Villgro Africa Eye Health Innovation Accelerator 2026 – YOA

Deadline: January 14, 2026

Applications are open for the Villgro Africa Eye Health Innovation Accelerator 2026. The Eye Health Innovation Accelerator is a Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) program geared toward supporting firms which might be growing scalable, reasonably priced, and excessive-influence improvements within the eye well being house. The Accelerator supplies technical help, catalytic capital, and deep market entry to assist startups validate options, strengthen enterprise fashions, and scale throughout LMICs.

Implemented by Villgro Africa and in partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation, this accelerator focuses on figuring out promising ventures with sturdy potential for market match, sustainable development, and well being influence, strengthening funding readiness for lengthy-time period development.

Program Focus

The Eye Health Innovation Accelerator will assist excessive-influence ventures delivering know-how-enabled options that broaden entry to screening, prognosis, remedy, and administration of all eye circumstances throughout LMICs.

Focus areas embody:

• AI-pushed options and instruments for eye well being
• Community-level screening units and moveable diagnostics
• Digital eye-care platforms, teleophthalmology, and distant screening
• Data administration, EHR programs, and workflow instruments for eye care
• Affordable or tech-enabled assistive applied sciences
• Tech-enabled brick-and-click on fashions for major and specialised eye care

Benefits

• Participation in this system centered on development, market entry, and funding readiness
• Technical help from main eye-well being and digital well being specialists
• Eligibility for catalytic seed funding of between $100k to $250k, with the potential for observe-on funding
• Access to associate and co-investor networks for potential funding
• In-person bootcamp and peer-studying periods
• Mentorship from clinicians, technologists, and well being system specialists
• Support to navigate authorities engagement and public well being pathways
• Connections to hospitals, NGOs, analysis establishments, and referral networks

Eligibility

The Accelerator seeks African startups with validated options and demonstrated traction. Applicants ought to:

• Be legally registered in a Sub-Saharan African nation
• Have a founder or senior chief who’s a resident of an African nation
• Offer a confirmed, tech-enabled eye-well being answer addressing main imaginative and prescient challenges
• Demonstrate adoption, partnerships, and early income
• Shows clear potential for scale throughout LMIC markets
• Align with accountable innovation ideas, knowledge safety necessities, and public well being priorities

Selection Criteria

• Impact and outcomes: Demonstrated proof of improved entry, high quality, or affordability
• Technical high quality: Strong innovation aligned with eye-well being wants
• Traction: Demonstrated adoption, income, or lively pilots
• Scalability: Clear potential to duplicate in LMIC markets
• Team capability: Strong management and operational readiness
• Investment readiness: Ability to soak up catalytic capital and develop sustainably
• Health system alignment: Fit with nationwide eye-well being priorities

Application

Applicants should submit:

• An organization pitch deck
• A 2-minute video demo or founder pitch (non-compulsory)
• Completed on-line application type
• Additional paperwork upon request throughout screening

Click here to apply

For extra info, go to Villgro Africa Eye Health Innovation Accelerator.