GE and Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship have graduated 14 social entrepreneurs who completed the healthymagination Mother and Child Programme, aimed at improving and accelerating maternal and child health outcomes in Africa.
The 14 finalists concluded the programme with a “Premier Pitch” event, where they presented their enterprises to an audience of potential investors.
Disrupt Africa reported in July last year GE and the Silicon Valley-based Miller Centre for Social Entrepreneurship named the 17 startups that would join the first cohort of the healthymagination programme, which aims to develop and invest in innovations that deliver high-quality, more affordable healthcare to more people around the world.
Finalists attended a three-day workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, followed by a six-month online accelerator programme that included weekly, in-depth mentoring from Silicon Valley-based executives and local GE business leaders.
The programme was designed to help the social entrepreneurs acquire business fundamentals, improve their strategic thought processes and articulate a business plan that demonstrates impact, growth and long-term financial sustainability. Fourteen businesses have now graduated.
“GE believes there is much for social enterprises and large businesses to learn from each other. As the center of the ecosystem, social entrepreneurs are key to building Africa’s sustainable future,” said Robert Wells, executive director of healthymagination.
“The GE and Miller Center collaboration takes an innovative and highly practical approach to combatting this challenge, by providing social entrepreneurs with the skills and resources they need to expand the positive impact of their interventions.”
The 14 social enterprises that completed the programme were Access Afya (Kenya), ayzh (Kenya), Health Builders (Rwanda), Health-E-Net (Kenya), Hewa Tele (Kenya), LifeNet International (Uganda, Burundi and DRC), Lwala Community Alliance (Kenya), Nurture Africa (Uganda), Outreach Medical Services (Nigeria), Peach Health (Ghana), PurpleSource Healthcare (Nigeria), Telemed Medical Services (Ethiopia), The Shanti Uganda Society (Uganda), and Village HopeCore International (Kenya).
