From the newsletter
Three healthcare startups received funding in the month of January. At least $3.5 million was raised with Sora Technology topping the list with $2.5 million in venture capital. FitXpert followed with a venture capital of $1 million while Mamy Eyewear raised an undisclosed amount. The funding is 8 times lower than the previous month’s $27.6 million.
Sora is a startup using drones and artificial intelligence to fight infectious diseases and the funding supports its malaria elimination efforts across Africa.
FitXpert received funding to expand its digital fitness and nutrition services while Mamy Eyewear aims to expand optical services with the new funds.
More details
All the three funded startups are male founded. Sora and Mamy Eyewear both have a solo male founder while FitXpert has a male only founding team. All the three companies have male CEOs.
Sora has now raised about $7.3 million in total funding. This follows a $4.8 million late seed round announced in March 2025. The latest raise brought in three new investors. They include Daiwa House Group Investment Limited Partnership, Central Japan Innovative Research Fund I, and UNERI Capital Fund Series I. Existing investors include Nissay Capital and SMBC Venture Capital.
Sora Technology, a Japanese startup founded in 2018, uses drones and AI to combat infectious diseases. Its flagship project, SORA Malaria Control, operates across more than 10 African countries, including Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique and Senegal. The company works with health partners to support malaria control and health infrastructure.
FitXpert, an Egypt-based digital platform founded in 2023 by Salah Selim and Mostafa Mahmoud, provides fitness trainers and nutrition centres with a unified digital system for client management and programme design. The new investment will strengthen operations and accelerate expansion across Northern Africa.
Kenyan startup Mamy Eyewear secured funding from Japan’s Ikemori Venture Support (IVS) to expand across East Africa. The company offers stylish, affordable eyewear through modern stores and AI-powered eye tests. The investment will support operational scaling and accelerate the startup’s mission to improve eyecare access regionally.
Our take
There is a funding gap for women led healthcare startups in Africa. All the three funded startups in January are male founded and have male CEOs.
The same gender gap was witnessed in December. Only one of the nine funded startups had female-only founders. In terms of management, seven of the nine funded companies had male CEOs.