Kenyan Health Tech Startup Ilara Health Raises $4.2 Million to Expand Clinic Support Services

Ilara Health, a leading health tech firm based in Kenya dedicated to empowering healthcare professionals for optimal patient outcomes, has secured $4.2 million in a pre-Series A funding round.

The investment was spearheaded by DOB Equity, with additional equity contributions from AAIC INVESTMENT, Angaza Capital, Black Pearl Investments, Perivoli Innovations, and debt funding from Alphamundi and Kiva Capital.

This infusion of capital will fuel Ilara Health’s expansion of its tech-driven primary care model across Kenya before extending its reach to other regions. With this latest funding, the company’s total investment stands at $11.7 million, encompassing various funding rounds, including a $3.75 million seed round in 2020, and multiple grants, including two grants totaling $1.6 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Emilian Popa, CEO and Co-founder of Ilara Health, expressed his enthusiasm about the round, stating, “Ilara Health was founded with a singular goal: to enhance healthcare quality for Africans. We are deeply committed to making healthcare affordable and accessible to all, and I am proud of the tangible impact we have achieved in a short span of time.”

Popa added, “There is still much work to be done, and we are delighted to welcome prominent global investors who share our vision for Kenya and ultimately all of Africa. This funding will fuel our continued growth as we strive to establish standardized quality healthcare across the continent.”

Established in 2019 by Emilian Popa, Maximilian Mancini, and Sameer Afzal Farooqi, Ilara Health initially focused on addressing diagnostic gaps in primary healthcare centers across Africa, tackling disparities in testing availability and quality.

The company’s initial model provided revenue-generating diagnostic assets to clinics, facilitating instant business scalability, offering flexible repayment plans, and delivering essential training for patient testing.

Since then, Ilara Health has evolved to digitize end-to-end operations, leveraging data to optimize its infrastructural business model. This includes assisting clinics in electronically managing patient databases and serving as a comprehensive source for diagnostic tools, consumables, and pharmaceuticals.

Ilara Health collaborates with esteemed partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Chandaria Capital, Kiva, Google for Startups, IBM, and Villgro Africa, among others.

In its forthcoming growth phase, the company intends to expand its outreach to patients through B2B health and occupational services, forging partnerships with employers to grant employees access to diverse outpatient services at affiliated clinics.