What Investors Look for in a Health Startup Pitch: No Come Dey Talk Story Like Village Meeting

You see am for LinkedIn:
“Excited to pitch our revolutionary AI-powered blockchain health app to investors today!”

But three months later, silence louder than generator blackout during NEPA wahala. What happened? My dear, investors no dey impressed by sweet mouth and fine slides alone.

Let’s talk real. If you dey plan to pitch your health startup — whether to angel investors, VCs, or that uncle wey just come back from Canada — you must show sense, structure, and seriousness.

This post na your friendly, brutally honest guide to what investors really dey look for in African health tech startups.

1. Clarity of the Problem — No Be Time for Parables

Investors hate when you start your pitch like you’re telling moonlight stories:
“In Africa, people are dying every day. Health is wealth. My grandfather once told me...”

Oga, talk straight.

Define the exact problem. Who dey suffer am? How bad e be? How many people? Back it with data.

🛠 Tools:

• World Health Organization Africa Data

• Demographic and Health Surveys

• Data Africa

💡 Example:

“Over 3.2 million women in Kenya miss antenatal appointments annually due to transportation and information barriers (Kenya DHS, 2022).”

2. Your Solution — No Be Magic Wand, Make E Practical

Some founders pitch like this:
“We built an AI, IoT, metaverse-integrated chatbot to solve malaria.”

Investor go just blink and ask, “Why?”

Explain your solution in plain English (or pidgin sef). Show how it actually works on ground, not just in pitch decks. If your grandma no go understand the solution, rewrite am.

3. Traction — Show Say the Thing Dey Move, No Be Pure Theory

As dem dey talk: “Na the leg wey dey waka investor go follow.”

No traction = no trust. Investors want to see:

• Number of users

• Pilot results

• Revenue (even small one dey sweet)

• Testimonials from real users

👉 Even if na 100 users wey dey use your WhatsApp prototype, talk am!

4. Market Size — Make the Wahala Big Enough to Enter

If you dey solve problem for only your compound or one clinic in Sokoto, investor go pass.

Use this formula:

Big enough market + Growing demand + Lack of good competition = Sweet pitch

🛠 Tools:

• Statista Health Data

• Salient Advisory – digital health innovation reports in Africa

• Google Trends – check demand and search interest

5. Team — No Be Family & Friends Only

Investor no wan hear say:

CEO – Me
CTO – My cousin
CFO – My girlfriend who studied Economics in 100 level

They want to know you’ve got a competent, hungry, and experienced team. Even if you’re still building team, show you know what kind of people you need.

💡 Bonus: Get an advisory board, even if na one respected health worker wey believe in your dream.

6. Business Model — How You Wan Take Chop?

You fit dey save lives, but investor dey ask:

“How una wan make money?”

Freemium? B2B to hospitals? NGO contracts? Ministry procurement? Show the plan like say you dey sell akara and you sabi your customers.

Investor no go fund guessing games.

🛠 Tools:

• Lean Canvas Template

• Business Model Navigator

7. Impact — Yes, We Want to Hear the Feel-Good Part Too

After all the numbers, bring it back home. Why does this matter?

African investors especially dey like social impact stories. If your app dey help rural women access care, or reduce fake drug circulation, highlight am.

But abeg, no cry during pitch like Nollywood film. Balance passion with professionalism.

8. Ask — Don’t Just Say “Funding Needed” Like Church Donation

Be specific:

“We’re raising $200,000 to pilot our maternal care app in three counties in Kenya over 12 months.”

Break down how you go spend the money. Is it for hiring, tech, marketing or regulatory compliance? Make investor trust you no go use am buy Toyota Harrier.

Final Word: Investor No Be Father Christmas

The investor no dey find who to dash money. Them dey look for people wey go turn Naira to plenty Naira and still create real change.

So the next time you pitch, remember:

“Even monkey dey scratch body before e climb tree — prepare yourself before you go ask for millions.”

References

LeanStack. (2024). Lean canvas for startups. https://leanstack.com/

Salient Advisory. (2023). Digital health innovations in Africa. https://salientadvisory.com/

Statista. (2024). Health and medtech market insights. https://www.statista.com/

World Health Organization Africa. (2023). Health data and statistics. https://www.afro.who.int/data

Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). (2022). Kenya DHS 2022. https://dhsprogram.com/