The recent Futurize HealthTech Summit in Nairobi, led by Futurize and AstraZeneca under the A.Catalyst Network, emerged as a pivotal platform, championing collaborative efforts among more than 120 stakeholders from Kenya’s education, health, and technology sectors. This initiative reflects a bold bid to revolutionize healthcare in Kenya—an overarching goal that requires not only public-private partnerships but also the active involvement of academic institutions, all geared towards propelling technological advancements within our country’s health sector.
Vectorgram’s cutting-edge AI tools designed for early breast cancer diagnosis and Tawi Health’s digital solutions aimed at improving healthcare accessibility stood out among a multitude of innovations showcased at the Futurize HealthTech Summit. This emphasized the vital synergy between academia and industry.
Experts at the Nairobi Stakeholder’s Summit emphasized that academic institutions must actively drive innovation within the healthcare sector—a paramount role. These discussions explored two key areas: first, fostering healthtech ecosystems through collaboration was delved into deeply, and secondly, the significant contribution of academic entities to the innovation landscape received comprehensive exploration.
“AstraZeneca’s Head of Digital & IT for the African Cluster, Jonathan Calder, underscores: Collective efforts are crucial to cultivating a vibrant healthtech ecosystem; it is not merely about individual contributions. The key lies in our capacity—not just ours as an organization but also extending outward into broader networks—to connect, exchange insights, and leverage one another’s strengths.” Jonathan Calder, the Head of Digital & IT for AstraZeneca’s African cluster, emphasizes this criticality in collective effort: “We must actively nurture.”
Illustrating the potent combination of academic excellence and business acumen through the Fuel Africa Program, ten startups from the FuturizeU incubator made their debut at the summit. The innovations that garnered attention included Vectorgram’s advanced AI tools for early breast cancer diagnosis, along with Tawi Health’s digital solutions.
Presenting MariTest, a groundbreaking, bloodless diagnostic device harnessing AI and advanced sensor technology; this graduate-level application enables non-invasive, automated malaria detection. The innovation involved in disease detection displays, through its transformative potential, the confluence of technology with healthcare solutions.
Not just a one-time event, the Futurize HealthTech Summit actively established the groundwork for continuous collaboration. It extended invitations to policymakers, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs for engaging in persistent dialogues and actions, aiming towards crafting a unified healthtech ecosystem in Kenya.
Caroline Mbindyo, Head of Hiventy Kenya & Nigeria, exudes optimism regarding Africa’s influence on future developments. “The continent,” she emphasizes, “is where the future resides.” The trajectory of our shared destiny does not hinge upon a single narrative; instead, it evolves through each deliberate action we take, thus shaping and defining what lies ahead—this is how we truly create tomorrow. Technology doesn’t define the future; rather, we—the builders, users, and deployers of technology—shape its appearance. Indeed, our hands cradle tomorrow’s potentials.
Kenya, positioning itself as a hub for healthtech innovation, cultivates the collaborative spirit at the Futurize HealthTech Summit; this sets an optimistic stage—a promising and transformative future in its healthcare landscape.