Zuri Health, a digital healthcare company has managed to raise Ksh. 151 Million ($1.3 Million) in a pre-seed funding round. They attracted investment from DOB Equity, Launch Africa and Founders Factory Africa to expand across Africa.
The company plans to use this recent investment into further building out its digital platform, growing its product offerings and launching operations in new markets. This has also been made possible with additional investments from V8 Capital, Platform Capital, Villgro Africa, Asime Ventures, and the Salik Family Trust.
Zuri Health was launched by Ikechukwu Arthur Anoke and Daisy Isiaho after they both faced personal health crises that were solved by telemedicine. They saw this as an opportunity to build an affordable, personalised and convenient customer journey for mobile subscribers seeking healthcare services.
Zuri Health connects mass-market patients with affordable, convenient, and quality healthcare services via SMS, WhatsApp and a dedicated app. The company initially launched in Kenya in January 2021 but is now present in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.
They have so far partnered with 16+ major mobile network operators in seven countries with over 400,000 SMS subscribers, over 300 doctors, 27 lab and diagnostic centres and 15 pharmacies across its markets.
Zuri Health has partnered with telecoms like MTN, Safaricom and Telkom (Kenya) and aggregates healthcare providers like medical labs, pharmacies, and hospitals. This has enabled Zuri Health to bring healthcare services closer to patients – doctors are a few clicks or a text away.
Anoke previously spent several years at technology company Mtech, where he led efforts to provide value-added services to mobile subscribers, while Isiaho previously worked for another tech company, MarketForce. This experience has helped Anoke and Isiaho understand how to improve and democratise access to healthcare in a post-Covid environment, enabling them to develop the business model of Zuri Health and map out its growth trajectory.
Ikechukwu Anoke, CEO and Founder of Zuri Health, said: “We are driven by the impact our service could have —to be a solution to Africa’s lack of sufficient healthcare. Healthcare infrastructure in most parts of Africa is grossly inadequate, with painfully high doctor-patient ratios. There are many Africans who cannot afford healthcare services or who live too far away from healthcare facilities. And with skilled healthcare workers increasingly leaving Africa for greener pastures, the situation is worsening.”
As part of Platform Capital’s investment in this round, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, Chairman of Platform Capital will also be joining the advisory board.