Seedstars and Merck Accelerator to boost health tech in emerging markets together

The fifth edition of Seedstars Summit took place on the 12th April, in Lausanne – Switzerland, gathering under the same roof major players of the tech/entrepreneurship scene from over 75 emerging markets. It was the largest Seedstars Summit to date, with more than 1000 pre-selected attendees enjoying this international networking experience, that included the award of a variety of prizes to seven startups from different verticals.

Merck Accelerator has partnered with Seedstars to scout for the best startup using technology to tackle crucial issues for healthcare, life sciences and performance materials, in emerging markets. The fight against counterfeit medication, access to healthcare or universal access to sophisticated diagnosis were only some of the topics addressed by these startups.

Merck has decided to award their prize to EMGuidance, due to the innovative effective way they are solves a critical problem for medical professionals by aggregating medical content from regional experts in one app. EMGuidance will have access to financial support of up to €50,000 and office space at the Merck Innovation center, combined with joining Merck Accelerator, mentoring, and coaching.

We feel incredibly proud to have won the #Healthcare Prize powered by @merckgroup at #SeedstarsSummit pic.twitter.com/0bHHeEAnur

— EMGuidance (@EMGuidance) April 12, 2018

Munya Chivasa, Head of the Merck Accelerator Program says, “investment in startups and tech entrepreneurship from emerging markets is not only a tremendous business opportunity, but also is part of our strategic innovation direction to identify innovative approaches at an early stage between & beyond our current businesses, and scale them to sustainable businesses. The partnership with Seedstars that started last year, is helping us to find startups that are innovative and ready for collaboration to shape the future together with us.”

Claudia Makadristo, Regional Manager of Seedstars for Africa expressed, “access to healthcare and solutions for other health and medical related issues are one of the biggest problems for emerging economies. EMGuidance will now profit not only from the funding, but also the expert knowledge and Merck’s international support infrastructure. At the same time, this will allow Merck to have a more hands-on interaction with the startups from emerging markets, and understand how they tackle their challenges and thrive in ecosystems which are sometimes very adverse. These are unique opportunities for both the entrepreneurs and our partners, and it is a privilege for Seedstars to be a part of it!”