Tech giant Google has opened application for the Startups Growth Academy which aims to help startups use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve healthcare solutions in Africa and the Middle East.

The hybrid program is the first of a series of Google for Startups Growth Academies, which is hyper-focused on enabling startups to innovate and solve and develop tech solutions in the healthcare and wellness industry with AI.

Selected seed to Series A startups will participate in a series of tailored workshops over the course of three months and partner closely with Google and other industry experts to grow their companies, share best practices, and drive the responsible development of AI solutions in the health and well-being industry.

Speaking on the programme, Chief Health Officer at Google, Dr Karen DeSalvo said,

“For more than 10 years, Google for Startups has partnered with founders using technology to solve societal challenges, and the organisation intends to continue collaborating to activate the benefits of human-centred AI in healthcare and medicine”.

After the completion of the program, startups will have access to long-term Google mentorship and support as part of the Google for Startups alumni network.

Criteria Startups Must Meet to Qualify For The Programme

• Be a Seed to Series A startup based in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, but looking to scale internationally; 
• Must have demonstrated traction, such as a clear track record of users and revenue;
• Focused on leveraging AI to address health or well-being challenges.
• Must have a scalable product or service, with both a significant total addressable market and a defensible growth model.

Applicants can proceed here to apply, as the deadline for the application is on the 10th of July 2023.

Founders will be interviewed between July and September. The cohort will be announced in September, followed by the commencement of the program in October.

Investors King understands that Google’s Academy Programme to Support Health-Tech Startups with AI, will pave the way for innovative solutions, promotion of knowledge/ideas, and encourage partnerships that can drive significant advancements in healthcare delivery and outcomes across the African continent.

One of Nigeria’s leading courier services SHiiP has launched a new warehouse and inventory management software to enhance storage and efficient delivery of goods for businesses.

SHiiP disclosed that the latest software will enable businesses to set up branches in new locations, eliminating issues of compliance and operational costs. Using the software, businesses can store products, monitor stocks, and manage their inventory.

Speaking on the launch of the product, Head of Growth at SHiiP Akoni OluwaSemiloore said,  “It is important for business owners in Africa to have access to the best storage facilities as e-commerce continues to grow in our continent. Storage infrastructure is still not where we would like it to be and it has been a pain point businesses and even farmers have had to contend with in the past.

“Since issues like this still happen, businesses continue to suffer avoidable losses that stifle growth. With SHiiP, business owners can rest assured that their goods will always be carefully handled and stored in climate-controlled storage facilities so that it reaches the end-users in the best state possible”.

Also commenting on the product launch is SHiiP CEO Ola Quadry who said, “Our main aim is to provide small and medium scale businesses, be it fintech companies, retailers, logistics or small business owners, the right support they need to succeed.

“Since the past three years, we have aggregated delivery and logistics services for thousands of businesses. We understand the challenges and peculiarities that come with managing deliveries to Nigerian, African, and broadly, International customers, therefore, the expansion of our services to include warehousing and inventory management is a natural progression.”

Investors King understands that SHiiP’s launch of the warehouse and inventory management software is coming off the back of the startup’s expansion into warehousing and order management & fulfillment business.

The startup understands that warehouses are a crucial element of any business, which gives its customers an advantage over other businesses, as it was created and structured to add value to their businesses, creating a competitive advantage for them.

SHiiP has over 2000 users in Nigeria using its services and has partnered with multiple local and international delivery companies with affordable prices such as DHL, Uber, FedEx, topship, etc, to help customers deliver to anywhere in the world.

Nigerian-based cold chain startup Figorr, which provides better means of storage and transportation of temperature-sensitive products, has raised $1.5 million in seed funding round to expand its solutions outside Nigeria.

The seed funding round was led by Atlantica Ventures, with participation from Vested World, Jaza Rift, and Katapults. So far, the startup has raised $1.7 million in equity funding, and $275k in grants from various investors such as FbStart, Africa Business Heroes by Jack Ma Foundation, the Google Black Founders Fund, and Lafiya Innovators by Impact Hub.

Speaking on the recent funds raised, the CEO of Figorr Oghenetega Iortim, said,

“Figorr is currently on an expansion bid, following an increase in different demand for its solutions outside Nigeria. One major challenge we have seen by serving the sector is that a lot of our customers fear getting notifications that their products are being exposed to harsh conditions, and this is simply because historically, perishables are a risky sector.

“We are helping insurance companies to see the opportunity by providing them with the data and for our customer, if something goes wrong, they will have some comfort that insurance is providing them with some level of coverage.

“When we built the solution, a lot of people were more interested in that IoT component, and in 2020 we decided to focus on helping businesses monitor, temperature-sensitive products, informing them on the location as well, helping them preempt and prevent losses from happening. What we are building is something that impacts people. You can see the real effect on people’s lives in terms of accessibility to health care, and improved incomes.”

The startup which was formerly known as Gricd is a provider of cold chain solutions that specializes in temperature-controlled products, temperature monitoring solutions, and cold chain services. It helps to provide better means of storage and transportation of temperature-sensitive products, following post-harvest losses from fresh agro-produce.

It currently has its solutions present in Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, Ghana, and Tanzania, with its recent entry into the Kenyan market to tap the growth of its agricultural sector.

In Nigeria, the device is mainly used in the healthcare sector to monitor temperature-sensitive products like vaccines and insulin, while in markets like Kenya, there is demand in the agriculture quarter, especially by horticulture businesses.

Investors King understands that before the end of the year, Figorr plans to launch a risk management platform, which will provide insurance companies with the data needed to introduce tailor-made products to their customers.