Journey to Scale - The Beginnings of Villgro Africa (Episode 2)

Описание: Welcome back to Investments for Impact!

This season, Scaling for Impact: 10 Years of Villgro Africa, we’re celebrating a decade of building Africa’s health innovation ecosystem.

In this episode, we explore the key moment when Villgro Africa truly started to take shape. It all began with one connection—Ken Simiyu, then at Grand Challenges Canada and now with USAID, who introduced our three founders: Wilfred Njagi, Robert Karanja, and Rob Beyer.

Joining us are two key figures in Villgro Africa’s journey:
🔹 Dr. Robert Karanja – Co-founder & Chief Innovation Officer, Villgro Africa
🔹 Dr. Ken Simiyu – A driving force behind Villgro Africa’s origins

We’ll dive into:
✅ What health innovation in Africa looked like a decade ago
✅ The critical gaps between academic research and commercialization
✅ Why an incubator like Villgro Africa was needed
✅ How the ecosystem has evolved over the past 10 years

Have we successfully bridged the gap between research and the market? What’s next for Africa’s health innovation landscape?

(Please note that this podcast was recorded before significant changes occurred within the U.S. government, including at USAID.)

Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights on impact investing and health innovation!

00:45 - Introduction of Dr. Ken Simiyu
01:10 - Introduction of Dr. Robert Karanja
2:21 - When did Ken first encounter Villgro India?
6:24 - How is it that Robert happened to join Villgro Africa?
15:30 - Zooming out to look at the health system context, how does the idea of Villgro Africa respond to that context?
26:13 - What would Robert say were some of the early signals that communicated that Villgro Africa was on the right track and speaking to the ecosystem?
32:47 - How has the health innovation landscape evolved in the past 10 years?
35:24 - How difficult was it to convince investors to bring in their private capital in this fledgling space?
42:22 - How is Africa’s demand for health innovation evolving? How does this innovation ecosystem need to change?
50:22 - Reflections on Ken's story and the unique role he has played in the health innovation ecosystem.
54:00 - Final remarks

#VillgroAfrica #ImpactInvesting #HealthInnovation #Startups #ScalingForImpact