Multinational consumer goods company, Reckitt, has announced the public launch of its non-profit Women in Innovation Fund (WiNFUND) NFT Africa collection.

According to a press release, Reckitt described the collection as a group of unique digital artworks that will create a community of innovators, investors, and supporters to champion the next generation of African women tackling some of the continent’s biggest health challenges.

The collection will help fund WiNFUND’s activities through sales of the unique pieces of digital art created by Rwandan artist, Christella Bijou. The NFT collection will be made available with the support of technology partner, Tokenproof, a Mark Cuban Web3 firm that specializes in token-gating solutions that enable users to prove ownership of NFTs and crypto tokens without connecting or carrying their digital wallet.

As such, WiNFUND NFT holders will gain access to invite-only events on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will be invited to join a mentorship scheme to directly support the successful women entrepreneurs, the press release indicates.

“WiNFUND is an innovative model that will help entrepreneurs grow by building an engaged, global community that will provide business support and financing through the sale of unique NFTs.” – Patricia O’Hayer, Global Head of External Affairs for Reckitt and co-founder of WiNFUND

The WinFund NFT collection is a product of Women in Innovation (WiNFUND) which has been established by Reckitt and the Health Innovation and Investment Exchange (HIEx) in partnership with the Kofi Annan Foundation and the Eco Bank Foundation.

The fund aims to tackle two major areas of inequality namely that:

• Half the world, or 1 in 2 people, lack access to essential healthcare; and
• Secondly, women receive less than 2% of venture capital funding globally despite evidence that their ventures generate stronger returns

According to Reckitt, the fund aims to unlock the potential of women entrepreneurs to address both of these gaps.

WiNFUND will make direct investments in women entrepreneurs who are already implementing locally-driven solutions to address some of the most pressing health challenges on the African continent.

Congratulations to the 16 finalists for WiNFUND support!

Join us in celebrating the unstoppable women entrepreneurs paving the way in healthcare innovation. Stay tuned to hear more exciting updates. #HealthInnovation #WiNFUND pic.twitter.com/l6wnQSbrBa

— winfund (@winfundNFT) March 9, 2023

WiNFUND said it received more than 300 applications from women entrepreneurs in seven African countries including Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, and unveiled a 16-woman shortlist in March 2023.

The list includes:

• Cape Bio Pharms
• Ambulex
• PinkDrive NPC
• TruthShare
• MikedCares Limited
• Chil Ai Lab
• Famasi Africa
• Kisumu Medical and Educational Trust
• MamaOpe Medicals
• Novo Health Africa
• Peleyta Health
• Hospice Africa Uganda
• Ufasiri Halisi SLI Innovations Limited
• Safari Doctors
• Alma Clinics
• Kosmotive

Business support will be given to all shortlisted applicants to help them scale while a select few will receive direct funding from WiNFUND.