Helium Health Gets $2.5M Google.org Grant for HeliumMum

In Short

Helium Health has secured a $2.5 million (about N3.4 billion) grant from Google.org to deploy AI tools for maternal healthcare in Nigeria.

What Happened

Helium Health said the funding will support the rollout of clinical AI models through its maternal health initiative, HeliumMum. The company plans to deploy the programme across Lagos, Delta, Kano and Oyo states, with Lagos as the primary operational launchpad.

Google said Helium Health was selected as the only Nigerian organisation among 15 global recipients of the $30 million Google.org Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation. Google described the challenge as an initiative supporting organisations working with governments to improve public service delivery.

Alongside the grant, Helium Health will also join a Google.org Accelerator programme. It is expected to receive technical support from Google engineers and AI product experts.

Helium Health presented its implementation roadmap in Lagos during an executive briefing with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The briefing included executives from Google and Helium Health.

Why It Matters

Helium Health said the initiative aims to reach an additional 1.9 million women over three years and contribute to a 30% reduction in maternal mortality by deploying AI-powered clinical tools.

Dimeji Sofowora, co-founder and CEO of Helium Health, said the funding would help the company scale its existing maternal healthcare interventions and expand access to quality care. Sofowora added that Helium Health has reached more than 3.5 million women through its maternal health initiatives over the past decade.

Helium Health said HeliumMum will use AI, meaning software that can spot patterns in data, to help pregnant women identify potential complications early and connect them with appropriate healthcare providers.

The platform will link women to healthcare facilities with electronic medical records, meaning patient files stored digitally, and AI-powered clinical decision support systems, meaning tools that help clinicians make choices based on data. Helium Health also said the initiative will provide governments with actionable data to strengthen maternal health services and identify gaps in healthcare delivery.

Helium Health Head of Public Health, Dr Shona Oluwatola, said: “Nigeria accounts for nearly three in every ten maternal deaths globally. Behind every maternal death is a woman whose family expected her to come home,” and added that the company hopes to help women identify pregnancy risks early and access appropriate medical attention.