Egyptian health tech Almouneer raises $3.6M to scale its platform for treating diabetes and obesity
Obesity and prediabetes are major health concerns in Africa and the Middle East, affecting more than 40% of the population. In Egypt, 20% of adults have diabetes; the figure in Saudi Arabia is 30%. In Nigeria, one in 17 adults has diabetes. The issue of prediabetes and obesity is even more widespread. Yet, it’s essential to recognize that these health challenges are largely preventable through lifestyle management and monitoring.
The significance of Almouneer, an Egyptian health tech company, in this context, cannot be overstated. The platform, on a mission to revolutionize healthcare for individuals grappling with diabetes and obesity, has secured $3.6 million in funding.
Dubai-based Global Ventures led the seed round. Other international investors, including Proparco and Digital Africa via the Bridge Fund, Wrightwood Investments — the family office of Diane & Henry Engelhardt from the U.K. and other prominent international funds participated. Almouneer has disclosed that the funds raised will be primarily allocated to support the development and expansion of DRU, which it characterizes as the “first patient-centric, digitally-enabled lifestyle and diabetes management platform in the Middle East and Africa.” The platform plays a critical role in diabetes, prediabetes and obesity prevention and management by connecting patients with doctors and an extensive network of healthcare providers through its app.
Co-founder and CEO Noha Khater shared with TechCrunch that the seed investment will assist in attracting top talent to join Almouneer. Also, it is exploring potential product expansion into neighboring markets across Africa and the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Nigeria and Kenya are top of mind for the healthcare company next year.