The accelerator program will equip startups from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico with networks and funding to address critical healthcare challenges
Mexico City (October 10, 2024) – Village Capital, with funding from Johnson & Johnson Foundation, announces the launch of the Innovations in Health Equity LatAm accelerator program. This initiative will support ten startups focused on improving healthcare access and quality in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. The program seeks innovative solutions in medical devices, logistics and medical services, managed healthcare, health coaching and wellness, and biopharma, targeting historically marginalized, underserved, and low- and middle-income communities and those living outside urban centers and in settings where health services are limited in Latin America.
Despite efforts to improve healthcare quality and access across Latin America, the healthcare sector in the region faces a range of challenges. In many countries, health investments remain below the levels recommended by the Pan American Health Organization for optimal care. This shortfall can impact the quality of healthcare services, leading to geographic disparities and economic barriers for patients.
To bridge these gaps, it is crucial to equip healthcare workers to connect directly with communities and integrate them into the healthcare system. Latin America has the potential to make substantial progress by leveraging innovative solutions, fostering collaboration between public and private sectors, and prioritizing investment in healthcare infrastructure.
This accelerator program will provide the selected startups with mentorship, financial analysis, media exposure, and networking opportunities, continued learning and financial support to address these gaps and enhance regional healthcare delivery.
Applications are open until December 6, 2024. Full details and eligibility criteria can be found here.
From February to April 2025, the selected startups will meet for three online workshops. The curriculum is focused on helping them develop the networks and tools they need to scale their impact and uplift their communities. They will work closely with industry experts, investors, and ecosystem partners and will work with an investment analyst who will coach them 1:1 on building a financial model, identifying unit economics, and using financial metrics to drive both the business and investor diligence.
Three startups from the cohort will be selected by their peers to receive grants of up to USD 50K from Johnson & Johnson Foundation to further scale their solutions. All startups that apply to the program will be invited to join Abaca, Village Capital’s free web app. Abaca includes Capital Explorer, which equips entrepreneurs to make strategic fundraising decisions that align with their mission and vision and identify relevant resources and capital providers. Abaca also helps entrepreneurs on a venture path to assess their investment readiness using a consistent set of Venture Investment Levels (1-9) and then plan and track progress toward their next level with the Milestone Planner.
For more information, reach out to Yireth Villaverde at Village Capital (yireth.villaverde@vilcap.com).
About Village Capital
Village Capital is reinventing the system to back the entrepreneurs of the future. Known for its groundbreaking approaches to supporting founders who are building solutions to emergent social, economic, and environmental challenges, VilCap unlocks critical social and financial capital for early-stage companies to maximize business and impact growth.
