Future Health and Bridge for Billions Launch Initiative to Nurture Health Entrepreneurship Across Emerging Markets
A transformative collaboration between Abu Dhabi's Future Health initiative and Bridge for Billions will establish a comprehensive programme to identify, support and scale promising healthcare ventures across Africa and Asia, creating pathways for locally developed solutions to reach broader populations.
Future Health, A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi, and Bridge for Billions have announced the launch of an entrepreneurship programme designed to strengthen and advance promising health ventures across emerging markets. The initiative represents a significant commitment to addressing systemic barriers that constrain healthcare entrepreneurs, combining structured capacity building with access to specialist expertise, professional networks, and direct connections to health systems.
The programme unfolds across three carefully structured phases. The first phase will identify approximately 50 entrepreneurs across Africa and Asia who have progressed beyond the conceptual stage but remain positioned to benefit substantially from coordinated support. Participating ventures will be assessed against rigorous criteria encompassing solution quality, organisational maturity, scalability potential, market responsiveness, and alignment with critical health priorities.
The second phase delivers a bespoke online curriculum addressing navigating regulatory frameworks, integrating with health systems, validating business models, and attaining investor readiness. A selected cohort will subsequently progress to an acceleration phase based in Abu Dhabi, where entrepreneurs will engage directly with the emirate’s regulatory authorities, healthcare providers, research institutions and investment community. This residency programme is deliberately designed to cultivate enduring relationships within Abu Dhabi’s health innovation ecosystem rather than providing temporary support.
Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, emphasised the programme’s significance: “Entrepreneurs with a profound understanding of the communities they serve develop solutions grounded in genuine health needs, local realities, and affordability considerations. Access to appropriate expertise, networks and investment can transform that potential into meaningful, lasting impact.” She noted that the collaboration creates reciprocal benefits, enabling Abu Dhabi to engage with promising health innovation emerging from diverse global markets whilst supporting knowledge exchange and strengthening international connections.
Pablo Santaeufemia, Chief Executive Officer of Bridge for Billions, highlighted the vital role of entrepreneur support organisations in emerging markets. “These organisations understand local regulatory environments, health systems and the communities where ventures operate,” he stated. “Through this partnership with Future Health, we seek to furnish founders and their supporting organisations with the tools, networks and visibility necessary to shape the trajectory of global health innovation, particularly across the Global South.”
The initiative responds to a pressing reality within emerging markets. Whilst these regions encompass substantial health needs and considerable entrepreneurial capacity, many promising ventures struggle to secure capital, obtain specialist guidance, and establish health-system connections essential for expansion. Simultaneously, entrepreneurs deeply rooted in their communities possess intimate understanding of local health needs, affordability constraints, and the practical realities of delivering care. Strengthening these ventures creates potential for wider community benefits, with each healthcare-sector position in low-income countries estimated to generate approximately 3.4 additional positions across related industries.
The programme constitutes an integral component of Future Health’s broader year-round endeavour to establish practical pathways enabling global health innovation to develop, scale, and reach communities in need. Further details concerning applications, eligibility criteria and programme specifics will be released subsequently.
Source: WAM