Abu Dhabi:Future Health, a global initiative by Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with Bridge for Billions, is set to launch a new entrepreneurship programme aimed at strengthening health ventures in emerging markets. This programme is designed to help locally-developed solutions reach a broader audience by addressing barriers faced by entrepreneurs and providing access to expertise, networks, and health systems connections.
According to Wam, the programme will initially focus on selecting around 50 entrepreneurs from Africa and Asia who are beyond the initial idea stage but still in need of structured support. These ventures will be evaluated based on quality, maturity, scalability, market needs, and alignment with health priorities.
The programme's second phase will offer a tailored online curriculum covering regulatory navigation, health-system integration, business-model validation, and investor readiness. A smaller group of participants will then be chosen for an acceleration phase in Abu Dhabi, enabling them to engage with the emirate's healthcare ecosystem, including regulators, providers, and investors.
Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi, emphasized the importance of entrepreneurs understanding the communities they serve, and how access to the right resources can turn potential into lasting impact. The collaboration with Bridge for Billions aims to enhance the impact of these entrepreneurs at home and facilitate the expansion of their solutions.
The programme is designed not only to support entrepreneurs but also to strengthen Abu Dhabi's connections to global health innovation. It seeks to create lasting ecosystem relationships and facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration with emerging markets.
Pablo Santaeufemia, CEO of Bridge for Billions, highlighted the role of entrepreneur support organizations in backing health founders and emphasized the need to strengthen these organizations to scale health entrepreneurship.
The initiative comes at a crucial time as emerging markets face challenges in accessing capital and resources necessary for growth. The programme is part of Future Health's ongoing efforts to foster global health innovation and provide practical pathways for development and scaling.
Details regarding applications, eligibility, and further programme specifics will be announced in due course.
Source Wam