Waspito الكاميرونية تفوز بجائزة Grand LEAP بقيمة US$250,000 في حدث LEAP بالسعودية

Cameroonian e-health startup Waspito wins US$250,000 Grand LEAP Award at LEAP 2026

Cameroonian telehealth startup Waspito has been awarded the US$250,000 Grand LEAP Award at the LEAP 2026 conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, taking the largest individual prize from the event’s US$1 million equity-free fund. Founded in 2020 by Jean Lobe Lobe, Waspito operates a smartphone-based platform that offers instant video consultations with medical doctors and on-demand mobile laboratory services.

"The platform currently connects about 1.1 million patients with 2,100 doctors and more than 500 healthcare providers across Cameroon and Ivory Coast."

The Grand LEAP Award is the top prize in an annual competition held during the LEAP tech conference, which distributes US$1 million across seven categories to startups from around the world. Waspito’s US$250,000 prize represents the largest single award handed out at the event and is intended to accelerate its service expansion and product development.

• Founder: Jean Lobe Lobe
• Founded: 2020
• Prize won: US$250,000 (Grand LEAP Award)
• Platform reach: about 1.1 million patients
• Medical network: 2,100 doctors and more than 500 healthcare providers
• Recent fundraising: raised US$2.5 million in November 2023, extending its seed round to US$5.2 million

Waspito’s service model combines telemedicine consultations with a logistical element: lab technicians visit patients’ homes to collect samples, and results are delivered digitally through the platform. That hybrid approach appears to have resonated with judges at LEAP, where the startup competed alongside companies vying for a share of the conference’s equity-free prize pool.

The startup has already established a significant presence in two West African markets. Its platform reportedly connects around 1.1 million patients to a network of roughly 2,100 doctors and over 500 healthcare providers across Cameroon and Ivory Coast, figures that underline its traction in the region’s digital health space.

Waspito’s fundraising history points to a concerted growth strategy. In November 2023 the company raised US$2.5 million and extended its seed round to US$5.2 million, funds earmarked for scaling in existing markets and launching into new ones. The US$250,000 award from LEAP augments that capital base and provides non-dilutive capital to support product refinement, operational expansion and potential regional rollouts.

Looking ahead, the LEAP prize positions Waspito to accelerate expansion plans across Africa’s francophone markets and potentially beyond. The combination of equity-free funding and prior seed investment should help the company boost its clinician and provider network, enhance mobile lab logistics, and further digitise diagnostic reporting for users. For Waspito, the Grand LEAP Award is both a cash injection and a high-profile endorsement that could open doors to partnerships and new market opportunities.