Delivering on its promise to support African tech ingenuity, The Bulb Africa, an Enov8 Solution’s tech hub has awarded $25,000 in investment funding to Emergency Response Africa through its #ALLoverCOVID19 initiative.
#Responding to the ongoing global pandemic, The Bulb Africa launched the #ALLoverCOVID19 initiative in March, to offer support in a variety of ways to people who need it. Through the initiative, The Bulb organized discussions on health safety, the role of technology and projections into possible economic and business implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. The company also provided food items to hundreds of people around its Jibowu community as part of being socially responsible.
The Bulb took it a step further by calling for tech startups solving problems in healthcare to pitch for up to $25,000 in investment to help scale up their business. In a statement by the Programme Manager, Mo Durosinmi-Etti, the company is out to accelerate a startup with a viable healthcare solution.
From dozens of entries received to pitch at the #ALLoverCOVID19 Healthcare accelerator, only 5 businesses made it to the finale and presented to a team of carefully selected judges.
The panel of judges included Tosin Osunkoya – Head of Investment, Commercio Partners and Founder, The Bulb Africa, Ife Durosinmin-Etti – Investor and Founder, AGS Tribe, Ife Oyedele – Entrepreneur and Co-founder, KOBO360 and Damilola Oladosu, Ph. D – Manager, Disruption and Innovation Practices, PwC Nigeria.
After careful reviews of the 5 startup finalists with keen attention to their presentation, solution viability, team composition and market research among other things, the judges unanimously voted Emergency Response Africa as the winner.
While unveiling of the winner on May 1, Mo expressed that the finalists' presented businesses are viable and deserving of support. However, only one company will take on the investment.
Emergency Response Africa (ERA), a healthcare technology company that provides medical care to victims at the scene of the emergency and facilitates access to advanced hospital care emerged as the unanimous winner of the #ALLoverCovid19 Pitch Initiative. By combining emergency response training with intelligent dispatch, communications technology and alternative medical transportation, ERA is creating a sustainable and scalable solution in emergency medical services in Nigeria.
The Bulb went a step further to award the first runner-up, Medipal, a grant of $10,000 in AWS credit. Medipal will also be enrolled in The Bulb’s Incubator programme.
In closing, Mo congratulated and welcomed Folake Owodunni and Maame Yaa Afriyie Poku of ERA to the Bulb startup family. “We are very excited for these ladies as they have not only built a company that is solving real problems in Africa, but they have represented the ingenuity that comes out of this continent. It is also a plus that this company is women led as it is in line with our goal to invest in/support 50 women led tech startups over the next five years.”
