Tech

Kenyan healthtech startup Ilara Health secures $4.2m funding

Published

10 months ago

February 12, 2024

Kenyan healthtech startup, Ilara Health, has announced securing $4.2 million equity and debt funding that will enable it scale the firm’s tech-enabled primary care model across Kenya before expanding to other regions.

Founded in 2019 by Emilian Popa, Maximilian Mancini and Sameer Afzal Farooqi, Ilara Health is an healthtech company using digitisation and consolidating highly fragmented primary care in Kenya.

Speaking on the funding round, the CEO, Popa, said with the latest funding, the company’s total investment to date stands at $11.7M, encompassing various funding rounds, such as a $3.75M seed round in 2020, along with multiple grants, including two grants totaling $1.6M from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Ilara Health came about by one common goal; to improve the quality of healthcare for Africans. We passionately believe healthcare should be affordable and accessible to all and I’m therefore proud of the measurable impact we have achieved in such a short space of time,” Popa said in a statement.

”There’s still so much more to be done, which is why we are thrilled to be joined by prominent global investors who share our core vision for Kenya and ultimately all of Africa.

“This fundraise will build on our continued growth and we look forward to driving standardised quality healthcare on the continent.

“The investment will facilitate Ilara Health’s focus for the next 12 months which is to achieve significant topline growth, keep growing the already large partner clinics network, and incorporate the next phase of growth into its model, which includes the launch of the employee health services through B2B health & occupational services, initially in select locations and later throughout the country,” he added.

Related Topics:Featured Funding Healthtech Ilara Health

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Tech

Kenya’s ticketing startup BuuPass partners Flexpay for flexible travel payments

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Kenyan digital ticketing startup, BuuPass, has entered into a partnership with goal-based savings platform, Flexpay, to offer customers flexible payment plans ahead of holiday travels as well as simplify travel planning and ease the financial burden of holiday travel for Kenyans.

Co-founder and CEO at Buupass, Sonia Kabra, who unveiled the package at a press conference, said the collaboration between the two platforms will allow travellers to save for their journeys in manageable, interest-free installments over four to 12 weeks.

“Travelers can select their travel dates, book tickets, and pay a small deposit upfront, with the remaining balance spread across weekly or monthly payments,” she said.

“This approach offers a stress-free way for families and large groups to secure their tickets early, helping them avoid last-minute price hikes as fares are locked in.

“By partnering with Flexpay, we’re giving travelers the flexibility to budget for their trips in advance. This initiative aligns with our mission to make travel accessible to everyone, providing a solution that meets customers where they are financially,” said Kabra.

Also speaking at the event, Richard Machomba, CEO and founder of Flexpay, said:

“Flexpay’s mission is to empower individuals by providing accessible financial solutions that make it easier for them to achieve their financial goals.

“By partnering with BuuPass, we’re making travel more accessible and stress-free for Kenyans, especially during the holiday season when expenses can be overwhelming,” Machomba added.

Founded in 2016 by Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass is a B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD, while its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales.

FlexPay, on the other hand, is an online and offline payment gateway that allows merchants to offer interest-free targeted savings to their customers in Africa.

Tech

DR Congo sues tech giant Apple over illegal mineral exploitation

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has filed a criminal case against the European subsidiaries of tech giant, Apple, accusing them of illegal mineral exploitation and allegedly using “blood minerals” in its supply chain.

In the suit filed on Tuesday, the DRC alleges that Apple has bought contraband supplies from the country’s conflict-ladden east and Rwanda, zones in which it allege the materials are mined illegally and then integrated into global supply chains before ending up in tech devices.

The DRC suit specifically mentioned Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech giant of using conflict minerals in its supply chain.

The DRC is a major source of tin, tantalum, and tungsten which are used in electronic devices, with some mines controlled by armed groups responsible for human rights violations.

International lawyers representing the African country’s government have accused Apple’s local subsidiaries of taking these minerals from conflict areas and laundering them through international supply chains, with one lawyer telling journalists that Belgium had a moral duty to act given its history of exploiting the country’s resources under colonial rule.

However, in its response, Apple claims it conducts supplier audits and does not directly source primary minerals.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1262670-dr-congo-sues-apple-over-alleged-illegal-mineral-exploitation