Salient Advisory Celebrates Five Years Driving Over $20 Million in Catalytic Healthtech Funding Across Africa

Leading consultancy Salient Advisory marks five years of accelerating the growth and impact of healthtech innovation across Africa. Through strategic partnerships, market insights, and transformative programmes, Salient has facilitated over $20 million in catalytic funding to startups, enhancing access to life-saving medicines and healthcare services on the continent.

Since its launch in 2020, Salient Advisory has strengthened African healthcare systems by supporting local innovators, including Figorr, Zuri Health, Chefaa, MYDAWA and others, alongside local governments such as Nigeria’s Presidential Value Chain Initiative and Lagos State, industry players like MSD and Cencora, and global health bodies, including the Gates Foundation and The Global Fund. Founded on the belief that African-led solutions are essential to solving systemic healthcare challenges, Salient has become a trusted partner for both global and local health actors working to improve health systems.

Salient has been instrumental in promoting risk-tolerant, grant-based funding through its Investing in Innovation programme. Launched in 2022 and supported by partners including the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, Chemonics, MSD and Cencora, the programme accounted for 38% of all grant funding to African healthtech startups in 2023, helping these ventures validate their models, scale sustainably, and attract long-term investment.

Over five years, Salient Advisory has:

• Tracked over 1,000 African health-focused innovators

• Catalysed more than $20 million in revenue and risk-tolerant funding to promising African enterprises, connecting them with healthcare customers across public and private sectors

• Supported 15 governments and regulators, more than 65 startups, and facilitated over 630 bespoke meetings between startups and customers

• Produced 26 detailed reports on the African healthtech ecosystem, reaching tens of thousands of industry professionals

Reflecting on this milestone, Salient Founder Mara Hansen Staples said: “We founded Salient because we identified a gap — a disconnect between promising African innovations and the capital, visibility and systems needed to scale impact. Five years on, interest in sustainable, locally-driven, digitally-enabled healthcare approaches has never been higher. We look forward to sharing how technology continues to transform healthcare across Africa.”

Looking ahead, Salient Advisory plans to:

• Deepen advisory support for governments, manufacturers and distributors in policy, regulation and digitalisation

• Expand its Access to Markets events to connect more innovators, provider systems, payors, insurers, manufacturers, distributors, regulators, governments and investors for effective collaboration

• Continue highlighting the global impact of African innovation

• Address complex healthcare challenges and promote equity in access

Salient’s next chapter will focus on proximity to the challenges it aims to solve, partnership with change-makers, and ensuring health innovations reach those who need them most. The firm urges governments, global health organisations and development partners to increase investment in African-led innovation. Building equitable, resilient health systems depends on scaling proven local solutions, a goal that requires sustained funding, strategic collaboration and a shared commitment to inclusive market growth.