Grace Ashiru
Intron Health, a trailblazing health tech startup, is revolutionizing clinical speech recognition for over 200 accents spoken in underdeveloped nations, starting with Africa. The company has successfully raised $1.6 million in a pre-seed funding round.
The funding round was led by Microtraction, with participation from Plug and Play Ventures, Jama Rift Ventures, Octopus Ventures, Africa Health Ventures, OpenseedVC, Pi Campus, Alumni Angel, and Baker Bridge Capital. Additionally, angel investors from global companies such as Google, CLEAR Global, NYU, and Optum also contributed.
Founded in 2020, Intron Health aims to digitize healthcare. The company’s founder, Tobi Olatunji, recognized early on that data entry posed a significant challenge to the adoption of electronic medical records.
Intron has developed the first clinical speech recognition platform in Africa, boasting an accuracy rate of up to 92% for medical terms spoken with strong accents.
This innovative platform significantly speeds up the implementation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and reduces the administrative burden for doctors in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and, more recently, Uganda. By allowing doctors to complete documentation seven times faster, it enhances efficiency and productivity.
Tobi Olatunji, Founder and CEO of Intron Health, commented on the progress, saying, “Having worked as a doctor in Nigeria, I have experienced firsthand the challenges of delivering quality healthcare amidst growing patient numbers. We are thrilled with the adoption and growth we’ve seen over the past year, indicating that we are addressing a significant need and providing a long-overdue solution to a critical problem in the global south. We are not only improving efficiency but also enhancing health outcomes and positively impacting hospital finances. With the support of prominent global investors who bring deep knowledge and expertise, we are eager to embark on our next phase of growth.”
Intron Health’s speech recognition technology is making waves beyond healthcare, demonstrating transformative potential in localized voice technology both within and outside of Africa. The company is keen to explore these potential applications and prospects further.
With the aid of this funding, Intron Health aims to expand its distribution, enhance its cloud-native and on-premises capabilities, and intensify its research efforts. To support product development and market expansion, the company plans to strengthen its team by hiring IT talent. This will drive ongoing advancements and help overcome additional technological barriers.
