African Startups Can Apply Now to 2026 Villgro Africa Eye Health Innovation Accelerator
Innovative startups from the region of Sub-Saharan Africa which are engaged in the development of vision care, the creation of diagnostic tools, or the introduction of eye-health technologies have the chance to apply for the 2026 Villgro Africa Eye Health Innovation Accelerator.
This initiative is aimed at providing support to those solutions which can be scaled up and contribute to the improvement of eye-care challenges in low- and middle-income countries.
First of all, the applicants should be a legally registered entity in a Sub-Saharan country, and the founders need to be living there. Besides that, the ventures that qualify to apply should be those that provide tech-enabled solutions for eye screening, diagnosis, treatment, or care, and they should be able to show meager traction through, e.g., some partnerships, pilots or revenue. In addition, pure research projects or donor-dependent ideas will not be taken into consideration.
Furthermore, the accelerator extends a lot of advantages to the participants. Apart from the seed grant ranging from $100,000 to $250,000 (plus a possible next round of funding), the recipients can enjoy the guidance of a panel of experts drawn from ophthalmology and digital health, the support of a market access team formed of hospitals and NGOs, and also participation in-person intensive and peer-learning sessions.
As a result, they will have a better business model and investment readiness and a greater number of avenues to grow in other LMIC markets, thus potentially increasing the provision of affordable and quality eye health care throughout the African continent.