Solution Overview & Team Lead Details

What is the name of your solution?

“Medtracka App” By Medvax Health

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

Medvax Health is Nigeria’s first women-centric e-pharmacy that is leveraging technology using our mobile app, “Medtracka”, to ensure sexual and reproductive health commodity security for young women in sub-Saharan Africa. Our platform empowers young female adolescents to take charge of their lives

Film your elevator pitch.

What is your solution?

Founded in September 2022, Medvax Health is a digital E-pharmacy marketplace  and one-stop shop for all pharmaceuticals and sexual and reproductive health needs, providing affordable and uninterrupted supply of over 5,000 sexual health products, all with a few taps on your mobile phone.

1) PARTNERSHIPS AND NETWORK:
Considering the great financial constraints being faced by many local retail pharmacies, who serve as the major distributors or sexual and reproductive products and information in low and middle income countries, it is almost impossible to any one pharmacy to be stocked with a wide variety of products at the same time.

This limits the contraceptive options of many young women and girls, who may be seeking for other more suitable products other than what’s available in these pharmacies. 

This can pose a huge challenge, as some persons may be generally allergic to certain contraceptives that are considered “mainstream”, just like the popular “Postinor 2” widely used in Nigeria.

To solve this problem, we have partnered with over 60 local well-stocked and licensed pharmacies, manufacturers and major distributors of authentic and quality medicines, vaccines and sexual health commodities in Nigeria to ensure uninterrupted supply of sexual health commodities for young women and girls especially those within the ages of 15 - 29. 

We have a web-based app and are currently building an AI- powered mobile app “Medtracka” that allows young women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa to access a steady, reliable and discreet supply of an extensive range of over 5,000 quality sexual and reproductive health products, promising the swiftest delivery possible either to their homes or any other locations that they may choose.

As a female-led company with an all-female technical and operations team, we pride ourselves as the “Amazon of pharmaceuticals in Africa, run by Amazons”. 

2) TECH-ENABLED SUPPLY CHAIN AND AI-POWERED LOGISTICS FOR SEXUAL HEALTH PRODUCTS:

We are utilizing real-time data visibility into the sexual product supply chain in Sub-Saharan Africa and an AI-powered logistics system that optimizes delivery routes in order to ensure swift and uninterrupted access to safe and authentic medications for all women.

Hence, apart from our partnerships from other local pharmacies, we are re-designing our own supply channel by ordering our products directly from manufacturers to allow for efficiency by eliminating the numerous and unnecessary middlemen, who often times cause delay and even escalate the prices of these products in order to maximize their profits, thereby increasing final price of products for the end user.

3) REMOTE PERSONALIZED COUNSELLING AND TELEMEDICINE SERVICE:

Our “Medtracka App” will allow young women to book consultation services online with certified medical experts at the convenience of their homes. This service provides them with confidentiality and the room for anonymity if they do choose.

4) ONLINE PEER-TO-PEER FORUM:
Our app has an online peer-to-peer forum that allows our users to share their experiences, perspectives, build meaningful connections, become part of a thriving community and give and receive support to peers who need them the most.

https://youtu.be/j4KZY6d_LWQ?si=BnejpTaNJvQ9zne5

What specific problem are you solving?

1) LIMITED ACCESS TO SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PRODUCTS:

In Sub-Saharan Africa, about 47million women have unmet need for family planning as access to sexual and reproductive health products continues to be a public health concern. In Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, the use of modern contraceptives is comparatively low, and maternal mortality remain high. Research has shown that a lot of barriers, ranging from political unwillingness, technical, supply chain and logistical difficulties, and even socio-cultural barriers, hinder young people from accessing a steady and uninterrupted supply of sexual and reproductive health information and products of their choice, at anytime,

2) A FRAGMENTED SEXUAL HEALTH PRODUCTS SUPPLY CHAIN

This healthcare supply chains which are to ensure the delivery of medicines, vaccines, and other health products in low and middle-income countries in sub-Saharan Africa, are fraught with many problems, they are broken and fragmented, leading to the overall health system's inability to respond to the healthcare needs of the women and girls, putting sexual and reproductive health programs at risk.
Problems such as frequent stock outs of essential sexual and reproductive health products, increasingly high cost of products, infiltration of counterfeit and substandard products are all an offshoot of this single major problem.

Accessing an extensive range of safe, effective and authentic sexual and reproductive health products such as medications, family planning, personal care & menstrual health products, HPV vaccination services, HIV Self-tests is needed to reach the Sustainable Development Goals’ targets.

The problem that our digital solution is addressing encompasses issues around availability, Cost, Quality, Equity and choice of sexual products.

3) FREQUENT STOCK-OUTS OF ESSENTIAL PRODUCTS:

In May–July 2015, a qualitative study on experiences of contraceptive stockouts was conducted in two districts of Uganda. It comprised three data collection components: eight focus groups with 50 young women, 24 individual in-depth interviews with family planning 

The result showed that contraceptives stockouts were common, particularly for long-term methods and oral contraceptives. For young girls and women, the consequences of unmet family planning needs can be serious, especially amongst adolescents, leading to unwanted pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and increased risks for morbidity and mortality, amongst others. Furthermore, teenage pregnancies can lead to school dropout, which diminishes the chances of girls finding employment opportunities later in life, continuing the poverty cycle.

4) INEQUITIES IN ACCESSING SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PRODUCTS:
The issue of equity is also a huge factor in ensuring access, as society in Sub-Saharan Africa has placed a lot of stigma around young women who actively go out, seeking for sexual health products such as contraceptives. The African society often perceives women who are sexually active outside of marriage as “wayward” or “loose”. This attitude often influences the health-seeking behavior of this population, preventing them from accessing the needed services and products for fear of judgement

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

Target Population: Our target audience includes adolescents girls and young women between the ages of 15 - 29 in low-income, rural, and urban communities in Sub-Saharan Africa who lack access to sexual, reproductive health commodities and services that are of high quality, equity, and authenticity. We are focusing on this age group because women within the the ages of 15-29 have the highest fertility rate in Africa and become more sexually active from age 15. 

Current Challenges Faced by the Target Population

Devastating Impact of Unmet SRH Needs:  In sub-Saharan Africa, over 14 million women aged 15 to 29 face unintended pregnancies annually, leading to unsafe abortions, and increased mortality risks. Unsafe abortions contribute significantly to maternal mortality, causing an estimated 202,000 young women's deaths each year. Adolescent pregnancies often lead to school dropout, continuing the cycle of poverty.

Stigmatization and decreased health-seeking behaviors: Seeking SRH services results in stigma, as young women may face judgment for their sexual choices or family planning decisions. This fear of stigma discourages them from seeking the necessary SRH commodities and services, limiting their control over their sexual and reproductive health

Supply Chain Issues: Supply chain weaknesses, stockouts, the high cost of SRH products and services contribute to the challenges faced by women in accessing these commodities. Local facilities and pharmacies often do not carry the necessary products, and private sector options can be too expensive.

Our Solution: Medvax Health's Medtracka app uses AI to link young women with licensed pharmacies, delivering SRH products to their doorsteps and enabling consultations with healthcare professionals for SRH needs.

Impact on Their Lives:

Reduced Stigma: By offering discreet access to SRH services through our app, we aim to reduce the stigma associated with seeking these services, encouraging more young women to access the care they need.

Improved Access: Our distribution network connects young women to licensed and verified pharmacies, addressing the supply chain issues and making SRH products readily available.

Cost-Effective Solutions: Medtracka provides affordable SRH products and services, making them accessible to women from all economic backgrounds.

Expert Consultation: Our platform allows young women to consult with doctors and pharmacists, promoting informed decisions regarding their sexual and reproductive health.

Reduced Unplanned Pregnancies: By improving access to contraception, we aim to reduce the high number of unplanned pregnancies, subsequently lowering the risks of unsafe abortions and related complications.

Health and Economic Benefits: Addressing unplanned pregnancies and maternal health issues can lead to better physical and mental health outcomes, reduced social and financial burdens, and increased opportunities for women to escape the poverty cycle.

Reduced Maternal Mortality: Medvax health contribute to reducing maternal mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa by providing access to safe and reliable SRH services, including family planning options.

Empowering Women: Our solution helps women stay in school, increasing their chances of finding employment opportunities and breaking the cycle of poverty.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?


My team is uniquely positioned to deliver this solution which we have because we have highly specialized and unique blend of expertise, at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and logistics. We have a medical team of 2 Pharmacists, 1 Medical Doctor and a nurse and a technical team of Supply chain and logistics experts, and software developers.

We also bring in years of experience, with our team lead Pharm (Dr.) Chioma Uzoma, who  has over 4 years of experience in implementing sexual and reproductive peer education programs across over 15 universities in Nigeria and has counseled and trained over 2,500 young peer educators in the areas of Adolescent health, STD/STIs prevention.

Closely working with our team lead is our head of operations/COO, Pharm(Dr.) Favour Ogedegbe who has worked as project coordinator in the past four years for The Medaccess Initiative For Africa (TMI Africa), for the Pad-A-Girl project, the flagship project of the women-centric NGO. She was responsible for the procurement and distribution of over 6,000 sanitary pads in the sub-region in the past 4 years. This project has positively impacted the lives of over 4,500 young girls in Edo State, Nigeria. 

Our Supply chain and logistics team is one of the best that there is, with strong inventory management skills and logistics operations, they ensure the uninterrupted supply of sexual and reproductive products to our customers who need them the most, ensuring accurate forecast of demand and supply.

Our technical team consists of our software engineers with background in UI/IX, flutter, frontend and backend web development. They have built a website that currently hosts our online pharmacy and are working on our AI-powered mobile app which will be hosted on IOS and Android.

The competence and excellence of our team in project delivery has been tried and tested over and over again, and we have always proven ourselves at every chance.
We have gained both National and international recognition, most recently emerging 1st runner up at the Bechangemaker global social entrepreneurship competition in Dublin, Ireland, after competing against 567 teams from 85 countries. 
This program which is one of the best incubator program in the world, provided our team the unique opportunity of undergoing a 3-month intensive training program with Worldskills and our mentors from HP.

We were trained on leveraging technology for impact, refining our business model and measuring social impact, and equipped as a team with the best skills needed to deliver our project.

Nationally, we won an award in respect of our impact so far, we won the 25 under 25 awards for social entrepreneur of the year, organized by SME Africa and surly represented by our youngest team member, Victory Uzoma.

The impact we have made in the past is a testament to our future impact, we truly believe in our vision and our mission for a healthier Africa

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Prioritize infrastructure centered around young people to enhance young people’s access to SRH information, commodities and services.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Benin City, Nigeria

In what country is your solution team headquartered?

  • Nigeria

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model, but which is not yet serving anyone

Please share details about what makes your solution a Prototype rather than a Concept.

Medtracka stands out as a tangible and innovative solution, for the specific needs of young women in sub-Saharan Africa, starting in Nigeria. Unlike mere concepts, Medtracka has transitioned into a functioning prototype, and here's how:

1. Tangible Progress: While concepts often remain in the abstract realm of ideas, Medtracka has taken substantial steps towards implementation. We are actively developing a functional application that will provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and products to young women and adolescents, ensuring their sexual and reproductive health commodity security.

2. Operational Model: Medtracka's operational model further solidifies its prototype status. The utilization of a WhatsApp-based system for medication orders and collaborations with pharmacies and logistics companies demonstrates its practicality. Through this system, we have successfully reached over 5,000 young women, offering a discreet and efficient way to access essential healthcare products.

3. Online Presence: The existence of an Instagram page and a functional website serves as essential information hubs for young women. They not only learn about healthcare through these platforms but also place orders for medications through our websites and even book consultations with licensed doctors and pharmacists, bridging the gap between concept and realization.

4. Impact: Medvax Health has already left a positive mark on the community by our recognition as the first runner-up in the global "bechangemaker" competition. Prior to our global recognition, we have organized 10 sexual reproductive health programs in Edo State, Nigeria, reaching over 5,000 young girls, demonstrating our commitment to making a real difference. These initiatives include the distribution of sanitary products, contraceptives, and awareness campaigns aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination, providing tangible benefits to young girls in the region.

These are the links to our websites and social media pages: 

https://instagram.com/medvax_healthng?igshid=YTQwZjQ0NmI0OA==

https://instagram.com/tmiafrica_org?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==

https://medvaxhealth.com/

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Chioma Favour Uzoma

More About Your Solution

What makes your solution innovative?

Our solution stands out as we are leveraging a combined power of digital technology, sustainable business model and unique supply chain operations to revolutionize access.

Firstly, our underpinning cutting-edge technology, leverages Artificial Intelligence and real time data visibility into our reproductive healthcare supply chain, facilitating swift access to quality healthcare products even to the last mile.

With our web-based app and  AI-powered app, we are providing remote telemedicine and sexual health digital consultation services, by utilizing chat bots to interact with young females, just like a friendly customer service representative, answering questions and helping with sexual health concerns, in a discreet way, without fear of judgment or criticism. We also ensure human team members to take over such cases when there’s a particularly challenging question, hence, enabling a more personalized communication. We also offer patients video chats with health professionals to meet their specialized needs.

This gives our users direct access to information on their family planning questions, empowering them to ask sensitive questions and learn about method choices without leaving their homes, making it easier for people to begin using a family planning method and can save them a trip to a provider until they are ready to make a decision. 

We also directly connect consumers with family planning products, allowing them to browse brands and prices from their mobile phones or computers and, depending on the method, have them delivered directly and discreetly to their homes. This direct connection can help family planning users overcome stockout challenges, provider stigma, or geographic barriers that limit their choices. 

Relying on technology in this way brings down costs for the enterprises, eliminating the need for brick-and-mortar outlets and additional human resources. At the same time, it enhances the value proposition for customers, providing convenience and reducing transportation costs.

Secondly, our AI-driven data analytics can forecast sexual and reproductive health commodity needs, helping us maintain smart inventory, hence, avoiding stock outs of essential products on one hand and wastage of supplies from product expiry on the other hand. 


Hence, it is quite difficult for social enterprises to generate massive revenue for sustainability and growth from just providing family planning products and services. To crack this, we have expanded our product offerings the sales of other higher revenue health products such as prescription-only and refill medicines, over-the-counter medicines to cater for Children’s health, Geriatrics and wide range of health product categories.

Our aggressive social media marketing model has helped to increase our reach within the last one year by over 60% and product procurement process has been designed in a way that allows us eliminate the long queue of third party suppliers which inadvertently increases the cost of these products to the end user.


Notably, our product integrates a barcode scanning feature to help customers to authenticate their products using a barcode scanner in our app, by doing this, we seeks to reduce the risk of substandard and counterfeit medicines and products in Africa.

What are your impact goals for the next year and the next five years, and how will you achieve them?

Our next year impact goals include

1. Enhance Accessibility to SRH Commodities and Services: Our startup secured a seed grant from the Worldskills and HP foundation through the Bechangemaker competition, which supports tech-driven community change. With this funding, we aim to expand our reach and provide telemedicine and SRH products to 100,000 young women in Nigeria in the next year.

Strategies:

a. Launch the Medtracka app for easy access to 5,000+ affordable SRH products with doorstep delivery.
b. Strengthen partnerships with local healthcare providers in 5 cities and rural areas.
c. Improve inventory management using data analytics to prevent product shortages and streamline supply chains.

2. Reduce Stigmatization and Discrimination: Our mission is to reduce stigma and discrimination against young women (ages 15-29) seeking SRH services and products in Nigeria.

Strategies:

 a. Launch initiatives within the Medtracka app promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.

b. Collaborate with NGOs for community awareness and empowerment campaigns that address stereotypes and promote self-empowerment.

3. *Providing Accurate SRH Information and Anonymity:* Improve in-app educational resources so at least 80% of users find the information accurate and reliable.

Strategies:
 a. Enhance the app's educational content, ensuring it is comprehensive and up-to-date.

b. Implement features in the app that protect user privacy and offer confidential consultation services.

c. Establish online forums or chat support within the app for users to connect, share experiences, and seek information.

Our goals for the next five years and strategies for achieving them includes:

1. Expansion and Outreach: In the next five years, we aim to expand Medtracka's services to cover 500,000 young women in Nigeria and expand to 2 other Sub-Saharan African countries with similar socioeconomic contexts. 

Strategies:

a. We will achieve this by continuing to build partnerships with local pharmacies and healthcare facilities, expanding to more cities, rural communities in Nigeria and other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa 

b. We will Invest in marketing and outreach campaigns to raise awareness about Medtracka in new regions. 

c. We know that the Medtracka model might evolve differently in other countries. We will investigate regulatory requirements and potential challenges in the new target country and make necessary adaptations. 

2. Advocacy and Policy Change: Advocating for policy changes that support women's access to SRH commodities and services while reducing stigma and discrimination against women is one of our top priorities 

Strategies:

a. We will collaborate and build relationships with government officials and policymakers to influence decision-making in healthcare policies and regulations. 

b. We will also continue to engage in public awareness campaigns about the importance of sexual and reproductive health rights.
 
3. Sustainability and Scalability:

Our goal is to guarantee Medtracka's long-term viability and scalability.
   
Our strategies includes:

a. Securing additional funding or investments to support expansion and innovation.

b. Encourage a robust internal culture of creativity and flexibility to successfully negotiate the changing healthcare environment

Describe in simple terms how and why you expect your solution to have an impact on the problem.


Theory of Change for Medtracka, Nigeria's Amazon E-Pharmacy:

Activities:

1. App Development: we are developing the "Medtracka" mobile app with user-friendly features and interfaces to ensure ease of access to sexual reproductive health commodities and teleconsultations

2. Education and Information: we aim to create educational content within the app to inform young female adolescents about sexual and reproductive health.

3. Product catalog: We aim to establish a comprehensive product catalog that includes contraceptives, hygiene products, and other essential items.

4. AI-Powered Delivery: Implement an AI-powered last mile delivery system to optimize routes and schedules for discreet and efficient product delivery.

Short-Term Outcomes:

1. Increased Awareness: Young female adolescents gain access to accurate information about sexual and reproductive health, leading to increased awareness and knowledge.

2.Access to Products: Users can easily browse, order, and receive sexual and reproductive health products discreetly, ensuring privacy and access.

3. Reduced Stigma: By offering discreet delivery, Medtracka helps reduce the stigma associated with purchasing these products in traditional settings.

4. Improved Decision-Making: Empowerment through information leads to improved decision-making, enabling young women to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health.

5. Efficient Delivery: The AI-powered delivery system ensures timely and reliable access to products, reducing wait times.

Long-Term Outcomes:

1. Healthier Lives: With improved access to products and information, young women can take control of their sexual and reproductive health, leading to healthier lives.

2. Reduced Unintended Pregnancies: Informed choices about contraception lead to a reduction in unintended pregnancies.

3. Lower STI Rates: Increased access to protective products results in lower rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

4. Empowerment and Gender Equality: Young women are empowered to take charge of their lives, contributing to increased gender equality in society.

5. Community Benefits: A healthier and more informed population can result in reduced healthcare costs and societal benefits.

Supporting Evidence:*l
a. Third-party research shows that access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health information and products reduces risky behaviors among young women 

(Source: https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12978-020-00937-4).

b. Findings from similar e-pharmacy models in other countries shows that discreet delivery of SRH products improved self-confidence and informed decision-making among young women (Source: 

c. Research shows that interviews with the target population (women with the age range of 15-29 years) indicates a desire for more accessible sexual and reproductive health resources (Source: 

d. Evaluation studies on similar interventions in other countries have shown a decrease in unintended pregnancies and STIs (Source:

f. Research also shows that there is a reduction in demand for emergency contraceptive services for people using e-pharmacy models which indicates a positive shift in behavior (source:

In which countries do you currently operate?

  • Nigeria

In which countries will you be operating within the next year?

  • Nigeria
Your Team

What type of organization is your solution team?

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

How many people work on your solution team?

Full-time Staff: 5

How long have you been working on your solution?

1year

What is your approach to incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusivity into your work?


We are deeply committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our leadership team consists of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, including women leaders who are passionate about addressing the unique healthcare needs of young women in sub-Saharan Africa. We believe in creating a work environment that embraces diversity so as to create workplace harmony and as a result improve work outcome capability. We also believe that diversity in leadership is essential to understand and cater to the needs of our diverse user base.

Our team's goals for becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive are multifaceted. We are actively working on the following actions:

1. Hiring of Employees: We actively seek diverse talent to join our team. Having an inclusive and diverse environment allows more wider perspectives to be integrated when brainstorming, problem solving and developing new ideas that ensures that we have a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We will also be implementing blind recruitment practices and offering training on unconscious bias to eliminate barriers.

2. Embrace inclusivity in app development: The unique demands of young women in sub-Saharan Africa are the focus of our product's design. To guarantee that their opinions are heard and that their particular needs are satisfied, we actively involve them in the design and development process by performing user research through surveys, interviews, and observations to learn about their needs, preferences, and challenges in accessing sexual reproductive health commodities and services

3. Embrace Cultural Sensitivity: We are developing a workforce that is not only comprised of, but values, employees from different cultures. We are also committed to understanding and respecting the cultural and identity-based attributes of our users. Our content and services are tailored to be culturally sensitive and respectful. 

4. Ensuring Accessibility: We are striving to ensure equitable access to our services for all members of the community, including those with disabilities. Our app will be designed to be accessible and easy to use for a wide range of users guaranteeing that everyone who uses our product can perceive it, operate, comprehend it, and find it robust.

5. Eliminating inequalities in accessing Healthcare: We recognize that sexual and reproductive health disparities exist in sub-Saharan Africa. Medtracka actively works to address these disparities and provides education and resources to marginalized groups.

6. Ensuring Community Engagement: Inclusion is a top priority for us. We actively engage with the community, listen to their feedback, and adjust our services to meet their needs. We create environments where all members are welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

7. Getting Feedback: We have established feedback mechanisms within our app to allow users to report any issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This feedback is taken seriously, and we take prompt actions to address any concerns.

Your Business Model & Funding

What is your business model?

Our business model combines so many components to achieve our robust financial goals. We are first a B2C company, offering a diverse range of quality and safe sexual health products and services which range from consultation, education programs and drives especially among vulnerable populations in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Our revenue sources include: Sales of products, mobile app subscription, ads on website, data analytics insights provided to manufacturers and logistics fees for those who would prefer to order our products discreetly using our last mile delivery solution rather than pay a visit to a mortar and brick pharmacy.

Sales from these products both online and offline is done by applying various sales strategies within the company. 

By utilizing influencer marketing, social media marketing and sales funnels, we are ensuring that our sales team, meet our current daily sales target of 800$ which we hope to get to 2,000$ daily within the next 12months.

Also, our mobile app operates a subscription-based model, consisting of three major plans, Freemium, basic and premium, depending on the financial capacity of the customer.

FREEMIUM allows our customers with very little means    to afford a monthly subscription fee, to still enjoy some benefits of our platform. This plan allows them access to our community of women and young girls, providing them with a robust peer-to-peer community to learn, support and get answers to their burning questions. This online community is being managed by our community manager, Nurse Goldie, who is a registered Nurse and helps to direct the conversations on the platform to avoid misinformation.

Although, members who make use of this free subscription do not have access to personalized consultations with seasoned sexual and reproductive health doctors and experts, they are able to order an extensive range of over 5,000 essential sexual and reproductive health products. 

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Our final subscription model is the premium model, this allows users to have at least 8 personalized consultations with our experts including a 25% discount on delivery.

In coming months we hope to raise more revenue to expand into the B2B market, supplying products directly from manufacturers to other local pharmacies and community patent medicine shops situated especially within rural regions to improve access of these products.

Do you primarily provide products or services directly to individuals, to other organizations, or to the government?

Individual consumers or stakeholders (B2C)

What is your plan for becoming financially sustainable?

For financial sustainability for a business as ours, we have a created a strategic financial map to become financially sustainable to ensure consistent revenue in funding our work. Some of our key strategies which we have already been implementing since our launch includes, Booststrapping, crowdfunding, joining multiple accelerator and incubator programs, raising funds through gender-lens focused venture capitalists, selling our products through our online channels, referral programs and through affiliate marketing programs, partnerships with Government corporate organizations and companies to provide sexual and reproductive health services to members of vulnerable population.

Joining incubator and accelerator programs is one of our key strategies for achieving financial sustainability, we have been a part of a few of them and we recently emerged top 5 finalist globally at the Global Bechangemaker Social entrepreneurship competition in Dublin, Ireland. This came after an intensive competition round that saw us through 567 teams from 86 countries globally, eventually taking second place. This earned us the much-needed mentorship to help refine our business idea, the networking opportunity, an immersive learning experience and sees capital to launch our operations. 

Being a female-led business, we realized there are a number of funding opportunities currently available in a bid to close the funding gap between male-owned and female-owned companies, we are taking huge advantage of this opportunity.

We also work really hard to apply for grants, we recently won the Young Leadership Program grant from LEAP Africa to fund one of our initiatives. We search for granting bodies whose goals align with improving the access to sexual and reproductive health services and products amongst vulnerable populations in order to fund our work.

Our subscription models also help us to provide subscription-based services, we are looking at hitting a thousand subscribers by June next year.

Sales of our pharmaceutical products is a major revenue source, over-the-counter products, contraceptives, and our extensive range of sexual and reproductive health products. We hope to scale and expand our product offerings even more, in coming months.

We are also leveraging the need for data insights by pharmaceutical manufacturers and companies who require data for research and to inform their procurement decisions. Exchanging these data for fee is also a revenue source, enable accurate forecasting of product demand and supply.

Finally, we are optimizing our logistics operations and system for profitability, we are ensuring that our logistics bikes serve other businesses when not actively delivering orders to our customers. This way, we are able to maximize our revenue sources.

Above all, we proritize building a strong brand, strong and aggressive marketing channels and offering quality products and excellent service delivery. By regularly evaluating market trend, our products, receiving customers feedback and criticism, adjusting our strategies and engaging the philosophy of lean startup, which involves applying the most cost-effective approach for running daily business operations, we believe that without a doubt, our financial sustainability is sure.

Solution Team

 
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