Meet the 10 startups participating in the SASBI Africa Residency Program

10.01.2022 13:15, Isabelle Mitchell

Ten Swiss startups— transforming the mobile health, sustainability, and finance sectors—will participate in the SASBI Africa Residency Program. The program allows entrepreneurs to spend time in an African Lioness State of their choice to boost their know-how and advance growth opportunities on the second-largest continent.

In the first half of 2022, the 10 Swiss entrepreneurs will travel to one of the African Lioness States of Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, or South Africa. The startups can stay in these innovation hubs for up to three weeks and benefit from business contacts with local partners, such as Swiss embassies, innovation offices at local universities, or AfriLabs innovation hubs. 

The SASBI Africa Residency Program, led by the University of Basel, aims to boost entrepreneurial knowledge and give international exposure to university graduates in Africa. The program is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation.



Learn more about the 10 startups: 
anavo medical develops cutting-edge nanotechnology to cure seromas, the fluid-filled cavities that can develop after surgeries. Especially cancer surgeries and tissue reconstructions carry high seroma risks, which can delay cancer therapy or cause additional surgeries. anovo’s solution provides relief to patients by making seromas resorb using an injection of nanoparticles.

The “breathe” ventilator combines high-quality design and a modern standard of care for transport ventilators at an affordable price. Its intuitive design and robustness to harsh environmental conditions enable doctors to use it with confidence in any circumstances. As most low- and middle-income countries have limited access to transport ventilators, there is a great potential to bring transport ventilators to new users and replace the obsolete devices currently in use. 

Diaxxo has developed a fast, affordable, and accurate point-of-care polymerase chain reaction device that diagnoses several diseases with a simple sample-to-result approach and without the need for a cold chain. Family doctors and medical centers will benefit from the immediate diagnosis of viral and bacterial diseases, such as sexually transmitted infections.

ennos is a spin-off from BFH Biel that develops two surface solar water pump models for smallholder farmers. ennos offers various digital solutions for dealers and users and is developing a course on solar-powered water pumps for training centers in Africa. 

Gaia Technologies develops de-centralized treatment and valorization of agricultural side-streams to high-value products (ingredients for cosmetics, food, nutraceuticals). The startup’s solution also ensures full circularity (biogas, soil health, biochar) and a fair economic return for the primary sector.

Hatusha connects supply and demand across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East for agricultural machinery and goods. The startup’s main value proposition is price transparency and trust, enabling emerging markets to manufacture their goods and become more independent through their local economies.

Perovskia Solar provides digitally printed customizable solar cells to original equipment manufacturers. The solar cells are tailored to seamlessly integrate into electronic devices, IoT, and sensors. Perovskia’s versatile technology offers breakthrough performance at disruptive costs, and the solar cells operate efficiently even in low light conditions like homes and offices. 

PneumoScope develops an AI-powered electronic stethoscope to standardize, automate and improve the diagnosis of respiratory disease. The startup targets private individuals for home-based telemedicine consultation in Europe and Africa. The humanitarian business model also seeks to provide cost-price models to the public health sector and NGOs in resource-limited settings.

Testmate Health develops a pregnancy-style self-test, which for the first time, will provide users with an option for direct at-home self-testing with immediate results. Testmate Health enables prompt detection of the four common STDs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, and mycoplasma genitalium). The test kit is compatible with a smartphone that scans the results and guides the user towards appropriate follow-up if necessary.

Wildlife-Box develops an AI-based bioacoustic monitoring device that can be leased to detect lions and hyenas in real-time. The technology provides data for rangers and tourism organizations and helps minimize wildlife-human conflicts, including livestock. The market potential coincides with the lion (20,000) and hyena population (50,000).