Folake Owodunni, the co-founder and CEO of Emergency Response Africa, has a mission: to make healthcare accessible for everyone in Africa. Her startup, which provides emergency medical services using technology and a network of healthcare professionals, has been shortlisted for the Aurora Tech Award 2024, a prestigious recognition for women founders who are challenging gender inequality in IT.
An idea that transforms lives
Owodunni, who has experience in both business administration and public health, founded Emergency Response Africa as a result of seeing how inadequate emergency care was in Nigeria. She came to the realisation that if there was a method to link individuals in need of immediate medical care with facilities and qualified responders, many lives may be saved.
Together with Sifax, her co-founder and a software developer, she developed a platform that uses cloud computing, smart phones, and GPS to deliver emergency medical care quickly and effectively. The app gives users the option to call for an ambulance, a first responder, or a telemedicine consultation. It also lists the closest clinics and hospitals.
In order to prepare local healthcare professionals—such as nurses, midwives, and community health workers—to act as first responders and offer pre-hospital care, Emergency Response Africa also trains and equips them. The startup gives them the ability to use their expertise and abilities to save lives in their communities by doing this.
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An international acknowledgment
Out of 649 applicants, 20 firms were chosen for the Aurora Tech Award 2024. The programme is being run by inDrive, a worldwide mobility and urban services platform based in the US. Emergency Response Africa is one of the shortlisted startups. The goal of the award is to encourage female entrepreneurs who are combating gender imbalance in IT and leveraging technology to improve their communities.
The 15 countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America represented by the nominated businesses are involved in a variety of industries, including healthcare, education, energy, and social impact. They will fight for admission to the driver mentorship programme, which links them with professionals and investors from the global tech ecosystem, as well as three cash awards of $30,000, $20,000, and $10,000.
The International Women’s Day celebration on March 8, 2024, will coincide with the announcement of the winners in an online event. Anyone can register to watch the ceremony live online at auroratechaward.com.
“We are thrilled to showcase the amazing work of these women founders, who are not only creating innovative solutions for their communities, but also inspiring other women and girls to pursue their dreams in IT,” stated Ekaterina Smirnova, executive director of the Aurora Tech Award. Our method of recognising their accomplishments and encouraging their development is the Aurora Tech Award.
An outlook on the future
Being one of the Aurora Tech Award finalists, Owodunni expressed her gratitude and humility and expressed her hope that her startup will encourage other women to pursue careers in technology and have a positive social effect. In addition, she declared that she has ambitious intentions for Emergency Response Africa, which is presently based in Lagos, the biggest metropolis in Nigeria.
“Our objective is to eventually extend our services to other African nations as well as other states in Nigeria. Our goal is to reach as many people as we can and ensure that everyone, regardless of background, income, or location, has access to healthcare. We think technology may be an effective instrument to help us accomplish that,” she stated.
The US-based mobility and urban services platform inDrive is the organiser of the Aurora Tech Award 2024, a worldwide honour given to female founders of tech enterprises. The goal of the prize is to encourage female entrepreneurs who are combating gender disparity in IT and utilising technology to improve their communities.
On January 24, 2024, the selection of 20 startups—which represents a range of industries and geographical areas—was revealed. Other startups that made the shortlist for the prize include:
The first solar-powered hearing aid was created by deaf people for those with hearing loss in underdeveloped nations, and Sarah Molema of Botswana launched Deaftronics (Pty) Ltd.
Huna, headed by Brazilian Daniella Castro, is dedicated to creating state-of-the-art AI models for the early identification of chronic illnesses in women.
Joselyne Del Rosario, an Ecuadorian, founded DREx, a company that is creating a platform that avoids E.S.G. greenwashing tactics and uses traceability and transparency as a fundamental technology.
Asia’s urban pet parents use Fluv, a pet care marketplace founded by Taiwanese Candace Chen.
Co-founded by Russian Nadejda Anpilogova, Your Accessible Guide is an ecosystem of inclusive digital goods created to promote accessible travel for individuals with special needs and disabilities.
AuroraTechAward.com has the complete list of finalists and further information about their startups. The International Women’s Day celebration on March 8, 2024, will coincide with the announcement of the winners in an online event. On the same website, you can sign up to view the ceremony.