During a study abroad program in Kenya, Stephanie Koczela observed several issues with the country's primary healthcare system, affecting communities on several fronts: financial constraints, inability to easily reach clinics, and lack of trust all significantly factored in. “How do we build a healthcare network that provides trusted healthcare to families?” she asked. “Healthcare that's going to earn the trust of patients who need it, and where patients will go back again so that their history and needs are known and taken into account.”
Driven by that question, Koczela was inspired to launch Penda Health, which has grown into one of East Africa's largest outpatient healthcare providers treating patients through in-person clinics and digital remote care.
The startup was rapidly expanding when COVID-19 emerged as a global threat, prompting new threats to the safety of staff and care of patients. But Koczela and the team at Penda Health sought to move forward and innovate. They needed a new pricing strategy and process and data automation capabilities to maintain low patient care costs and quality services.
This was the context in which Impact Ventures by J&J Foundation first invested in Penda Health in 2023. Bringing much-needed capital, Impact Ventures also stepped in to help the company make key pivots, offering tailored, pro bono service from Johnson & Johnson employees Kelly Kauffman and Mat Baker, who were experts in pricing strategy and business process automation, respectively.
They provided key industry knowledge to help Penda Health scale and serve more communities. “As a result of Kelly and Mat’s efforts,” said Dr. Rob Korom, Chief Medical Officer of Penda Health, “we have a much more robust understanding of margins and recommended price points across over 400 unique products. We also have new automation processes that have helped us become far more efficient. The effects on the business were direct and immediate.”
With invaluable technical assistance from Impact Ventures, Penda Health has engaged more than 2 million patients at their 16 standardized medical centers across Kenya. More than 500,000 patients have visited their 10 clinics in Nairobi alone. And they have plans to open an additional 15 clinics in the next two years, promoting accessible, high-quality healthcare in the region.
In the words of Koczela: “Impact Ventures has been uniquely capable of filtering and asking tough questions that are helping us create and scale solutions.”