Are you a start-up working towards the SDG’s and are based in Africa? Are you working at the cutting edge of innovation to solve real-life problems? Is your start-up innovation related to Healthcare, Life Sciences, Performance Materials, and Merck’s innovation focus areas?
Moreover, If you have answered yes to any of the questions above. Then they are looking for you! The Joint Start-up Programme, a collaboration between Merck Accelerator with Tech Entrepreneurship Initiative “Make-IT in Africa” is your gateway to quickly explore and also,  validate the potential for co-creating and working in in the health sector especially in partnership with Merck. Further, Apply to get a chance to work on a collaboration project with existing Merck’s innovation projects.

Focus Area

• Digital Solutions in the Healthcare Sector
• Bio-Sensing and Interfaces
• Liquid Biopsy Technologies

Benefit

Business Case Development:

• Fully paid bootcamp in Nairobi for top 20 start-ups (5 per each region) to ideate and develop business cases for collaboration with Merck
• Further, Continuous business support, technical support, and online mentoring and coaching
• Scale-Up Diagnostics and Design for Scale Training

Ecosystem Learning Journey:

• Spotlight and exhibition at the South Africa Innovation Summit in Cape Town for 4 finalists
• Also, Spotlight and Demo Day at Merck in South Africa for 4 finalists
• Spotlight and exhibition at MEDICA conference in Dusseldorf for 4 finalists

Corporate Collaboration:

• A fully paid trip to Merck Innovation Center at the HQs to pitch for a collaboration project with Merck for 4 finalists

Connect and Community:

• Three meetups in each focus region will be conducted to connect with a rich community of founders and also, innovators in your region going through the same challenges, as you exchange ideas and build lifetime connections.

Access to Make-IT Fellowship:

• Investor meetups
• Business opportunities
• Potential exposure measures

Eligibility

They  are looking for start-ups that fulfill the following criteria:

• Registered in an African country and operative for at least a year.
• A business model with a focus on the SDGs and a solution in the fields of Healthcare, Life Sciences, Further, Performance Materials and other search fields such as Biosensing and Interfaces, and Liquid Biopsy Technologies.
• Start-ups with at least 2 cofounders.
• The team supports gender equality and diversity.
• Also, Applicants must be fluent in English.
• Their program will be targeting start-ups across Africa.