National Health Incubator (NHI) is a first of its kind healthcare focused incubation programme designed to enable the development, deployment, and commercialization of select innovative and technology-driven solutions. It is run by Accelerate Prosperity (AP), a global initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) in partnership with Aga Khan University (AKU).
Accelerate Prosperity is a global initiative of the Aga Khan Development Network in Central and South Asia which offers creative financial solutions and pre and post investment technical assistance to help start and grow innovative startups and small and growing businesses.
The Aga Khan University is a pioneering institution of higher education that works to improve quality of life in the developing world and beyond. The University operates programmes in campuses in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Kingdom, and treats more than 2 million patients annually at 7 hospitals across more than 350 medical centres globally.
The NHI 2022 Demo Day took place on December 1, 2022 at Aga Khan University, Karachi with the on-ground support and facilitation of Critical Creative Innovative Thinking (CCIT) Forum – a unique innovation and incubation hub at AKU. A total of 19 health tech startups pitched their businesses at the Demo Day to get one-on-one feedback and secure financing from AP and external investors. The event provided an opportunity for AKU and AKDN leadership, entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem partners to network, exchange industry knowledge, and build market linkages. The partnership between AP and AKU has been vital to the success of NHI and aims to fuel much-needed innovation in the entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem in Pakistan.
The incubated entrepreneurs went through months of rigorous one-on-one tailored business advisory and training to refine their business and financial models and were prepared to secure investment on the Demo Day. Entrepreneurs were also provided one-on-one mentoring sessions with leading sector experts to help them better understand industry dynamics and depth.
Incubated businesses represented tele-health, mental health, wellness and lifestyle transformation, and health-tech subsectors within the broader healthcare sector. Leading investors and ecosystem partners from Sarmayacar, I2I Ventures, Indus Valley Capital, TPL eVentures, Rayn, Neem, Insitor Partners, AlphaBetaCore amongst others were present at the event. The innovative and impactful business pitches kept the investors thoroughly engaged.
Nadeem Shaikh, Founder at Neem - An Embedded Finance Platform - said “It’s impressive each time I come to pitch days and get to witness the sheer amount of talent, innovative ideas aspiring, and new entrepreneurs are thinking about and the scale at which they’re thinking about is amazing.”
Dr. Carl Amrhein, Provost & Vice President, Academic at Aga Khan University said “We feel that fostering partnerships such as NHI will pave the way for the changing the entrepreneurial landscape in Pakistan. I commend the entire NHI team who worked so hard with entrepreneurs to get them investment ready and prepared for the Demo Day.”
Rohma Labeeb, Country Director at Accelerate Prosperity Pakistan said, “Over 60% of healthcare spend in Pakistan is by the private sector, which opens unlimited opportunities for businesses to come at the forefront to bring in efficiencies, quality and scale.”
