Helium Health secures $2.5 million Google grant to tackle maternal deaths with AI

Helium Health, a Nigerian healthtech start-up, has actually protected a 3.4 billion ($2.5 million) grant from Google.org, tech huge Google’s humanitarian arm, to release expert system (AI) tools that assist recognize pregnancy dangers and enhance maternal health care shipment in Nigeria.

The financing will support the rollout of HeliumMum, the business’s maternal health effort that intends to reach 1.9 million pregnant ladies over 3 years. The program will start in Lagos, the effort’s functional base, before broadening to Delta, Kano, and Oyo states.

Nigeria contributes almost 10% of international maternal deathsand Helium Health hopes its AI-powered intervention will assist resolve this concern by recognizing pregnancy issues earlier and linking females to proper care, and add to a 30% decrease in maternal death.

“For the previous years, Helium Health has actually been constructing the innovation and collaborations required to enhance health care shipment throughout Africa,” Dimeji Sofowora, Helium Health’s president, stated in a declaration. “Through our maternal health efforts, we’ve currently reached over 3.5 million females, and Google.org’s assistance provides us a chance to develop on that structure, scale what works, and reach much more ladies with quality maternal health care.”

The grant comes 3 months after Adegoke Olubusi, Helium Health’s co-founder and CEO, stepped down after almost a years, handing management to Sofowora, another co-founder who presumed the function in August. The management modification followed the departure of another co-founder, Tito Ovia, in 2022, leaving Sofowora as the last founding staff member actively associated with leading business.

Helium Health was the only Nigerian organisation chosen amongst 15 receivers of Google.org’s $30 million Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovationrevealed in September 2026. The difficulty supports organisations dealing with federal governments to utilize AI to enhance civil services, consisting of health care.

The financing will fund the release of AI-powered medical decision-support tools within main maternal health care services. Through HeliumMum, the business wishes to assist neighborhood health employees recognize prospective pregnancy issues earlier and link expectant moms to suitable doctor. The system will integrate AI-driven threat detection with electronic medical records and medical decision-support tools utilized by doctor.

Helium Health states it has actually currently reached more than 3.5 million females through its maternal health efforts. With the Google.org financing, it wishes to reach another 1.9 million. The business will likewise get technical assistance from Google engineers and AI item professionals through a devoted Google.org Accelerator.

“AI holds unbelievable capacity to change civil services, however there is frequently a space in between pledge and practice,” stated Maggie Johnson, Global Head of Google.org. “By gearing up the 15 picked organisations with financing and pro bono assistance from Google’s own AI professionals, we are empowering individuals closest to the issue to reveal what is really possible. Together, we can make sure that AI makes an extensive, favorable distinction in the daily lives of neighborhoods worldwide.”

Established in 2014 by Olubusi, Sofowora, and Ovia, Helium Health began by constructing electronic medical records and healthcare facility management software application to assist doctor digitise client records. With time, the business broadened and started providing tools for medical records, billing, practice management, and health care funding. In June 2023, Helium Health raised $30 million in a Series B moneying round led by AXA IM Alts, bringing its revealed financing at the time to about $40 million.

The grant likewise comes as Nigerian healthtech business deal with a more difficult fundraising environment. According to TechCabal Insights’ State of Healthtech in Nigeria 2026 report, moneying into the sector peaked at almost $55 million in 2023 before being up to roughly $18 million in 2024 and $3 million in 2025. The decrease is because of the high expenses of structure health care facilities and sluggish adoption of digital tools.

Google.org’s grant will assist Helium Health broaden beyond digitising health care centers into providing AI-powered public health services. It might likewise bring the business’s innovation closer to main health care centres and neighborhood health employees who might not have the scientific assistance required to determine high-risk pregnancies early and make sure ladies get prompt care.

“Ultimately, we wish to make sure that no lady loses her life just since she didn’t understand she was at threat or could not access the care she required,” Dr Shona Oluwatola, Head of Public Health at Helium Health, included.