Amref Health Africa – Innovate for Life
Across Africa, a growing generation of entrepreneurs is developing innovative solutions to address health challenges ranging from maternal care to digital disease management. Yet many promising health-tech ventures face a persistent financing and support gap: they are often too advanced for early-stage microfinance but still too small or high-risk for traditional investors. This “missing middle” can limit the ability of innovative health solutions to scale and reach communities that could benefit most.
The Elsevier Foundation partnered with Amref Health Africa to support Innovate for Life (I4L), a health technology accelerator designed to help promising African entrepreneurs strengthen and scale solutions that improve health outcomes. Amref Health Africa, one of the continent’s largest Africa-based international health organizations, brings decades of experience working with governments, communities and partners to improve sustainable access to healthcare.
Through this collaboration, the initiative aimed to strengthen the ecosystem supporting health innovation in Africa by providing entrepreneurs with mentorship, networks and strategic guidance that could help transform early-stage ideas into scalable health solutions.
What we do
The partnership supported Amref’s Innovate for Life accelerator program, which selected promising health-focused enterprises from across sub-Saharan Africa and provided them with structured mentorship and capacity-building opportunities.
Entrepreneurs participating in the accelerator received training in both health and business development topics, alongside access to Amref’s networks of healthcare professionals, investors and development partners. The program also connected participants with experienced mentors who provided guidance on refining business models, navigating health systems and strengthening operational strategies.
Several cohorts of innovators participated in the program, representing ventures working on diverse challenges including maternal and child health technologies, digital platforms for disease management, nutrition solutions and community-based healthcare services. The accelerator created opportunities for these innovators to collaborate with health institutions, policymakers and investors while refining solutions designed to address local health needs.
How we deliver
The Innovate for Life program combined mentoring, training and networking opportunities to support participating entrepreneurs. Intensive training sessions and workshops provided participants with practical guidance on topics such as health innovation, business strategy, financing and partnership development.
Entrepreneurs also participated in networking events and engagement with key stakeholders in the health and innovation ecosystem, including healthcare institutions, development organizations and investors. These engagements helped strengthen partnerships between innovators and health system actors while enabling entrepreneurs to test and refine their solutions.
Over successive cohorts, the accelerator supported entrepreneurs from across sub-Saharan Africa working on solutions ranging from digital health platforms and medical technologies to community-based health services. By connecting innovators with technical expertise and institutional networks, the partnership helped strengthen the environment for health innovation across the region.
