Last week, Fluorobiotech representatives Ross Rayne Vermeulen and Marthinus Janse van Vuuren attended the Africa Tech Festival, one of the continent’s leading gatherings for innovators, investors, policymakers, and technology developers. Their participation offered a timely opportunity to position biotechnology within the broader African innovation agenda and to highlight Fluorobiotech’s growing role in enabling regional scientific and manufacturing capability.
Throughout the event, our team engaged with a diverse range of potential collaborators, including technology partners, venture investors, digital health innovators, and ecosystem enablers. These discussions opened promising avenues for future cooperation, particularly in areas where biotechnology intersects with data science, platform technologies, and African-led industrial development. The festival provided an excellent platform to strengthen existing strategic relationships while identifying new opportunities to accelerate the reach and impact of our work.
Support from AUDA-NEPAD and the HGS Accelerator
Fluorobiotech’s participation was made possible through the generous support of AUDA-NEPAD under the Home Grown Solutions (HGS) Accelerator. The HGS initiative continues to play an instrumental role in expanding Africa’s innovation capacity and enabling technology solutions that are developed in Africa, for Africa.
This support reflects AUDA-NEPAD’s commitment to nurturing local manufacturing ecosystems, strengthening regional health security, and ensuring that African innovators have the resources needed to scale. Fluorobiotech remains deeply appreciative of the partnership and investment provided through the HGS program, which has been central to our organisational growth and long-term strategic positioning.
Acknowledging Key Contributions
We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to David Saunders, whose dedicated support and guidance throughout the festival contributed significantly to the success of our delegation. His engagement facilitated important introductions and helped ensure that Fluorobiotech maintained a strong presence across key sessions and networking engagements.
Looking Ahead
The connections, insights, and strategic conversations from the Africa Tech Festival will inform several new collaborations and initiatives as Fluorobiotech continues to expand its work across the continent. Our participation reaffirmed the importance of building integrated innovation ecosystems where biotechnology, digital transformation, and local manufacturing can work in concert to strengthen Africa’s scientific resilience and global competitiveness.
Fluorobiotech looks forward to deepening the relationships established during the event and to continuing our mission of advancing African-led biotechnology solutions for global impact.