Ilara Healththe healthcare company digitizing and consolidating Kenya’s highly fragmented primary healthcare, today announced the closure of a $4.2 million pre-series A round of equity and debt.
Led by DOB share capitalthe round also sees follow-on equity investments from AAIC INVESTMENT, Capital Angaza, Black Pearl Investments, Orchard Innovationsas well as debt investments from Alfamoudi and Kiva Capital. They are new to the round Philips Foundation and Boehringer Ingelheim. The new partners are strategic healthcare investors who bring their deep experience working with and investing in companies in the global healthcare industry.
Digging deeper
Ilara Health will use the latest capital injection to scale its technology-enabled primary care model across Kenya before expanding to other regions. With this latest funding, the company’s total investment to date reaches $11.7 million, covering various funding rounds including $3.75 million seed round in 2020along with multiple grants, including two grants totaling $1.6 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
About the company
Founded in 2019 by Emilian Popa, Maximilian Mancini and Sameer Afzal Farooqi, Ilara Health was started to provide affordable and accessible quality healthcare to peri-urban Kenya. The company began by addressing the gap in diagnostics affecting primary health care centers in the region due to significant differences in availability and quality tests.
Ilara Health’s original model offered revenue-generating diagnostics that allowed clinics to quickly scale their businesses while providing flexible repayment plans, as well as the education needed to screen patients.
Because this matters
The investment will facilitate Ilara Health’s focus over the next 12 months, which is to achieve significant growth, continue to grow its already large network of clinical partners and incorporate the next phase of growth into its model, which includes the launch of services employee health through B2B health and labor services, initially in selected locations and later throughout the country.
The company currently has 8 clinics covered by these follow-on investments and co-branding, with plans to expand to 50 by the end of the year.
By The Numbers
Kenya has ~10,000 privately owned primary care facilities and one further ~7,000 owned by the government. Ilara Health’s growth momentum has so far seen it partner more than 3,000 of these clinics to provide better healthcare in 42 counties in Kenya, which in turn serve over 5 million patients every year.
What they say
Speaking of round, Emilian PopaCEO and Co-Founder of Ilara Health says “Ilara Health was born out of a common goal. to improve the quality of health care for Africans. We believe passionately that healthcare should be affordable and accessible to all, and as such, I am proud of the measurable impact we have achieved in such a short period of time.
Much remains to be done, which is why we are excited to be joined by prominent global investors who share our core vision for Kenya and ultimately all of Africa. This fundraiser will build on our continued growth and we look forward to promoting standardized quality healthcare on the continent.“
Margot Cooijmans The Director of Philips Foundation Impact Investments said, “The support of Ilara Health reflects the Philips Foundation’s drive to improve access to healthcare through innovation, aligned with our goal of making quality healthcare available to all. This investment is a practical step toward bridging the healthcare divide by focusing on solutions that can be implemented in communities that need them most.”
Bahaa Eddine SarroukhHead of Impact Investment at the Philips Foundation said:Ilara Health represents a major step forward in healthcare innovation, combining technology and finance in a way that is both groundbreaking and profound. Their approach goes beyond simple access. it’s about empowering grassroots healthcare providers with the tools and business models they need to thrive. This combination is not just unique – it is a critical factor in extending quality healthcare to those who need it most, setting a new standard for what is possible in healthcare delivery across Africa.”
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