Kenya’s health-tech startup Zendawa has been recognized as the 2025 KPMG East Africa Private Enterprise Tech Innovator Winner, emerging as the top venture among ten notable startups reshaping technology across the region. The Nakuru-based company impressed judges with its innovative digital platform that improves access to healthcare services by connecting patients, pharmacies, and medical practitioners. By leveraging machine learning, Zendawa matches medicine orders to the nearest available pharmacy and facilitates last-mile delivery, ensuring patients receive both prescription and non-prescription drugs efficiently. Its success has earned the startup a place in the Global Tech Innovator 2025 finals, where it will compete against winners from 21 countries.
Zendawa’s platform extends beyond medicine delivery to support telemedicine and digital appointment management, enabling healthcare providers to consult with patients remotely and manage in-person visits seamlessly. The system also allows for secure, consented sharing of medical records, giving doctors a comprehensive understanding of patient history and improving clinical decision-making through AI-powered analysis. Additionally, the platform supports pharmacies by tracking sales, managing inventory, and generating AI-based credit scores to facilitate access to working capital, addressing financial constraints and empowering small and medium-sized pharmacies to expand their reach.
The recognition of Zendawa highlights Kenya’s growing role in East Africa’s innovation ecosystem, demonstrating how homegrown startups are solving local challenges while competing globally. The KPMG East Africa Private Enterprise Tech Innovator competition also acknowledged other impactful ventures, including Ndovu, a digital investment platform, and Zerobionic, a disability-led AI and robotics company. Zendawa’s achievements exemplify how technology can make healthcare more accessible, efficient, and human-centered, offering a model for integrating innovation with social impact across the continent.