This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
On June 16, 2020, amidst the Coronavirus Pandemic, French multinational pharmaceutical Sanofi announced the winners of the VivaTech 2020 Global Challenge. The challenge was held online after the cancellation of the 2020 edition of VivaTech in Paris, France.
Kenya's MamaPrime and Uganda's Teheca were selected as winners in the AfricaTech challenges, securing partnership opportunities with Sanofi to realize their projects and innovations in their local markets.
Five start-ups were announced winners in the final of the Sanofi AfricaTech challenges, the African lab of Viva Technology. The winners were selected from a pool of 11 start-ups who pitched at the finals of the challenge.
Sanofi received a total of 268 applications from 34 countries across the continent. The selection process was based on five criteria: project maturity, early results, the relevance of their solution, market potential, and business model, as well as the skills and expertise of their team.
"The objective of this initiative is to continue Sanofi's commitment in encouraging innovation in the African continent to create a health ecosystem that is at the service of the patient," Sanofi said in a statement.
"Sanofi would like to thank all participants, who work daily to improve healthcare in Africa through technological innovations and the opportunities offered by digital technology," added the statement.
