Webinar: Unlocking Financial Pathways for Health Entrepreneurs: Accelerating Health Market Growth in Kenya

FHM ENGAGE WEBINAR

Unlocking Financial Pathways for Health Entrepreneurs: Accelerating Health Market Growth in Kenya

Thursday, September 5, 2024 | 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. EDT/ 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. EAT | Virtual

Click here to watch the recording

One of the most pressing challenges for health entrepreneurs in Kenya is a lack of access to adequate financing to support and scale reproductive and maternal health products and services. USAID’s Frontier Health Markets (FHM) Engage in collaboration with Strathmore University Business School, and SNDBX Capital is implementing activities to address barriers to financial access for private health businesses providing maternal health services in Kenya. The "Health Enterprise Financing Program" (HEFP) is designed to enhance eligibility for financing by addressing gaps in business planning, management, and knowledge on structuring business operations to de-risk lending, as well as building expertise in negotiating and securing debt and other forms of financing. Additionally, the Program features a "Village" Support Ecosystem that fills the gap in networks needed to support business growth. This community of health entrepreneurs fosters collaboration, provides access to experts, and creates new partnerships to enhance service delivery.

The webinar that took place on Thursday, September 5, 2024 provided a comprehensive look at how innovative financing models are driving health market growth and improving access to essential reproductive and maternal health services in Kenya. The HEFP is successfully supporting entrepreneurs to 1) fill gaps in business planning and management, 2) structure operations to reduce lending risks, and 3) build expertise in negotiating and securing debt and other forms of financing. Business growth is further fostered through a collaborative network of health entrepreneurs, experts, and new partnerships. Panelists, health entrepreneurs that participated in HEFP this past year, shared that after going through the program, they received expressions of interest from local banks and equity investors, totaling over $2 million in potential funding. 

Click here to watch the webinar recording.

Moderator and Presenters: 

• Dana Tilson, FHM Engage Project Director, moderator
• Judy Mboya, FHM Engage Advisor, Private Sector Development
• Prof. Francis (Frank) Wafula, Associate Professor, Strathmore University Business School
• Dr. Rowena Njeri, Program Lead, Strathmore University Business School
• Mr. Wohoro Ndohho, CEO, SNDBX Capital

Strathmore University Business School (SBS), one of FHM Engage’s network implementing partners (NIPs), is a leading institution in Kenya with a strong reputation for training healthcare managers through its academic and executive programs at its Institute of Healthcare Management. SBS has partnered with SNDBX Capital, a one-stop shop for entrepreneur growth solutions.

Questions? Please reach out to FHM Engage, fhm-engage@fhm-engage.org

Banner photo: A traditional midwife who collaborates with the community health worker to bring pregnant women to deliver in hospitals, goes for a home visit, Bungoma, Kenya. 2016. Photo Credit: Allan Gichigi/MCSP