Last-mile veterinary delivery social start-up Cowtribe first investment of Boehringer Ingelheim Social Engagements

Ingelheim, Germany, Wed, 10/05/2022 - 07:00

Boehringer Ingelheim announced today that Cowtribe is the first recipient of investment and non-financial support from the Boehringer Ingelheim Social Engagement (BI SE) initiative, a program which aims to close a critical financing gap for social businesses in vulnerable communities.

Cowtribe, a leading last-mile veterinary delivery company from Ghana, leverages technology to help coordinate deliveries of veterinary vaccines and other animal health products to rural and underserved communities, where many farmers are dependent on just a few animals.

With innovative solutions, such as software supported demand & supply matching, as well as a partnership for drone delivery, Cowtribe bridges the final, critical last mile to get animal medication and veterinary vaccines to smallholder farmers in remote areas. The social start-up, which was founded in 2017, plans to expand to other African markets and collaborates with the government of Ghana on a national livestock identification system, based on Cowtribe’s market data and network.

Start-ups often need more than just funding. BI SE was launched in 2021 to provide investment and non-financial support, together with complementary partners and by engaging Boehringer Ingelheim’s employees to help scale up solutions of social businesses to create systemic change.

BI SE underlines Boehringer Ingelheim’s commitment to find innovative financing solutions with the intention to scale social impact. It complements Boehringer Ingelheim’s flagship initiative, Making More Health, which has committed to positively impact the lives and health of 50 million people through supporting social entrepreneurs in vulnerable communities.

“We are delighted to grant the first investment of Boehringer Ingelheim Social Engagements to Cowtribe,” said Ilka Wicke, Global Head of Making More Health at Boehringer Ingelheim. “Every year smallholder farmers lose about 25 percent of their livestock, due to preventable diseases. Cowtribe is at the forefront of addressing this problem by transforming the critical last-mile distribution in Africa. Their smart logistics platform, based on demand optimization, combined with innovative drone delivery concepts, helps secure the availability and accessibility of vaccines for smallholder farmers. Together, we can significantly improve the lives of many farmers across Africa.”

"In Africa, there are over 200 million smallholder farmers without access to reliable animal health services. We are incredibly excited to partner with BI SE to support our mission to make access to animal vaccines in Africa a right, not a privilege,” added Peter Awin, co-founder and CEO of Cowtribe. “This funding will be used to accelerate our growth in Ghana. This will involve entering new communities and building robust tech capabilities, product development, and attracting new talent."

Financial details will not be disclosed. The news was announced during the “Making More Health Together 2022" convention, a two-day hybrid event, which focuses on the empowerment of social entrepreneurship and topics relevant to human and animal health, as well as social innovation.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim is working on breakthrough therapies that transform lives, today and for generations to come. As a leading research-driven biopharmaceutical company, the company creates value through innovation in areas of high unmet medical need. Founded in 1885 and family-owned ever since, Boehringer Ingelheim takes a long-term perspective. More than 52,000 employees serve over 130 markets in the three business areas, Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. Learn more at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com

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