Wekebere’s Prenatal Technology is Raising One million USD
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), 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 innovating the future of prenatal care with technologies that will benefit both mothers and their babies. Wearable gadgets and data analytics are being combined to reassure and empower women while also providing clinics 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 early stages, typically between conception and the first 1000 days of life. These are the most crucial days for the mother and child’s long-term development.
During the program, they were officially registered with CAC Nigeria and have developed a digital platform for doctor consultations that will be launched soon. Their business is combining connected devices and data analytics to reduce maternal death, empower mothers, and provide doctors with tools and information to predict and manage pregnancy outcomes better. For more information about the business and available partnership opportunities, reach out to sato.shohei@jica.go.jp, and support@theventurespark.com.
They are currently raising $1 million USD in grant and equity funding. They are also searching for specialists and trade alliances in their core demographic who can mentor them as they scale through the Nigerian market entrance and regulatory landscapes. Visit their website at www.wekebere.org/ for more information.
Gloss