Business accelerator Ampion and global developer, manufacturer and distributor of pharmaceuticals Merck are launching Africa's first healthcare specific accelerator which will operate out of Nairobi. The announcement follows the Global Entrepreneurship Summit hosted in Kenya's capital last week.
The accelerator will begin accepting applications from e-health startups with a high potential for impact beginning on September 1st 2015. Each portfolio company accepted will be granted an expected residency period of 3 to 6 months.
The e-health accelerator will offer startups customised support from Merck Headquarters' Innovation Center in Darmstadt, Germany, along with operational and scaling mentorship and the potential to secure pilots and synergies with key global players according to the announcement.
Alexander Hoffmann, Merck project manager, is quoted as saying, "The launch of the first healthcare accelerator in Africa is designed to be a major boost to healthcare innovation on the continent. Africa has many of the fastest growing technology markets worldwide. For us at Merck, the support of healthcare technology on the continent is important not just in terms of social impact but also as a long-term business investment."
Ampion chief executive Fabian Guhl is also positive about the accelerators prospects and said it will play a key role in enable early-stage startups to enter the market and "make both a social and economic impact."
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