HEALTH MADE ACCESSIBLE
A new business model to increase access to innovation in health
Focused on developing new products for neglected health issues
Traditional company models are currently not sufficient in addressing global access challenges for underserved communities.
The predominant central lab model for diagnostics is not optimal for the global south applications.
Expanding diagnostics tests that are accessible and affordable have become key in addressing recent pandemic needs.
Where do we fit among these models?
GAH's model, as a capped-profit, social enterprise, combines the best of both of these models. It means that we invest in financially sustainable companies but our primary goal is impact. All profits generated are re-invested back in our mission to increase access to innovation in health.
Our vision is to expand access to affordable, high quality diagnostics and medical solutions to underserved communities in the Global South, through decentralized research, development, and manufacturing.
Our focus will be on expanding community access beyond the clinical care setting, starting with diagnostics but eventually moving into other adjacencies (e.g., portable devices, digital solutions).
Our Approach
GAH is a unique membership organisation, where investors become stakeholders in a social enterprise. This means we do not have shareholders or other investors who are looking for a commercial return or a possible exit in a defined time horizon.
The members are committed to making investments in great organisations that can bring innovations for neglected health challenges to market in a sustainable and equitable manner. Learn more about our first portfolio company,
Global Access Diagnostics or learn more about how to
partner with us
Equitable access to high quality and affordable diagnostics and medicine for all.
Lessons from COVID 19
Our challenge : Preventing tomorrow's diseases now !
One of the big lessons from COVID was the lack of manufacturing capacity and incentives to supply low- and middle-income countries with key pandemic countermeasure tools, including diagnostics. Most manufacturing capacity was reserved for high income countries, and prices quoted to LMICs were often prohibitively high. Diagnostics efforts were driven by the needs and markets in high income countries.
At GAH, we are developing a different model, one that remains focused on scientific excellence and sustainability, but that is focused on ensuring access to tools for those countries and people who need them most. How do we do this?
First, we invest in financially sustainable life science and other businesses but shield them from the drive to maximize profit through our unique ownership structure. That way they can focus on impact first, innovating products and getting them to the people who need them most. Our companies serve people, not shareholders.
Second, we work with our portfolio companies to improve their business operations while also building their capacity to deliver impact. The selection and development of products for the impact side of the company needs to be as rigorous as for the profit generating side of the company.
Third,
we engage a broad range of partners and decision makers to build support for a new way of developing and scaling innovations to meet pressing health challenges. In this way, we aim to crowd in impact investment and nurture a new crop of impact focused biotech and life sciences companies.
