Endeavor has welcomed Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong, chief executive and founder of 54gene, a health technology company with a mission to advance precision medicine capabilities in Africa through research, advanced molecular diagnostics, and clinical programs into its global network.
“54gene is a critical part of the continent’s push to equalize access to precision medicine for millions of Africans,” said Eloho Omame, Managing Director & CEO of Endeavor in Nigeria. “The rapid pace at which the company has scaled over the past year is a testament to Dr. Abasi Ene-Obong’s leadership, his drive, and his talented team. He is an inspiration to other high-impact entrepreneurs in Nigeria and we are thrilled to welcome him into the Endeavor network.”
Since launching in 2019, 54gene has scaled its operations in generating novel insights in human genetics research. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, it raised funds to increase the country’s testing capacity and launched mobile laboratories across five Nigerian states.
The company has raised $21 million in investment and also launched the African Centre for Translational Genomics to fund the study of Non-Communicable Diseases in 100,000 Nigerians. In September, the company announced a partnership with Illumina to establish a world-class genomics facility in Lagos to expand its sequencing-based research and molecular diagnostics offering.
“We started 54gene to significantly improve the inclusion of African populations in global genomics research and I am glad to see our work is being recognized,” said Dr. Ene-Obong, who was also listed as among 30 most innovative entrepreneurs on the African continent in 2019 by Quartz Africa and recently as one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 in the healthcare category.
Ene-Obong was successfully selected as part of a cohort of nine entrepreneurs from six markets. With the recent addition of 54gene, Endeavor Nigeria now supports 17 entrepreneurs who lead 11 scale-up stage companies in Nigeria, spanning life sciences, fintech, renewable energy, entertainment, logistics, and retail.
Similar to 54gene, Endeavor has welcomed the founders of Daystar Power, Migo, and Kobo360 into its local and global network this year. The company selects, mentors, and accelerates the best high-impact entrepreneurs in the region, supporting them to scale their companies and drive economic growth. 54gene joins 10 other Endeavor Entrepreneur-led companies in Nigeria and over 1,300 in 37 markets across Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, and North America.
Source:venturesafrica.com
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