Funding: Four healthcare startups receive funding to scale

For the first time this year, digital clinical trials tech was funded. NuvoteQ, a company that offers a range of software products designed to empower clinical and pharmaceutical research organisations, received funding in September. The rest provide telemedicine services.

Funding was spread across southern (NuvoteQ), central (Waspito), western (Ades) and northern Africa (Docline).

All four startups were founded by men. Jean Lobe Lobe founded Waspito and Dr Ousmane Soumahoro founded Ades as solo founders. The remaining two have all-male founding teams. Adriaan Kruger with Charl Bachuis for NuvoteQ and Omar Najid with Dr Roberto Medina Ruiz de Alarcon for Docline.

NuvoteQ develops digital platforms that make clinical research faster and more accurate. Its tools include Nukleus for electronic data capture and Kronus for trial management. They help pharmaceutical companies and clinical research organisations run more efficient studies while staying compliant with global standards. The company’s software is built locally in South Africa but used globally across five continents.,. NuvoteQ received funding to advance this work.

Waspito is a Cameroon-based telehealth platform connecting users across Africa to doctors, laboratories, and pharmacies through video consultations and home-based lab services. The company also runs a free social health network for community-driven medical discussions. Its funding supports the expansion of digital healthcare infrastructure and accessible online medical services across Francophone and Anglophone African markets.

Ades, an Ivorian healthtech startup founded by young doctors, received funding to scale its digital healthcare platform, UMED, and expand nationwide service delivery. The investment will enhance its biomedical and imaging infrastructure and grow its fleet of ambulances and motorbikes to enable faster home visits and improved access to medical care across Côte d’Ivoire.

Docline is a comprehensive telemedicine platform that helps hospitals to digitalise healthcare delivery. Its system supports video consultations and patient management, improving efficiency and reducing costs. Designed by medical and tech experts, Docline enables faster diagnoses and seamless integration with existing systems. They received venture capital funding to strengthen operations.

Most digital health funding still leans toward telemedicine, yet the tools that strengthen Africa’s clinical research capacity are equally critical for the continent’s pharmaceutical future.

The inclusion of NuvoteQ shows emerging interest in clinical trials technology, but one is not enough.