When SURGiA was founded, its mission was to fix the inefficiencies that prevent hospitals and clinics from accessing essential medical supplies. Today, that mission has earned global recognition. The Cairo-based healthtech startup won the AfricaTech Award at VivaTech 2026, a milestone that not only celebrates the company’s growth but also signals rising confidence in Africa’s ability to build world-class healthcare solutions.
The award, announced during the VivaTech Global Awards Ceremony in Paris, gives SURGiA international visibility and access to investors and corporate partners that could accelerate its expansion across Africa and beyond. It also marks the second consecutive year that an Egyptian startup has won the AfricaTech Award after Reme-D.Inc, led by Salma Tammam, claimed the honour in 2025.
“We won! SURGiA just took home the AfricaTech Award at VivaTech 2026,” said Ahmed Yahia, CEO and Co-Founder of SURGiA. “This isn’t the finish line, it’s rocket fuel for what comes next.”
Building a Stronger Healthcare Supply Chain
SURGiA was created to address some of the biggest challenges facing healthcare providers across Africa, including counterfeit medical supplies, financing barriers and inefficient procurement systems.
The company has developed a digital infrastructure platform that connects hospitals, suppliers, investors and governments through a single ecosystem. Operating as a B2B e-commerce platform, it enables healthcare institutions to procure medical supplies more efficiently while using cloud and Internet of Things technologies to improve inventory management and streamline logistics.
The platform offers more than 45,000 authentic products from trusted sources and has processed over 151,000 orders. Today, more than 15,000 doctors use SURGiA every day and its network serves over five million patients each month.
According to Yahia, the company’s journey began as “a personal mission to fix Africa’s broken healthcare supply chains.” That mission has since grown into a business with a pan-African footprint and a team representing 11 nationalities.
The company also provides embedded financing and capacity-building programmes, helping hospitals, clinics and healthcare entrepreneurs access the tools and resources they need to deliver quality healthcare.
A Global Recognition for African Innovation
SURGiA’s vision is to create a continent where every healthcare provider, regardless of size or location, has access to world-class medical supplies, flexible financing and continuous clinical training through technology built in Africa for Africa.
The company has expanded beyond Egypt and now operates in Saudi Arabia and Germany while pursuing its ambition of becoming the leading digital marketplace for medical supplies across the Middle East and Africa.
The significance of the AfricaTech Award extends far beyond recognition. Participation in the competition gives startups access to thousands of investors, potential corporate partners and international exposure that can accelerate growth and fundraising efforts. Over the years, VivaTech has become an important gateway for African startups seeking to scale their impact and enter global markets.
Six startups reached the finals of the 2026 competition, including eShandi, Ndovu, Sahl, Ubiquity AI and Winich Inc. Together, they demonstrated the growing diversity of African innovation and how entrepreneurs across the continent are using technology to solve challenges in healthcare, finance, logistics and workforce development.
For SURGiA, the latest achievement is also a recognition of the broader ecosystem that has supported its growth. “This victory belongs to our entire ecosystem,” Yahia said, thanking partners who believed that “Africa deserves authentic, accessible healthcare.”
