We are all influenced by everyday factors in our lives: where we live and work, how we buy our food, and whether we have enough money in our pocket. These factors are called Determinants of Health (SD) and they help us understand how long and how healthy we live.
Lafiya Innovators is an acceleration program for startups in emerging economies, focused on public health, well-being or that have a direct impact on SD. The program seeks to support startups in stages of consolidation and scaling.
The Lafiya Innovators program is a 6-month accelerator that takes place in 3 locations in West Africa and Latin America (Medellín). With the goal of generating impact at scale, the program focuses on technological innovations and systemic solutions targeting underserved populations, including children, adolescents, and women.
Are you leading a startup that helps your community and stakeholders be healthier? Lafiya Innovators could help you advance to the next level.
First phase
The 15 startups selected for the First Phase of the Lafiya Innovators program will receive:
- We will make an initial diagnosis of your startup, in order to define its baseline and refine the monitoring of the program.
- You will have access to 2 Bootcamps, through which you can accelerate the development of a product through sprints focused on validation and testing.
- You will access 14 group spaces for capacity building, on topics such as innovative product development, business model, operation strategy, brand and marketing plan, sales plan, legal strategy and formalization, financial strategy, and managerial skills.
- You will have 5 personalized guidance sessions throughout the program, helping you apply the learnings from the workshops and giving you access to a network of experts.
- You will get up to 4 consultancies with local experts in tax strategy, financial enlistment, intellectual property management, and legal route.
- You can participate in 3 Speed Networkings, to detonate your relationship with the local, national and international ecosystem.
- You will have access to the Coworking NOI Impact Hub Medellín for 3 months and you will receive discounts and free services from program partners, such as Amazon Web Services and Hubspot, for an in-kind value of up to COP 163,000,000.
- You will finish your accompaniment by making your Pitch in the DemoDay, in which you will be able to publicize your startup to a public of investors and support entities of the national ecosystem.
- You will be an Alumni Lafiya Innovators
Second stage
5 startups will be selected by a panel of judges for the Second Phase of the Lafiya Innovators program:
- This phase will allow the startup to access resources to continue the development of its product for up to 10,000 Swiss Francs (CHF), upon approval of a work plan and make part of a trip, with all expenses paid, to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. and health from Basel, Switzerland. Tentatively, this trip will take place in October or November 2021, according to the restrictions derived from Covid-19. The organizations and places to visit are obliged to comply with the different governmental requirements related to the pandemic. Changes, restrictions, or cancellations of the trip are possible due to the different measures.
Eligibility
- The program is open to for-profit and non-profit startups. Businesses can focus on any area of health and wellness, including but not limited to clinical care, public health, community health, nutrition and water, sanitation, and hygiene, among others. Startups can also focus on operational areas of health, such as logistics or fintech, or edtech solutions. Solutions can come from both the public and private sectors and can have a B2B or B2C focus. Likewise, intrapreneurship projects from already established organizations will be accepted.
- Solutions that directly impact one or more Determinants of Health must be able to clearly explain their impacts on health and why being part of the Lafiya Innovators program is strategic for their growth.
Benefits
- Lafiya Innovators Program is looking for 15 initiatives in stages of consolidation and growth, be they startups or intrapreneurship projects.
- The top 5 will have access to financial resources of up to 10,000 Swiss Francs (CHF) to develop their product and a visit to the health ecosystem in Basel, Switzerland with all expenses paid.
Application process
- Being a startup in the acceleration, consolidation, or growth stage.
- Have an initial sales level
- The startup must be located in Colombian territory.
- Have availability of 4 hours a week, during the 6 months of the program, for its activities.
- You must be able to demonstrate that the product or service you offer has a direct impact on the Determinants of Health , according to the WHO.
- The startup must have a direct impact on SDG 3, Health and Well-being.
- You must assign 1 person as the person responsible for the program and as a point of contact, in such a way that the achievement of its milestones can be assured.
- The responsible person must have a level of English that allows them to interact and relate to different spaces and networks of the program. The above will be verified in the interview of the selection process.
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| Theme | : Innovation |
| Applicant Country | : WorldWide |
| For more information | : Impact Hub Medellin |