Villgro Africa MedTech Innovation Program

About

Six locally led, invention-based MedTech enterprises in East Africa will receive a tailored 24-month venture and technical assistance sprint to advance tech-enabled medical-device hardware toward market and health-system impact.

Benefits

• 🛠️ Tailored 24-month support
  Six selected enterprises receive a tailored 24-month venture and technical assistance sprint to strengthen their products, evidence, regulatory pathways, manufacturing readiness, business models, and routes to market.
• 📦Product development and validation
  Support may include intended use, user needs, design inputs, risk management, traceability, usability, test planning, verification and validation, evidence gaps, and access to relevant experts or facilities.
• 📋Clinical, regulatory and quality readiness
  Support may include clinical evaluation and study planning, ethics, product classification, target-market pathways, regulatory documentation, and ISO 13485-aligned practices.
• 🏭Manufacturing readiness
  Support may include design for manufacturing and assembly, bills of materials, supplier planning, tooling, pilot production, quality control, and scale-up strategy.
• 📈Market and business model development
  Support may include market validation, pricing, revenue model, procurement, distribution, partnerships, and adoption strategy.
• 💰Investment readiness
  Support may include milestones, capital needs, use of funds, data room preparation, pitch refinement, and connections to relevant funders or partners where appropriate.
• 🌱Responsible growth
  Support may include environmental, social and governance considerations, energy efficiency, product end-of-life, and ethical data practices.

Eligibility Criteria

• The call is open to for-profit, locally led enterprises.
• The enterprise must be headquartered in, incorporated in, or primarily operating from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, or Ethiopia.
• Companies in active incorporation in an eligible country may apply.
• The founding team must be a committed East Africa team with clear technical and business leadership.
• The founding team must have the capacity to participate throughout the support period.
• The company must have at least a functional proof of concept or prototype.
• The strongest fit is generally at Technology Readiness Level 4–8, from laboratory validation through system demonstration or early-market deployment.
• The company should demonstrate direct engagement with intended users, healthcare professionals, facilities, patients, payers, or other relevant stakeholders.
• Tech-enabled, invention-based MedTech companies at prototype, validation, pre-commercial, or early-market stage are the intended applicants.
• Idea-stage concepts without a tangible proof of concept or a credible technical development plan are not intended.
• Importers, distributors, or resellers of third-party products without meaningful local product or process innovation are not intended.
• Service-only clinics, consultancies, or training businesses without a scalable invention-based product are not intended.
• Generic consumer, wellness, or administrative software without a defined medical purpose and evidence pathway is not intended.
• Solutions whose core technology or ownership cannot be clearly disclosed and verified are not intended.
• Women-led enterprises are encouraged to apply.

Participation Commitments

• Submit the online application and required attachments before the 16 November 2026 deadline.
• Complete the online application form.
• Submit a current pitch deck of no more than 15 slides.
• Submit a product brief covering intended use, target users, current stage, and development roadmap.
• Submit a clear description of the problem, intended use, target user, and anticipated health benefit.
• Submit evidence of prototype performance, testing, user research, pilot activity, or early traction as applicable.
• Submit regulatory, clinical, quality, and intellectual-property status, including known gaps.
• Submit the business model, target market, pricing assumptions, manufacturing or delivery approach, and current partnerships.
• Submit company registration documents and founder/shareholding information where available.
• Submit latest management accounts or financial statements, funding raised to date, and expected capital needs.
• A short product-demonstration video or link is recommended.
• Applicants should be willing to share relevant technical, regulatory, clinical, financial, and corporate information for due diligence under appropriate confidentiality arrangements.
• Applicants should disclose ownership of the product, intellectual property, data, licences, and any relationships with universities, research institutions, or third-party developers.
• Companies in active incorporation must complete registration before onboarding.
• The support period is 24 months.

Target Sector

Healthcare & Life Sciences

Target Location

Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, and Ethiopia. Applicants must be headquartered in, incorporated in, or primarily operating from one of these countries; companies in active incorporation in an eligible country may apply but must complete registration before onboarding.