Helium Health, a Nigerian healthtech startup, has secured a ₦3.4 billion ($2.5 million) grant from Google.org, tech big Google’s philanthropic arm, to deploy synthetic intelligence (AI) instruments that assist determine being pregnant dangers and enhance maternal healthcare supply in Nigeria.
The funding will assist the rollout of HeliumMum, the corporate’s maternal well being initiative that goals to attain 1.9 million pregnant ladies over three years. The programme will start in Lagos, the operational base for the initiative, earlier than increasing to Delta, Kano, and Oyo states.
Nigeria contributes nearly 10% of global maternal deaths, and Helium Health hopes its AI-powered intervention will assist tackle this burden by figuring out being pregnant problems earlier and connecting ladies to acceptable care, and contribute to a 30% discount in maternal mortality.
“For the past decade, Helium Health has been building the technology and partnerships needed to improve healthcare delivery across Africa,” Dimeji Sofowora, Helium Health’s chief govt officer, stated in an announcement. “Through our maternal health initiatives, we’ve already reached over 3.5 million women, and Google.org’s support gives us an opportunity to build on that foundation, scale what works, and reach even more women with quality maternal healthcare.”
The grant comes three months after Adegoke Olubusi, Helium Health’s co-founder and CEO, stepped down after practically a decade, handing management to Sofowora, one other co-founder who assumed the place in August. The management change adopted the departure of one other co-founder, Tito Ovia, in 2022, leaving Sofowora because the final of the unique founding crew actively concerned in main the enterprise.
Helium Health was the one Nigerian organisation chosen amongst 15 recipients of Google.org’s $30 million Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation, introduced in September 2026. The problem helps organisations working with governments to use AI to enhance public companies, together with healthcare.
The funding will finance the deployment of AI-powered medical decision-support instruments inside major maternal healthcare companies. Through HeliumMum, the corporate needs to assist group well being staff determine potential being pregnant problems earlier and join expectant moms to acceptable healthcare suppliers. The system will mix AI-driven danger detection with digital medical data and medical decision-support instruments utilized by healthcare suppliers.
Helium Health says it has already reached greater than 3.5 million ladies by its maternal well being initiatives. With Google.org funding, it needs to attain one other 1.9 million. The firm may also obtain technical assist from Google engineers and AI product specialists by a devoted Google.org Accelerator.
“AI holds incredible potential to transform public services, but there is often a gap between promise and practice,” stated Maggie Johnson, Global Head of Google.org. “By equipping the 15 selected organisations with funding and pro bono support from Google’s own AI experts, we are empowering the people closest to the problem to show what is truly possible. Together, we can ensure that AI makes a profound, positive difference in the everyday lives of communities worldwide.”
Founded in 2014 by Olubusi, Sofowora, and Ovia, Helium Health began by constructing digital medical data and hospital administration software program to assist healthcare suppliers digitise affected person data. Over time, the corporate expanded and commenced providing instruments for medical data, billing, follow administration, and healthcare financing. In June 2023, Helium Health raised $30 million in a Series B funding spherical led by AXA IM Alts, bringing its disclosed funding on the time to about $40 million.
The grant additionally comes as Nigerian healthtech firms face a tougher fundraising surroundings. According to TechCabal Insights’ State of Healthtech in Nigeria 2026 report, funding into the sector peaked at practically $55 million in 2023 earlier than falling to roughly $18 million in 2024 and $3 million in 2025. The decline is tied to the excessive prices of constructing healthcare infrastructure and sluggish adoption of digital instruments.
Google.org’s grant will assist Helium Health lengthen its work past digitising healthcare services and into the supply of AI-powered public well being companies. It might additionally deliver the corporate’s know-how nearer to major healthcare centres and group well being staff who could not have the medical assist wanted to determine high-risk pregnancies early and guarantee ladies obtain well timed care.
“Ultimately, we want to ensure that no woman loses her life simply because she didn’t know she was at risk or couldn’t access the care she needed,” Dr Shona Oluwatola, Head of Public Health at Helium Health, added.
