YeneHealth (YH) has received a major boost as Jaza Rift Ventures (JRV), a leading health-tech focused venture capital firm, has become the primary investor in their pre-seed round. This investment holds immense significance for both YeneHealth and Jaza Rift Ventures, as it marks the first time an Ethiopian startup has been included in JRV’s investment portfolio. The exact investment figure remains undisclosed.
YeneHealth’s core mission revolves around providing comprehensive and confidential sexual and reproductive healthcare services to African women of reproductive age. Through their web and mobile application, they offer a diverse range of features, including verified telehealth services, discreet e-pharmacy facilities, health information, and personalized tools like period tracking and medication monitoring. By specifically addressing unmet needs around family planning and maternal health in Sub-Saharan Africa, YeneHealth aims to empower women and support their overall health and well-being.
Reasons for the Investment
One compelling reason for the investment is YeneHealth’s focus on serving an underserved market in Africa — the reproductive health needs of women. By directly tackling this pressing issue, YeneHealth presents an attractive investment opportunity for JRV.
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Moreover, Jaza Rift Ventures’ commitment to improving healthcare in Africa perfectly aligns with YeneHealth’s vision. The investment in YeneHealth demonstrates JRV’s dedication to supporting scalable healthcare solutions across the continent, particularly in the healthtech, medtech, and biotech sectors.
Sewu Steve Tawia, Partner at Jaza Rift Ventures, emphasized their investment strategy, stating, “Our investment in outstanding Founders such as YeneHealth’s Kidist illustrates our thesis to bring healthcare to people, rather than the old model of people to healthcare. YeneHealth responds to the huge unmet healthcare need for women and the potential for alpha returns alongside long term positive healthcare outcomes and impact. Our patient capital and non-financial support in partnership with Villgro Africa will enable the team to accelerate their path to product market fit for an already rich mix of products and services focused on women.”
A Look at YeneHealth
YeneHealth proudly stands as Ethiopia’s pioneering femtech startup. The startup was founded in 2021. Led by visionary CEO Kidist Tesfaye and a team of dedicated founders, the company is committed to unlocking the digital door of healthcare services for African women of reproductive age.
The primary markets for YeneHealth’s services are situated in Africa, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Their culturally-responsive and multilingual digital platform addresses the critical need for accessible and confidential health services among women, particularly in the area of reproductive healthcare.
As a startup, YeneHealth has ambitious goals, including expanding its platform’s reach, enhancing product development, and establishing strategic partnerships. The substantial investment from Jaza Rift Ventures will undoubtedly accelerate YeneHealth’s journey towards becoming a frontrunner in the femtech sector across the continent. With an aspiration to cater to more than 280 million women of reproductive age in Africa, YeneHealth aims to significantly improve healthcare access, quality, and patient outcomes for this demographic.
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert.
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard