i3 unveils latest cohort of growth-stage healthcare startups and Chefaa is in the mix (again): Pan-African healthtech initiative Investing in Innovation Africa (i3) announced its third cohort of seven growth-stage companies focused on transforming pharmacy services across the continent, the program said in a statement (pdf). Local startup Chefaa is among the selected companies — making this its second time to be tapped by the initiative.

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REFRESHER- i3 launched its third call for applications earlier this year, offering up to USD 225k in grant funding, customer introductions, and guidance to a number of growth-stage and early-stage firms. The initiative is backed by the Gates Foundation, MSD, Sanofi’s Global Health Unit, Cencora, Endless Foundation, HELP Logistics, and Chemonics.

How will Chefaa use the money? Chefaa will use the fresh funds to “accelerate its proven impact digitizing the supply chain in a data-driven approach to improve patient accessibility and compliance,” the company told EnterpriseAM. The digital pharmacy platform is also planning to expand its services and business lines to ensure long-term sustainability through diversified revenue streams.

The startup is already tapping big data, data mining, and machine learning and has launched a Business Intelligence Hub used by global pharma clients. It’s running case studies with partners to empower patients — with deeper AI integration and end-to-end automation next on the roadmap, they said.

When can we expect another funding round for Chefaa? The woman-led startup is penciling in a 2026 round after securing some USD 5.3 mn in December 2023 from international investors, they told us.

The other six selected startups include Ghana’s mPharma, Kenya’s myDawa, Nigeria’s RxAll and Sproxil, Ivory Coast’s Meditect, and Tanzania’s Dawa Mkononi, which were all tapped for their tech-driven health solutions.

For this year’s cohort, i3 focused on pharmacy-driven technology across four categories — omnichannel pharmacy models, digital direct-to-consumer platforms, product protection and market intelligence, and supply chain efficiency tools like inventory and financing solutions, they told us.

Startups were selected based on African leadership, data-driven operations, social impact, and scale-readiness. Impact is tracked through metrics like new partnerships, revenue growth, capital raised, and expanded patient access — “These data points help us understand what’s working, adapt our support accordingly, and demonstrate value to program sponsors and stakeholders,” they said.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR- The cohort is set to join i3’s Access to Markets event in December 2025, where they’ll get the chance to forge partnerships with healthcare players, governments, donors, and multilateral organizations.

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