As Villgro Africa celebrates 10 years of pioneering health innovation on the continent, we’re not just looking back—we’re looking forward.
In this powerful season finale, host Moses Waweru is joined by Wilfred Njagi (CEO of Villgro Africa), Naom Monari (Founder and CEO of Benacare), and Rob Schneider (Executive Director of the Lemelson Foundation).
Together, they explore what lies ahead for African health innovation. From emerging trends and ecosystem shifts to the critical role of funding and partnerships, this episode offers a compelling glimpse into the future—and the bold vision that Villgro Africa is helping bring to life.
Key discussion points include the biggest opportunities and challenges for African health startups, evolving support models for entrepreneurs, the importance of local solutions backed by global partnerships, and how Villgro Africa is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the next decade. Whether you're an investor, entrepreneur, funder, or policy maker, this episode is a must-listen.
Listen now and be part of the movement driving sustainable, scalable health innovation across Africa.
Welcome back to Investments for Impact! This season, Scaling for Impact: 10 Years of Villgro Africa, we’re celebrating a decade of health innovation incubation in Africa—reflecting on the journey so far and what lies ahead.
In this episode, we explore the critical role of partnerships in scaling health innovation. From funders and incubators to global and local collaborations, strategic relationships have been at the heart of Villgro Africa’s success.
Joining the conversation are Rob Beyer, co-founder and Board Chairman of Villgro Africa, and Dr. Peter Singer, founder and former CEO of Grand Challenges Canada. Together, they discuss how partnerships helped launch Villgro Africa, why collaboration is essential for sustainable impact, and what lessons we can learn from global initiatives. Tune in to hear insights on building a stronger, more connected innovation ecosystem!
And we highly recommend Peter Singer's insightful article "New Year, Greater Impact." To read that and more, visit his Substack here.
Welcome back to Investments for Impact!This season, Scaling for Impact: 10 Years of Villgro Africa, we’re celebrating a decade of building Africa’s health innovation ecosystem. In this episode, we explore the key moment when Villgro Africa truly started to take shape. It all began with one connection—Ken Simiyu, then at Grand Challenges Canada and now with USAID, who introduced our three founders: Wilfred Njagi, Robert Karanja, and Rob Beyer. Joining us are two key figures in Villgro Africa’s journey:
🔹 Robert Karanja – Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Villgro Africa
🔹 Ken Simiyu – A driving force behind Villgro Africa’s origins
We’ll dive into:
✅ What health innovation in Africa looked like a decade ago
✅ The critical gaps between academic research and commercialization
✅ Why an incubator like Villgro Africa was needed
✅ How the ecosystem has evolved over the past 10 years
Have we successfully bridged the gap between research and the market? What’s next for Africa’s health innovation landscape?
(Please note that this podcast was recorded before significant changes occurred within the U.S. government, including at USAID.)
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on impact investing and health innovation!
Join us for the first episode of Scaling for Impact: 10 Years of Villgro Africa, our sixth season of Investments for Impact. We are celebrating 10 years of Villgro Africa and, more importantly, 10 years of the African healthcare incubation ecosystem. In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into the origins of Villgro Africa. How did a vision born in India come to impact Africa? Host Moses Waweru is joined by two pioneers who played a key role in this journey: 🔹 Wilfred Njagi – Co-founder & CEO, Villgro Africa 🔹 Paul Basil – Founder, Villgro India Together, they explore: ✅ The inspiration behind Villgro Africa’s launch in 2014 ✅ Lessons learned from India’s health innovation ecosystem ✅ What the future holds for Africa’s health startups, investors, and incubators This is where it all began—don’t miss this insightful conversation on the past, present, and future of healthcare incubation in Africa! Subscribe for more episodes on how innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment are shaping the continent’s healthcare landscape. #VillgroAfrica #InvestmentsForImpact #HealthcareInnovation #ScalingForImpact
We have reached the final episode of our series on African MedTech and in this episode, we welcome George Murumba from AUDA-NEPAD. This episode covers market shaping efforts in the African MedTech space and we discuss AUDA-NEPAD's role in promoting local manufacturing, their work to de-risk companies for investors, and how their acceleration program is also supporting innovation in this space. If you want to learn more about the Transforming African MedTech Conference, please visit www.africanmedtech.com.
In the fourth episode of our series on African MedTech, we are very excited to welcome Dr. Stanley Aruyaru, a surgeon and the Chief Medical Officer at PCEA Kikuyu Hospital.
So far this season, we have discussed MedTech from the perspective of how to make medical devices and how to get those medical devices to the places they are needed.
Today, we are discussing MedTech from the perspective of the user -- the clinician. Dr. Aruyaru takes us through the important role that MedTech plays in a clinical setting and how important it is to utilize data in the decision-making process for purchasing, budgeting, and maintenance. And, ultimately, how all of this impacts patient care. We hope you enjoy this lively conversation!
Follow him on his YouTube channel, Something About Surgery, and follow his blog and learn more about his upcoming books at www.aruyaru.com. For more information about the Transforming African MedTech Conference (TAMC) and how to attend, please visit www.africanmedtech.com.
In the third episode of our series on African MedTech, we are very excited to welcome Uche Chidi-Anene, the current CEO of the African Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), which was created during COVID-19 and continues to enable African Union Member States to purchase certified medical equipment with increased cost effectiveness and transparency. Uche speaks with me about the structure of the AMSP and how innovators in the MedTech space can benefit from the platform.
For more information about the Transforming African MedTech Conference (TAMC) and how to attend, please visit www.africanmedtech.com.
This episode if Investments for Impact welcomes Professor Sudesh Sivarasu, who walks us through the medical device development process. Prof Sudesh has a compelling personal story, is passionate about the potential impact of medical devices, and has significant experience developing medical devices on the African continent. Join us for a very engaging, interesting episode!
For more information about the Transforming African MedTech Conference, please visit www.africanmedtech.com.
In anticipation of the second annual Transforming African MedTech Conference, which will take place in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2024, this season of Investments for Impact is focused on MedTech. For this first episode, Moses Waweru sits down with Eng. Wambui Gachiengo Nyabero to set the stage, looking at why it's important to manufacture our own MedTech in Africa, the main challenges and opportunities, and how the Transforming African MedTech Conference can contribute to the sector's progress.
For information on the Transforming African MedTech Conference, visit www.africanmedtech.com.
For information on Villgro Africa, visit www.villgroafrica.org.
For this episode, we welcome Dr. Melissa Omino (LLD), an intellectual property, AI policy and data governance expert to discuss what is being done in AI regulation in Africa.
Moses and Dr. Melissa discuss the vital importance of regulation in this sector, and how innovators have the opportunity to shift their perspective on regulation.
Episode 3 of this season is focused on the perspective of a founder. We invite Tom Kinyanji, co-founder of Neural Labs Africa, to talk about his journey, including how he initially became interested in artificial intelligence, why he started Neural Labs Africa, and what they hope to achieve with their innovation.
This season of Investments for Impact is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can impact the African health sector.
In this second episode, learn more about AI as a technology, including its potential and the ways it has been misunderstood from Mutembei Kariuki, the Co-Founder and CEO of Fastagger.
Investments for Impact is hosted by Moses Waweru and produced by Joelle Mumley and Christian Khisa. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review in order to keep in touch with us.
If you are interested in learning more about Villgro Africa, the work we do, and the opportunities for funding and support we offer, please visit us at our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
This season of Investments for Impact is focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and how it can impact the African health sector.
Join us in this first episode to hear about Villgro Africa's journey in supporting AI entrepreneurs, why we have prioritised it in our work, and what we hope it can do for the quality and accessibility of healthcare moving forward.
Investments for Impact is hosted by Moses Waweru and produced by Joelle Mumley and Christian Khisa. Please subscribe to the podcast and leave us a review in order to keep in touch with us.
If you are interested in learning more about Villgro Africa, the work we do, and the opportunities for funding and support we offer, please visit us at our website and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
The final episode of Season 3 is a special bonus episode focused on USAID's DIV program, which provides grant funding for breakthrough solutions to the world's toughest development challenges. We welcome Liz Chacko, who walks us through the details of the program, advice for entrepreneurs who are applying, and some success stories of past awardees!
One correction: When Liz says that Zola raised $200,000, she actually meant $2 million!
Investments for Impact is a Villgro Africa podcast. Season 3 is brought to you by Villgro Africa and Jaza Rift Ventures.
As a way of wrapping up our previous discussions, this episode takes a broader look at what investors are looking for. We were lucky to have one of our own, Steve Njenga, Investment and Transaction Lead at Villgro Africa, as well as Loise Warui, Investment Lead at Adanian Labs to discuss the investor perspective!
Find You've Got Business, which Loise refers to during the discussion, here.
Investments for Impact is a Villgro Africa podcast. Season 3 is brought to you by Villgro Africa and Jaza Rift Ventures.
For our fifth episode, focused on venture capital, we have two guests: Arnold Maina from DOB Equity and Jason Musyoka from From Here Ventures. Listen in on our conversation to learn more about the purposes of venture capital, the types of business that fit (and don’t fit) with this type of investment, and some advice on how best to pursue VC funding.
Investments for Impact is a Villgro Africa podcast. Season 3 is brought to you by Villgro Africa and Jaza Rift Ventures.
Our fourth episode is all about angel investing and our guest is Stephen Gugu, one of the most prominent voices in the angel investing space on the continent. Along with founding Viktoria Ventures, he is also an advisor to the African Business Angel Network. We hope you enjoy our conversation and benefit from his wealth of knowledge!
Find the training Stephen mentions (10 Things Angel Investors Get Wrong in Year 1) here: https://youtu.be/AWVvh5rUJT8
Investments for Impact is a Villgro Africa podcast. Season 3 is brought to you by Villgro Africa and Jaza Rift Ventures.
For our third episode, we welcome Elizabeth Laitete from Africa Grant Advisors, the perfect guest since we are discussing the grant funding stage of fundraising. We discuss the advantages of grants, some misconceptions, as well as pitfalls to avoid when applying for grant funding.
Investments for Impact is a Villgro Africa podcast. Season 3 is brought to you by Villgro Africa and Jaza Rift Ventures.
For our second episode of the season, we had the chance to host Joram Mwinamo of SNDBX and tapped into his vast experience in the African startup and innovation ecosystem. We discussed whether or not African startups utilise family and friends fundraising and why we hear less about it in the African context than in the US and Europe. We also talk through practical strategies for seeking out this type of funding and managing the unique risks that it entails.
We are excited to invite you back for our third season, in which we will focus on the topic of fundraising, including the overall fundraising landscape in Africa, as well as a deep dive into each stage that a young company raising capital goes through (from family and friends all the way to venture capital).
In this first episode, we are setting the scene for you. Our host, Moses Waweru, was joined by Villgro Africa CEO, Wilfred Njagi, and Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Jaza Rift Ventures, Sewu-Steve Tawia. They discuss what things look like right now for startups and emerging businesses attempting to raise the capital they need for growth and eventually and scaling. We ask what the role of incubators like Villgro Africa and investors like Jaza Rift Ventures are and explore how these two types of organisations can collaborate. We also learn more about some of the challenges faced by African entrepreneurs and how these can be addressed.
We hope you’ll enjoy our discussion! Karibu!