HIP
DEV CHALLENGE
Meet the participants turning health insights and early-stage ideas into practical products, digital solutions, and stronger ventures.
Follow The Challenge
What is the HIP Dev Challenge?
Where health ideas become work you can see.
HIP is a mentor-guided development programme—not a pitch contest or a classroom exercise. Participants investigate real needs, build practical responses, test their assumptions, and prepare a credible next step.
impact
One shared journey
From insight to action
Every cohort moves through the same four-part rhythm, adapted to its own starting point and goals.
Discover
Find the need and understand who it affects.
Create
Shape the product, platform, or venture priority.
Test
Gather feedback and refine what works.
Move forward
Prepare a launch, pilot, partnership, or growth milestone.
Meet the 2026 participants
Choose a cohort to explore
Three groups are developing different kinds of health innovation. Select a pathway to meet its participants and see the work taking shape.
01 Product Development Cohort Physical health and wellness products with real market potential.
This cohort is creating physical health and wellness products with real market potential.
Participants are moving from customer insight to prototypes, testing, positioning, and commercialization planning.
The goal is not simply to present a product concept. By the end of the challenge, participants should have a validated MVP, clearer customer and market positioning, evidence from real-world feedback, and a practical pathway toward production, launch, and sales.
What participants will work toward:
- A practical roadmap for entering and growing in the market
- A clearly defined customer and health-related problem
- A tested product concept and minimum viable product
- Customer, user, and stakeholder feedback
- Brand, value proposition, and market positioning
- Production, pricing, distribution, and launch planning
02 Digital Health Innovation Cohort Digital tools, platforms, and enabled services that improve care.
The Digital Health Innovation Cohort is for participants implementing a digital innovation that improves how healthcare is delivered, managed, governed, or experienced.
A digital innovation does not have to be a new mobile app or software platform. It may include a digitally enabled service, governance system, clinical or administrative workflow, diagnostic process, decision-support tool, data system, communication model, or another solution that uses technology to improve health outcomes or operational performance.
Participants focus on moving from an innovation idea to practical implementation, examining the users, workflows, systems, risks, infrastructure, and organizational conditions required for the solution to work in a real environment.
What participants will work toward:
- Success measures and an implementation roadmap
- A clearly defined health-system or service-delivery challenge
- A practical digital innovation and implementation use case
- User journeys, workflows, and stakeholder requirements
- Testing with intended users or implementation partners
- Data, privacy, governance, accessibility, and adoption planning
03 Accelerated Mentorship Cohort Existing ventures moving through a specific barrier.
This cohort brings together existing ventures and teams ready to move through a specific barrier.
Instead of beginning with early-stage idea development, participants receive focused mentorship around the most important barriers, decisions, and opportunities facing their existing work — commercialization, operations, product refinement, implementation, partnerships, market access, funding readiness, governance, or growth.
What participants will work toward:
- A focused and accountable action plan for the next stage
- A clear assessment of their current venture or initiative
- Identification of priority barriers and growth opportunities
- Targeted guidance from relevant mentors and specialists
- Stronger operational, commercial, or implementation systems
- Partnership, funding, market-access, or scaling preparation
Journey Updates
See what participants are doing now
★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You identified that Phelo, a 19-year-old matric candidate from a disadvantaged family, needs secure menstrual products she can afford because cheaper pads are insecure while expensive ones cause…
Read the full reflection by Oyintando Bobi
★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You've identified that Thandi, a 34-year-old mother in Delft, needs a better way to find trusted, affordable wellness solutions to manage her stress naturally because exhaustion from work…
Read the full reflection by Anelisa Liwani
★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because I want to explore marketing opportunities in African healthcare systems by creating customized, culturally relevant materials that help people understand healthcare products and make informed health choices. Through this…
Read the full reflection by JOHN MUNENE
★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You identified that Nomsa needs access to an affordable, natural skincare product gentle on her sensitive skin because many natural options are expensive or difficult to find while…
Read the full reflection by Lindokuhle Mudzipuri
★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You need a better way to help Mr. Johannes Mokoena keep his cattle healthy during winter when limited grazing forces hay feeding and increases foreign material ingestion, because…
Read the full reflection by Tsholofelo Mokoena
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You began your journey into skincare in 2017 when you saw firsthand how a skin-related problem affected someone close to you, and that experience opened your eyes to how many people struggle…
Read the full reflection by Desire Diafouana
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are drawn to this work because you'll be bringing about change in your community and making hope visible. This matters to you personally. Behind it lies your conviction that skills development…
Read the full reflection by Philisiwe Mcanda
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are driven by the belief that your project will change people's lives through something easily accessed. What pulls you forward is the chance to help people suffering with skin conditions to…
Read the full reflection by Veronica Baleni
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are driven by seeing too many people—especially teenagers and those with sensitive skin—struggle with harsh, reactive products and conditions like dry scalp or hairline loss. You want to build a culture…
Read the full reflection by Nozama Gege
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are driven by the desire to help people grow their hair and fight dandruff while restoring their natural hair. This matters to you personally because you see an opportunity to serve…
Read the full reflection by Nobukho Mbalane
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You know that your time shall come, and before you die, you want to make the world a better place. It's not about what you take with you once you're gone—it's about…
Read the full reflection by Jackson Njonde
★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because I want to solve real-world problems by creating practical and sustainable solutions that improve people's lives, and I recognized I need to strengthen my innovative thinking to identify opportunities…
Read the full reflection by Tshidi Mmotong
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You have seen firsthand, through your work as a public health professional, how preventable diseases continue to affect children because of missed immunizations, delayed follow-up, and gaps in health information. During your…
Read the full reflection by ALEX LANGAT
★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You have seen firsthand as a pharmacist how slow antibiotic decision-making in Kenyan hospitals directly worsens both antimicrobial resistance and patient outcomes. This observation drives what you are doing: you want to…
Read the full reflection by Linus Moreka
★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because I want to participate in innovation and creating products and services that help people, rather than staying only in the classroom. Through this Charter exercise, I recognized that I…
Read the full reflection by Lillian Mwinja
★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because proper planning, development, and coaching from experienced entrepreneurs will guide me to make informed first moves in the health entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through this exercise, I recognized that I tend…
Read the full reflection by EKISA AMBUCHI KENNEDYNothing here yet. Reflections are what participants write in their own words, between assignments.
★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You identified that Phelo, a 19-year-old matric candidate from a disadvantaged family, needs secure menstrual products she can afford because cheaper pads are insecure while expensive ones cause…
Read the full reflection by Oyintando Bobi★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You've identified that Thandi, a 34-year-old mother in Delft, needs a better way to find trusted, affordable wellness solutions to manage her stress naturally because exhaustion from work…
Read the full reflection by Anelisa Liwani★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because I want to explore marketing opportunities in African healthcare systems by creating customized, culturally relevant materials that help people understand healthcare products and make informed health choices. Through this…
Read the full reflection by JOHN MUNENE★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You identified that Nomsa needs access to an affordable, natural skincare product gentle on her sensitive skin because many natural options are expensive or difficult to find while…
Read the full reflection by Lindokuhle Mudzipuri★ People, Roles and Capability Plan
Your Person and Their Unmet Need You need a better way to help Mr. Johannes Mokoena keep his cattle healthy during winter when limited grazing forces hay feeding and increases foreign material ingestion, because…
Read the full reflection by Tsholofelo Mokoena★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You began your journey into skincare in 2017 when you saw firsthand how a skin-related problem affected someone close to you, and that experience opened your eyes to how many people struggle…
Read the full reflection by Desire Diafouana★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are drawn to this work because you'll be bringing about change in your community and making hope visible. This matters to you personally. Behind it lies your conviction that skills development…
Read the full reflection by Philisiwe Mcanda★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are driven by the belief that your project will change people's lives through something easily accessed. What pulls you forward is the chance to help people suffering with skin conditions to…
Read the full reflection by Veronica Baleni★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are driven by seeing too many people—especially teenagers and those with sensitive skin—struggle with harsh, reactive products and conditions like dry scalp or hairline loss. You want to build a culture…
Read the full reflection by Nozama Gege★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You are driven by the desire to help people grow their hair and fight dandruff while restoring their natural hair. This matters to you personally because you see an opportunity to serve…
Read the full reflection by Nobukho Mbalane★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You know that your time shall come, and before you die, you want to make the world a better place. It's not about what you take with you once you're gone—it's about…
Read the full reflection by Jackson Njonde★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because I want to solve real-world problems by creating practical and sustainable solutions that improve people's lives, and I recognized I need to strengthen my innovative thinking to identify opportunities…
Read the full reflection by Tshidi Mmotong★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You have seen firsthand, through your work as a public health professional, how preventable diseases continue to affect children because of missed immunizations, delayed follow-up, and gaps in health information. During your…
Read the full reflection by ALEX LANGAT★ Project Foundation and Boundaries
Your Why You have seen firsthand as a pharmacist how slow antibiotic decision-making in Kenyan hospitals directly worsens both antimicrobial resistance and patient outcomes. This observation drives what you are doing: you want to…
Read the full reflection by Linus Moreka★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because I want to participate in innovation and creating products and services that help people, rather than staying only in the classroom. Through this Charter exercise, I recognized that I…
Read the full reflection by Lillian Mwinja★ Purpose, Mindset and Personal Charter
I joined HIP Dev because proper planning, development, and coaching from experienced entrepreneurs will guide me to make informed first moves in the health entrepreneurship ecosystem. Through this exercise, I recognized that I tend…
Read the full reflection by EKISA AMBUCHI KENNEDYECOSYSTEM
Supported by a real development network
The HIP Challenge connects learners, innovators, educators, manufacturers, ecosystem builders, and commercialization partners into one practical product-development pathway.
Supported by Communities of Africa, FOI Science, SOMO, and aligned ecosystem collaborators helping bridge learning, innovation, product development, validation, and market access.
Journey notifications
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