South African’s Healthtech Zoie Health Secures Expansion Fund
Zoie Health, a South African Healthtech company, has successfully raised a pre-seed expansion fund with the leadership of 4DX Ventures. Notably, impact investor E Squared Investments was also involved in this funding round. Zoie Health aims to expand Africa's pioneering digital women's health clinic by broadening its product range and entering new countries.
According to Roche, women make 90% of healthcare decisions, however, there is a lack of affordable, high-quality, integrated services for working-class young women, pregnant women, and mothers. In light of this, Zoie Health made the strategic decision to concentrate its services specifically on women.
Addressing Unmet Healthcare Needs for Women
The Healthtech platform offers a holistic approach to women's health services. It has a community of members and specialists dedicated to providing comprehensive care for women's well-being. Zoie Health provides virtual and at-home consultations, medication subscriptions, and a supportive community for women's healthcare needs.
Zoie Health's cost-effective digital solution currently supports over 5,000 members, achieving an impressive 80% subscriber retention rate. By capitalizing on network effects, relatability, and a sense of belonging, the platform has attracted 50 healthcare practitioners. With an additional 300 in the pipeline, Zoie Health has achieved an outstanding consumer satisfaction score of 9.78 out of 10.
Thato Schermer, Zoie Health’s co-founder and CEO, said, “We believe that our offering has great potential to scale, and we will be looking to expand to other African emerging markets in the SADC region, and Kenya and Nigeria.”
Comprehensive Women's Health Services
Zoie Health offers virtual and at-home consultations, medication subscriptions, and health intervention services like pap smears, pregnancy tests, contraceptives, and fertility support. The platform also includes a chatbot, pre- and post-natal care, family care, and community support groups, catering to women's wellness.
“There was never a doubt that founder, Thato Schermer (nee Mabudusha), a 2015 Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Fellow, would go on to build an impactful business, like Zoie Health. Thato won the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation’s ‘Most Entrepreneurial Fellow Award’ twice – in 2012 and 2013 – and came in as runner-up in 2014,” says Sipho Pilime, Search and Pipeline Head at E Squared.
“Not only is the founding team extremely experienced in this field, but what is greatly significant is that the Zoie Health team is 100% black woman-led. This formidable team is building a high-impact tech solution that we believe will be a tremendous addition to our portfolio of companies from a values alignment and returns standpoint. The deal is an extension of E Squared’s initial funding and entrepreneurial support through the E Squared Pathways facility,” says Gladwyn Leeuw, E Squared’s Chief Investment Officer.
Leeuw adds, “Through this deal, we hope to back digital innovation in women’s health care and put quality affordable health care in the hands of working-class women. We believe that the digital component will make traditionally hard-to-reach services more accessible and provide a viable alternative to those that cannot afford to miss work or stand for hours in long queues at government clinics or who find accessing private sector healthcare prohibitively expensive.”
Meet the Zoie Health’s Experts
Thato is deeply passionate about advancing healthcare in both South Africa and the broader continent. Driven by her commitment she embarked on research to identify unmet health needs. Thato's journey started in 2015 at McKinsey, exploring modern approaches to improve health outcomes in Africa.
This deep interest subsequently guided her career path, leading her to key roles in her place of work. She was appointed Chief of Staff to the CEO of Life Healthcare (Global) and Discovery Vitality as well as the Global Strategy and Business Development Lead.
In 2019, Thato sought support from E Squared for her startup idea. During the initial discussions with E Squared, Thato's entrepreneurial journey for personal growth and development began. However, she was later presented with a compelling opportunity to join Uber SA as a Territory Manager.
Consequently, she was unable to join E Squared's full-time accelerator initially. Nonetheless, she later participated in a variation of the E Squared acceleration program called Pathways in 2020. Pathways offers tailored support to founders of start-up ventures associated with Allan Gray. The program accommodated their need to earn alternative income while validating and refining their business ventures.
Thato has received recognition from the Mail & Guardian as a Top 200 Young South Africa, Inspiring Fifty as a top 50 women in STEM. She was also recognized by AWIEF (Africa Women Innovation & Entrepreneurship Forum) as a top technology entrepreneur finalist.
Drawing from her expertise in management consulting and healthcare technology, as well as her passion for women empowerment, Thato, together with co-founder Dr Nonhlanhla Sitole, established Zoie Health Technologies. Dr Sitole, who holds a PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology, serves as the Chief Clinical Officer within the company. She brings valuable clinical insights to their endeavors.
The Zoie Health team is strengthened by the inclusion of Florah Chuene, their Lead Engineer and Dr Nono Simelela. Dr. Nono is the World Health Organisation's Special Advisor to the Director General on Strategic Programmatic Priorities. This exceptional all-female leadership team shares a profound commitment to Zoie Health's vision. As they possess extensive knowledge of the challenges at hand, as well as valuable clinical and technical expertise.