Helium Health Evolved From Just Providing Electronic Health Records To Becoming One Of Africa’s Most Innovative Digital Health Startups

Tolu, I’m dead serious; Helium Health is the next big thing in health tech in Africa!

I was chatting with my roommate the other day about how health tech isn’t as crowded as fintech—yet.

We were discussing a major breakthrough, and Helium Health stood out as one of the few trailblazers in this space.

It’s wild to think they started as a basic electronic medical records (EMR) system and have now blown up into a full-on digital healthcare sub-ecosystem in Africa.

They’re mixing finance, data, and tech to shake up healthcare across Africa.

Who knows, maybe soon we’ll see healthcare access in the Web3 world. Crazy, right?

But here’s the thing: health tech needs to hustle to catch up.

Fintech’s been stealing the spotlight with its fast cash and big investments, while health tech slowly comes behind; I mean, it’s understandable because of the delicate nature of health tech—legal complexities, culture, etc. Still, the tide’s turning! We’ve heard tons of global reports, and investors are hyping health tech as the next game-changer thanks to changing culture, improved global tech infrastructure and a growing understanding of how to handle health data better legally.

The Origin Of Helium Health

Let’s rewind a bit: our very own Achalugo, Helium Health, was born out of a messy but harsh truth: Africa’s healthcare system was barely hanging on with its outdated, broken record-keeping and frail administration processes.

The founders, Adegoke Olubusi, Tito Ovia, and Dimeji Sofowora, saw firsthand how this chaos affected patient care in Nigeria and beyond, and of course, they weren’t having it! 

So, in 2016, they kicked off Helium Health to transform medical records into electronic records and streamline hospital operations. 

Well, their goal is to ensure they modernize everything while providing healthcare providers and patients with data-driven tools.

These three came from different worlds but bonded over their frustration with rural hospital struggles. That shared bond and their exceptional experience pushed them to greatness. 

They started with HeliumOS, their biggest and original innovation, which began with electronic medical records (EMRs).

It started with EMRs, digitizing healthcare records, billing, and better patient care.

But they didn’t stop there! After using HeliumOs over the years, they spotted financing troubles in healthcare and launched HeliumCredit in 2020.

It’s a loan lifeline for hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, and diagnostic centres to get equipment, medications, or even grow startups.

Then, they went abroad, blending fintech with health tech.

With Helium Wallet, a slick payment solution for health organizations and patients, transactions are now as smooth as ever.

 To keep this dream afloat, they recently secured a $30 million Series B round, with big names like Capria Ventures, Angaza Capital, Anne Wojcicki, Global Ventures, and Tencent jumping in. 

Now, a story as great as this must have had its hurdles; it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

The biggest was Africa’s infrastructure.

Africa had an underdeveloped market, but the founders got creative and built innovative solutions that worked. 

Securing funding was another beast, as scaling up meant serious cash.

They leaned on smart partnerships and proved their ideas could change lives, slowly pulling in major investors for more products and expansion.

Today, Helium Health is a testimony to the fact that a bold vision and non-stop grit can transform Africa’s healthcare game.

They’re not just playing. They are setting the bar high for digital health innovation in Africa.

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