LifeBank Launches Blood Deliveries via Drones, Wins $250,000 at the First Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative
Nigeria-based health tech startup, LifeBank has launched blood deliveries and sample pickups via drones.
According to the startup, the first drone flight took off in Ethiopia with support from the Ethiopian Government and The Drones Doing Good Alliance (DDG).
“The first drone flight took off in Ethiopia with support from the Ethiopian Government’s Information Network Security Agency (INSA) and The Drones Doing Good Alliance (DDG).”
Statement by LifeBank
Launched in 2015, LifeBank is a startup that specialises in the use of technology and logistics to deliver blood, blood components and oxygen where ever they are needed. The startup, in addition to bikes and boats, has now added drone delivery to its service.
With the drone launch, LifeBank is the first African-led company to execute BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) flights for healthcare logistics.
Also, LifeBank was the biggest winner among 10 African startups that won a total of $1 million at the grand finale of first Africa Netpreneur Prize Initiative (ANPI) in Accra, yesterday.
The start-up was awarded the sum of $250,000 to facilitate its business and its founder and CEO, Temi Giwa-Tubosun, was bestowed with the Jack Ma African Business Hero Award.
Speaking to CNN about the prize won, Giwa-Tubosun said the Africa Netpreneur Prize will give LifeBank the resources to expand its presence in Nigeria and throughout Africa
“The Africa Netpreneur Prize will give me the resources to grow LifeBank and expand our presence in Nigeria and throughout the rest of Africa. I look forward to continuing my journey to solve problems and make a significant impact on the future of Africa.”
Temi Giwa-Tubosun, founder and CEO of LifeBank
Lifebank, wasn’t the only Nigerian startup that won. Thrive Agric, DrugStoc and Black Swan Tech Ltd were among the seven runners-up that shared $500,000.
Other winners include first runner-up, Nawah Scientific, a private research centre in Egypt that received $150,000; second runner-up, Water Access Rwanda which was awarded $100,000; and others like Afrikrea.com from Ivory Coast, J-Palm Liberia, Mumm from Egypt, and Uzuri K&Y from Rwanda which shared part of the remaining $500,000.
With LifeBank’s recent prize award and the fund won from the Johnson&Johnson Innovation Challenge, worth about $50,000 in September, the health tech startup is financially poised to continue saving lives through technology.
