people with digestive issues.
• clare&me (Germany): An AI voice coach for anxiety, worries or circulating thoughts.
• Deemea (France): A cooperative platform dedicated to medical imaging data.
• Doctomatic (Spain): A remote patient monitoring software where patients can scan the results and automatically provide the data to their doctors.
• Eden Care (Rwanda): A health insurance solution, offering seamless and affordable digital healthcare coverage to businesses across Africa.
• EQL (United Kingdom): Self-service assessment tools for people with muscle and joint problems that enable quick access to the best available care.
• ExactCure (France): A Digital Twin simulating the concentration of drugs in the blood of patients.
• iZola (Kenya): An online therapeutics platform for families with neurodivergent children.
• Kahun (Israel): An AI assistant platform designed specifically for physicians.
• Labplus (Poland): A medical device software that automates the analysis of lab test results.
• Likeminded (Germany): A platform that supports and improves the mental health and wellbeing of employees.
• mDoc (Nigeria): A digital health company which provides virtual self-care health coaching to people living with or at risk for chronic health needs.
• Mindstep (United Kingdom): An app for optimizing brain and mental health care.
• MX Labs (Estonia): A startup providing health advice in seconds based on camera-based health screening using only a smartphone.
• Pharmacy Marts (Egypt): A digital marketplace that connects pharmacies and medical suppliers.
• Pharmarun (Nigeria): An on-demand platform simplifying how Africans access medication through the use of technology.
• Rayscape (Romania): A complete digital assistant for radiologists that provides AI tools for better decisions.
• StethoMe (Poland): An intelligent stethoscope for parents.
• Talkie.ai (Poland): A company simplifying access to healthcare by automating telephone contact with patients using AI-based virtual assistants.
• Techspert (United Kingdom): An expert network to source the freshest and most precise healthcare insights.
• Tucuvi (Spain): A startup automating medical phone conversations through empathic AI.
• Vitadio (Czechia): A mobile app reversing insulin resistance with AI-driven lifestyle modification.
• VOS.health (Czechia): A wellbeing companion with daily mental health insights, tailored plans, and all-in-one tools.
• Wellx (United Arab Emirates): A platform encouraging and rewarding healthy habits.
• Zuri Health (Kenya): A company providing affordable and accessible healthcare solutions for people without smartphones and living in underserved areas.

September 26, 2023