Grace Ashiru
The health technology startup from Nigeria, Helpmum, has received a grant of $225,000 from the Africa Visionary Fund, according to a statement issued to Technext by the company’s Founder and CEO, Dr. Abiodun Adereni.
Furthermore, the company disclosed its selection as one of the 12 visionary partners to be part of the fourth cohort of the Africa Visionary Fund.
HelpMum has received a grant of $225,000 from the Africa Visionary Fund, marking its selection as one of the 12 Africa visionary partners for the fourth cohort of the Africa Visionary Fund. This fund aims to empower high-impact African social entrepreneurs by offering them unrestricted grant funding to amplify their effects. “Being chosen as a part of this distinguished cohort of unique organizations is a true honor for HelpMum,” expressed the CEO.
Furthermore, the CEO reiterated the startup’s dedication to deep innovation, emphasizing the utilization of advanced technology, especially artificial intelligence, to revolutionize healthcare for expectant mothers and nursing mothers across Africa.
Launched in 2017 by an alumnus of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Abiodun Adereni, HelpMum is a health technology startup based in Ibadan. The initiative utilizes mobile technology to lower the mortality rates of pregnant women and infants pre-, during, and post-childbirth. Additionally, it offers an e-learning platform that trains community birth attendants in local languages.
Furthermore, HelpMum introduces a vaccination tracking system to register expectant mothers in remote areas, promoting immunization for their infants.
The African Visionary Fund’s grant to Helpmum is the latest addition to a series of grants that began in 2017, despite the company never having raised venture capital funds. Its initial grant of $5,000 came after it was named among the top three at a health innovators challenge in Nairobi. Soon after, it received another $5,000 from the Tony Elumelu Foundation, marking the beginning of a sustained pattern of securing grants.
In 2018, Helpmum captured its first significant grant amounting to $250,000 from the Google Impact Challenge.
By 2019, the health tech startup secured another $250,000, this time as a winner of the Facebook Community Accelerator. It was one of the 24 winners across the globe, with four startups selected from each of the six regions: Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Middle East North Africa, Latin America, North America, and Asia Pacific.
In 2021, amidst the aftermath of the 2020 pandemic, a standout African startup secured a place as one of the four global victors in the prestigious Waislitz Global Citizen Award, recognized in August of that year. This accolade, aimed at honoring firms with outstanding initiatives in combating COVID-19, brought HelpMum a reward of $50,000 for its efforts.
Previously, in June, the enterprise had already garnered attention by being the sole Nigerian startup to be chosen among 30 worldwide for Google Social Impact Funding, landing a spot in the Public Health sector. The exact amount awarded remained undisclosed, but it’s known that entities can receive upwards of $500,000 from this funding.
Further elevating its status, in September 2022, the startup focused on maternal health was granted $250,000 by the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation. This funding was allocated to facilitate the implementation of an AI-driven solution named ADVISER for vaccine distribution in Nigeria, marking the startup as the first Nigerian recipient of such a grant from the foundation.
The startup, which has not pursued venture capital investment, might have secured over a million dollars through grants. CEO Adereni, in a conversation with Nairametrics, attributed the appeal to grantors to the “exceptional work and tangible impact of our initiatives at Helpmum.”
“Whenever we receive a grant, we commit ourselves fully to providing ongoing updates to our donors and supporters. To further this, we established a YouTube channel to demonstrate the effects of our efforts, aiding in attracting more funders. Our innovative strategies in addressing maternal and infant mortality issues also play a significant role in drawing donor attention
