Healthtracka, Nigerian Startup Secures $1.5 Million to Scale Medical Diagnostics

According to a statement provided to TechCabal today, Healthtracka, a Nigerian firm that provides simple at-home lab tests, has acquired $1.5 million in pre-seed funding.

Venture capitalists Ingressive Capital and Hustle Fund are leading this round, which also includes angel investors Alunmi Angels Alliance and Flying Doctors.

After taking part in the Techstars Toronto accelerator program from October 2021 to January 2022, Healthtracka received this round of investment.

Ifeoluwa Dare-Johnson and Victor Amusan founded Healthtracka in Lagos in May 2021. Through the website, users may schedule tests, have samples collected at their homes, and receive findings through email.

Phlebotomists from Healthtracka’s partner medical laboratories—3 of which are currently available: vCare Diagnostics, Lancet Laboratories, and Afriglobal Medicare—go to patients’ homes to collect samples, analyze the samples, and deliver results within two days.

Despite having a background in biochemistry and prior experience working in a lab, Dare-Johnson was aware of the value of routine medical diagnostics but hadn’t considered developing a diagnostic tool until her fit and healthy-appearing father suddenly slumped and began pleading for his life.

She became interested in the healthcare system in Africa as a result and learned that many Africans go undetected and have unidentified pre-existing diseases.

This is made worse by a failing healthcare system that is struggling with a lack of infrastructure and a staffing crisis, all of which make it difficult for people to receive healthcare on the continent.

Dare-position Johnson’s as marketing lead at SynLab, a global medical diagnostic company, served as another source of inspiration for Healthtracka because it helped her realize the value of offering medical testing in a streamlined and approachable way for improved healthcare outcomes. This is so that patients are compelled to undergo a lab test in a hospital after all doctor consultations, including those conducted virtually. Since they account for 70% of clinical decision-making, these tests are crucial. However, there is a problem with this diagnostics need.

Upon consultation, many patients express reluctance to leave their homes and travel to the hospital to have these crucial tests due to the inconvenience.

Amusan, a co-founder of Dare-Johnson, comes from a family of physicians who have direct knowledge of the harmful impacts of late diagnosis. As a result, how Healthtracka approaches this late diagnoses problem has been influenced.

According to Dare-Johnson, telemedicine platforms used to exclusively provide consultation services and direct patients to hospitals for diagnostic procedures. Using the Healthtracka API, they can now arrange lab tests for the patient.

Customers can book lab tests on the Healthtracka website, including COVID and full blood count testing as well as fertility and STD tests. After clients obtain their results, Healthtracka also provides expert consultation.

According to Dare-Johnson, the pandemic was essential to Healthtracka’s expansion because it was at this time that the company began providing COVID-19 tests. People needed the reassurance that they could get healthcare safely and remotely during that stressful period, she told TechCabal.

The fact that they protect customers from the social stigma associated with undergoing hospital tests, such as those for sexually transmitted illnesses, according to Dare-Johnson, is another reason why their clients utilize them (STD).

With a network of 700 phlebotomists spread throughout 7 Nigerian cities—Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Benin, Kaduna, Ilorin, and Ibadan—Healthtracka presently offers 50 different medical tests that have been performed 7,000 times on 5,000 individuals at home.

Ifeoluwa is intelligent and ravenous. Maya Horgan Famodu, the founder of Ingressive Capital, released a statement. “Not only did we anonymously use Healthtracka’s services in diligence and have a 10/10 experience, but we also truly recognized what this could become across the continent, even from just interacting with her team for tests,” she said. The product is of great quality, delivered on time, is reasonably priced, and opens the door to a healthier Africa.

Healthtracka’s growth goals, which include launching new product features and extending its at-home lab testing services into Kenya and Ghana in the near future, will also be fueled by the money. It also plans to broaden its selection by introducing an API that would enable at-home lab testing from telemedicine services and conventional healthcare professionals.

“We have realized that the infrastructure deficiency problem is the same, particularly in the nations we are expanding to. We are certain that we can address this issue in other markets as well because of our expertise providing diagnostics in Nigeria, she told TechCabal. To make lab testing as simple as ordering a clothing online, we are transforming culture. I believe that we can scale this up in Africa, particularly where it is most needed.