Participated · Equity · Jul 2023

Wavely Diagnostics builds a smartphone-based diagnostic app that turns a phone into an acoustic tool to detect fluid in a child’s ear, enabling data-driven virtual pediatric ear infection care. The process is non-invasive, requires no additional hardware or special training, and is designed to give parents and providers reliable answers from home. The platform completed a phase I pilot and is currently in a phase II pilot with a leading U.S. health system. Wavely plans a broad public app store launch in late 2023 and intends to expand its diagnostics to enable nearly 70% of acute pediatric visits to shift to virtual care. Financially, the company has secured investor and grant funding totaling $6.35M to date, including a $1.8M Phase II SBIR grant for remote diagnostics awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. The company is currently offering the app to healthcare systems for pilots while preparing for wide-scale commercialization. Wavely Diagnostics is building smartphone-based digital diagnostics that turn a phone plus a paper funnel into a non-invasive acoustic tool for pediatric assessment, starting with ear infections. Its first product helps parents determine signs of possible ear infection and connects families to virtual physicians who can prescribe treatment. The app is designed to be user-friendly and requires no special hardware beyond a simple paper funnel. Wavely intends to expand the telehealth-integrated platform to offer additional virtual pediatric care solutions beyond ear infections. The company is preparing a commercial launch in spring 2022 and aims first at parents and at-home consumers, then at healthcare partners. Financially, Wavely has raised seed capital and received non-dilutive grant funding to advance product development.

Participated · Seed · Jun 2023

Kubik uses proprietary technology to upcycle plastic waste into low‑carbon, durable, and affordable interlocking building materials such as bricks, columns, beams, and jambs. The company operates a factory in Addis Ababa and currently recycles 5,000 kilograms of plastic per day, with a capacity of 45,000 kilograms per day. Its materials have passed safety tests by Intertek covering strength, toxicity, and flammability. Kubik says its products allow wall construction without cement, aggregates, or steel and can reduce costs by at least 40% per square meter. The startup has partnerships with corporates and the Addis Ababa municipality for a regular supply of plastic feedstock and is exploring near‑term product diversification into pavers and flooring. Kubik plans to out‑license its technology to scale across Africa from 2025 and eventually pursue global growth; it was co‑founded by Kidus Asfaw and Penda Marre in 2021. Kubik upcycles hard-to-recycle plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) into interlocking building materials such as bricks, columns, beams and jambs that enable wall construction without cement, aggregates, or steel. Its products are engineered to match the strength of cement-based walls while costing at least 40% less per square meter and producing at least five times lower greenhouse gas emissions. The company reports removing 45,000 kg of plastic waste from landfills every day and says its Ethiopia plant can produce over a quarter million square meters of wall surface annually — enough for up to 10,000 affordable homes per year. Kubik plans to scale production at its Ethiopia facility later this year and then expand to other African countries, building on operations in Kenya and Ethiopia. The startup emphasizes affordable, low-carbon housing solutions and has received recognition including Startup of the Year at the 2023 Global Startup Awards and being named the leading climate tech startup in Africa at VivaTech.