Kenyan e-well being startup Zuri raises $1.3m pre-seed to expand products, start in new markets

Kenyan e-health and fitness startup Zuri Health has raised a US$1.3 million pre-seed spherical of funding to increase its products choices and develop into new marketplaces.

Disrupt Africa described in January 2021 on the start of Zuri Health and fitness, a virtual, cell-initial, on-desire health care system that will help patients immediately and conveniently access healthcare from qualified healthcare vendors, dependent on availability, place, and specialisation. 

The startup originally introduced in Kenya but is now also current in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia. It has partnered with 16 big mobile network operators with over 400,000 SMS subscribers, and has above 300 medical practitioners, 27 lab and diagnostic centres and 15 pharmacies on its platform.

Zuri has now attracted US$1.3 million in pre-seed investment from DOB Fairness, Launch Africa Ventures, Founders Manufacturing facility Africa, V8 Funds, Platform Money, Villgro Africa, Asime Ventures, and the Salik Spouse and children Believe in as it strategies expansion throughout Africa. The funding will be utilised to even further make out its digital system, mature its product offerings, and start operations in new markets.

“We are driven by the effect our services could have – to be a alternative to Africa’s lack of adequate health care. Health care infrastructure in most areas of Africa is grossly insufficient, with painfully significant medical professional-client ratios. There are several Africans who cannot afford to pay for health care services or who reside as well considerably away from health care amenities. And with proficient healthcare employees more and more leaving Africa for greener pastures, the situation is worsening,” mentioned Ikechukwu Anoke, CEO and founder of Zuri Wellness.

“We have a burning need to democratise health care obtain and harness the power of technology to offer quality, initially-tier health-related products and services.” 

Zachariah George, managing husband or wife at Start Africa Ventures, said his organization believed in the Zuri team’s capacity to blaze a trail in African e-wellness.

“Zuri Well being exhibits great potential to scale across the continent and democratise obtain to healthcare,” he explained.

Dr Akintoye Akindele, chairman of System Cash, will sign up for the Zuri board, and reported he looked forward to doing work carefully with the workforce to change entry to health care.

“We feel that Anoke, Isiaho and the Zuri Health crew have established a platform that addresses the huge healthcare infrastructure gap that exists on the continent and has the probable to guarantee accessibility to very affordable health care treatment for every single African,” he claimed.