The Google for Startups Growth Academy: AI for Health has unveiled its 2023 cohort, spotlighting 30 startups from across Europe, Middle East, and Africa. After an intensive selection process that started in May, the lineup includes five innovative African startups, all set to reshape healthcare with AI-empowered solutions.
Startups worldwide are harnessing AI as a transformative instrument, addressing significant challenges from early disease detection to ensuring information accessibility. Their innovations also drives robust economic growth.
Yuval Passov, Head of Google for Startup and lead of the program, remarked: “Africa’sinnovative spirit in the AI for Health domain is profoundly inspiring. These startups stand as a testament to the continent’s ability to develop global health solutions. We aim to offer support and partner as they strive to scale and disseminate their groundbreaking solutions.”
The African Startups in the Cohort include (in alphabetical order):
● Eden Care (Rwanda): Merging AI and digital health to reshape health insurance and corporate well-being.
● iZola Limited (Kenya): Enhancing support for families with neurodivergent children via
an AI-integrated therapeutics platform.
● mDoc (Nigeria): Elevating personal health practices through virtual health mentorship.
● Pharmarun (Nigeria): Unifying regional pharmacies with an innovative, patient-first
platform.
● Zuri Health (Kenya): Revolutionizing patient care with an all-inclusive digital toolkit.
Among the selected startups outside Africa, Biocam has introduced a capsule that scans the digestive system in real-time to identify potential threats. Mindstep offers an app focused on enhancing brain and mental health, while Rayscape provides radiologists with a digital assistant equipped with AI tools for better decision-making.
This initiative aligns with Google’s broader vision to support startups and accelerate their growth. In August Google announced a broader program, the Google for Startups Accelerator:
AI First, a 10-week equity free accelerator aimed at supporting African startups looking to use artificial intelligence to solve local challenges.
Since introducing the Google for Startups Accelerator programs in Africa in 2018, Google has supported 106 startups from 17 African countries and these startups have collectively raised over $263 million in funding and created over 2,800 jobs. For a detailed view of the selected startups and the program,
Key benefits of the program include:
● Equity-free support: Three months of equity-free support, combined with access to
Google products and resources.
● Custom mentorship: Personalized technical consulting from Google mentors and AI professionals.
● Strategic support: Focused guidance on AI, company, and product strategy.
● Leadership training.
● Go Global: Mentorship from Google teams spotlighting international opportunities to venture into new markets.
● Networking opportunities: Opportunity to engage with VCs, industry stalwarts, peer founders, and be integrated into an expansive alumni network.