Africa based startups in the commodities supply chain space have been called to apply for the Seedstars Malaria Challenge.
Sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Foundation,this challenge aims to find and award the best solutions that leverage tech-enabled innovative solutions in the supply chain space, focusing on malaria commodities like rapid diagnostic tests, antimalarial drugs, and mosquito nets.
The ventures should be able to reach the last mile, and should have the end goal of improving the processes of collecting and transmitting supply chain data for these malaria commodities in the public and/or private sectors. In a nutshell, a specific emphasis is laid on ventures that:
– Can help track quality malaria commodities all the way to the patient,
– Can help detect sub-standard or counterfeit malaria medication/drugs,
– Can improve internal data and information flows of remote healthcare facilities,
– Can monitor commodities across informal channels,
– Can be replicated in the hardest and most remote places.
It is worth noting that the 2018 World Malaria Report estimates that 93% of malaria-related deaths worldwide occurred in Africa, and over 200 million cases per year. While there have been improvements in the likelihood of receiving an accurate diagnosis and a quality treatment in the public sector, stock-outs and inconsistent supply remain a challenge in nearly every setting. To add an additional layer of complexity, it is estimated that in some countries, over 60% of febrile patients seek treatment in the private sector first, which is largely unregulated.
ELIGIBILITY:
1. Existing startups/young companies (<4 years) in the commodities supply chain space in the African startup community,
2. Existing startups/young companies (<4 years) that can pivot their current solution to the malaria supply chain space, being able to reach the last mile,
3. The Startup must have a demonstrable product or service (Minimum Viable Product, MVP),
4. The Startup needs to be scalable or have the potential to reach scalability in low resource areas.
Application closes on February 20, 2019.
Eligible startups can apply here.
