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Inside LifeBank’s Journey: Building the “Amazon for Blood” in Africa

September 23, 2025

Inside LifeBank’s Journey: Building the “Amazon for Blood” in Africa

The LifeBank story is not merely about a startup; it is about the power of one entrepreneur’s vision to reshape healthcare access across Africa.

Giwa-Tubosun, inspired by her personal encounters with maternal health challenges, built LifeBank as both a business and a mission.

Today, the company stands as one of Africa’s most celebrated impact-driven enterprises, recognized globally for its ingenuity, resilience, and social value.

This is an inside LifeBank’s journey, its founding story, funding history, growth strategies, competition, and obstacles faced along the way, and the lessons to entrepreneurs and investors seeking to solve Africa’s most pressing challenges.

Disclaimer: The data in this episode of StoryLab is based on publicly available information as of September 2025 from reliable sources such as founder interviews, news reports, Africa Business Heroes, Speakup Africa, Cartier Women Initiative, and Business Day.

LifeBank’s Founding Story

LifeBank is a pioneering Nigerian health-tech startup tackling fatal shortages in essential medical supplies.

Founded by Temie Giwa-Tubosun, its mission is deeply personal and driven by urgent need: to ensure “no one dies from a lack of access to essential medical supplies”.

LifeBank’s story began in 2014–2016, after Temie survived a difficult childbirth in the U.S. and realized how fragile maternal healthcare is in Nigeria. She contrasted her safe birth experience with that of a Nigerian mother who nearly bled to death after three days in labor.

This epiphany – coupled with witnessing a hospital discard usable blood – inspired Temie to solve Nigeria’s blood and supply crisis.

In late 2015, she launched LifeBank out of Lagos’ Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) incubator. Initially, LifeBank ran an app connecting roughly 25 state-regulated blood banks with hospitals.

Using smartphones and a 24/7 logistics network, the team could deliver safe, screened blood (plus platelet packs and plasma) anywhere in its service area in under an hour.

(The motto became: “a woman who gives birth should watch her baby grow”.)

Problem and inspiration

Nigeria has among the world’s highest maternal death rates (over 800 per 100,000 births) and rampant blood shortages. Experts estimate “152,000 anemic children and 37,000 pregnant women” die annually in Nigeria from lack of blood.

By 2016, Temie knew well that in much of Africa, time is life: losing too much blood often means death within hours. She explains, “Blood has a short shelf life… All we have to do is move the excess blood to hospitals where patients desperately need it”.

In Nigeria, only 10–43% of the required blood is collected, often from paid (unsafe) donors.

As Temie says, about 34% of maternal deaths in Africa are from postpartum hemorrhage – almost eight times the global average. Her vision was to build a data-powered logistics platform to end these avoidable deaths.

Early steps

At launch, LifeBank focused on Lagos. It partnered with government blood banks (about 60 hospitals) and local NGOs. In fact, Temie had already founded a volunteer blood-donation NGO (“One Percent Project”) in 2012, which collected 3,100 pints by 2015.

In December 2015, LifeBank morphed from that NGO into a tech startup, and by early 2016 had pilots running with dozens of hospitals.

The CcHUB incubator provided initial support – “Lagos’s Co-Creation Hub supported LifeBank in its early stages with $25,000 in pre-seed funding”. Temie also raised a small private seed (another $15K) in 2016.

With this backing, LifeBank built its first mobile app and delivery fleet. By the end of 2016, it had already transported 800+ pints of blood in Lagos and enrolled hundreds of willing donors.

Expansion beyond blood

Over the next few years, LifeBank broadened its mission. Using the same on-demand logistics model, it added medical oxygen, antivenom, vaccines, and lab consumables to its network.

In 2020–2021 the COVID-19 pandemic underscored oxygen’s importance. Temie explains, “We expanded our distribution system for medical oxygen… opened a testing center for COVID-19”.

LifeBank launched AirCo, a modular oxygen plant in Nasarawa State (North Central Nigeria) in 2021, partnering with OxygenHub to scale up national oxygen capacity. Meanwhile, it rolled out home-based PCR test kits (“HomeKits”) and PPE to hospitals.

Geographically, LifeBank also went regional: after proving the model in Lagos, it added states outside Lagos, and by 2022 had launched services in Kenya and Ethiopia (and reportedly Sierra Leone as well).

Each milestone—from the first successful pilot to cross-border expansion—was fueled by learning and partnerships (with state health ministries, NGOs, and tech hubs).

Key milestones

Among LifeBank’s landmark achievements:

Getting the app and delivery network running 24/7 in Lagos
Expanding nationwide in Nigeria, opening Kenyan and Ethiopian offices
Pivoting to oxygen and COVID supplies, and winning international awards.
By early 2020, LifeBank claimed to have moved 155,569 units of blood and supplies, serving 1,200 hospitals and “saving more than 40,000 lives”.
Temie’s story drew global attention: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg declared that if LifeBank succeeds “she’ll show a model that will impact not just Lagos, not just Nigeria, but countries all around the world”.
She won the inaugural Jack Ma Africa Netpreneur Prize ($250K) in 2019
The 2020 Global Citizen Business Leader Prize, and the Cartier Women’s Initiative Award (Impact Awardee, 2022).

Funding History and Investors

LifeBank’s growth has been financed by a mix of grants, equity rounds, and accelerators — reflecting its dual social and commercial mission.

The timeline of capital looks like this:

2016: ₦10 million seed (CcHUB Growth Capital Fund) and private angel. Lagos innovation hub CcHUB provided ~$25K pre-seed funding and technical support. An early angel investor added another ~$15K. These funds helped build the MVP app and initial delivery team.
2017–2018: Accelerator grants. LifeBank was selected for global startup accelerators. Notably, in early 2018, LifeBank joined the Merck Accelerator in Germany, securing about $61K in support. In parallel, it won a $10K grant from MIT Solve (Frontlines of Health) in 2018. These awards were catalytic for prototyping innovations like SmartBag (blockchain-enabled blood container) and scaling testing.
2018 Seed Round: In mid-2018 LifeBank closed an institutional seed round of $200K. The round was led by EchoVC (a Lagos-based Pan-African VC) and participated in by CcHUB’s fund and longtime healthcare angel Fola Laoye. The new capital financed expansion beyond Lagos – building cold-chain vehicles (bikes, vans) and hiring drivers/technicians. By the end of 2018, LifeBank had grown into other Nigerian states and was piloting in Kenya.
2019 Impact Prize: In November 2019, Temie Giwa-Tubosun won Jack Ma’s $250,000 Africa Netpreneur Prize. This unsolicited prize money was a huge boost for LifeBank’s mission, providing capital for scaling (and global publicity).
2020–2021 Funds: During COVID, LifeBank received impact funding (e.g. from GHAFI and foundations for vaccine logistics) and launched AirCo with partner Oxygen Hub. (Public reports do not list major new venture rounds in 2020–21.)
2022 Google Black Founders Fund: In 2022, LifeBank was selected among 60 startups for Google for Startups Black Founders Fund, receiving a $100K grant. This grant was meant to support tech and ops expansion (e.g., improving its platform and cold-chain network).
Other partnerships: Throughout, LifeBank also leveraged philanthropic partnerships (e.g., from MSD for Mothers, Johnson & Johnson, Skoll Foundation) and non-equity programs (Merck, MIT Solve) to fund R&D and country expansions.

LifeBank funding timeline

Year	Funding Type	Amount (USD)	Investors / Sources	Purpose / Notes
2016	Grant / Fellowship	Undisclosed	Echoing Green Fellowship	Seed support for early-stage social entrepreneurs; helped Temie build LifeBank’s pilot operations.
2016	Grant / Fellowship	Undisclosed	Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation	Provided funding and mentorship for scaling LifeBank’s blood supply platform.
2017	Accelerator / Prize	$250,000 (in-kind + support)	Merck Accelerator (Germany)	Supported LifeBank with funding, mentorship, and access to Merck’s global health networks.
2018	Grant / Recognition	$100,000	MIT Solve Global Challenge	For scaling LifeBank’s tech-enabled logistics to solve health challenges.
2019	Grant / Prize	$100,000	Cartier Women’s Initiative	Awarded to Temie Giwa-Tubosun as a top female social entrepreneur.
2019	Grant / Fellowship	Undisclosed	Obama Foundation Fellowship	Recognition and support for Temie’s leadership in social innovation.
2020	Investment (Seed)	~$200,000	Local angel investors, impact investors	To expand LifeBank beyond blood into oxygen and plasma supply.
2020	Grant / Recognition	Undisclosed	African Business Heroes Prize (by Jack Ma Foundation)	Recognition as a leading African impact startup.
2020	Accelerator Support	Undisclosed (equity-free)	Google for Startups Accelerator Africa	Technical mentorship, cloud credits, and platform scaling.
2021	Grant / Support	Undisclosed	Johnson & Johnson Impact Ventures	Support to strengthen LifeBank’s health supply chain infrastructure.
2021	Competition Win	$250,000	HealthTech Hub Africa / Villgro Africa	For innovations in African healthcare distribution.
2022	Funding (Series A – reported)	~$2M	Mix of local & international impact investors (undisclosed)	To expand oxygen plants, strengthen logistics, and scale operations across Nigeria and East Africa.

Strategies Fueling Growth

LifeBank’s rapid growth is powered by a technology-first logistics strategy, smart partnerships, and a business-driven impact model. The core strategy is a digital supply chain built on four pillars (the “Four Ds”):

Data-driven discovery

LifeBank aggregates inventory from every registered blood bank and oxygen supplier in its network. Hospital clinicians enter requests via smartphone or call center, and an AI‐enabled system matches demand to nearest sources.

The platform maps all assets (blood, oxygen cylinders, vaccines) in real-time, drastically cutting search time. (A Google Maps API tracks every delivery’s location.) This ensures high visibility and allows predictive planning.

Dedicated delivery

LifeBank’s in-house fleet – motorcycles, vans, boats, and even drones – operates 24/7 to rush supplies. As one report notes, its team “delivers using motorcycles, boats, or drones” at any hour.

Specialized refrigerated boxes (CoolBoxes) and data-loggers preserve blood at 2–6°C.

In practice, LifeBank guarantees that any hospital order is at its doorstep within an hour or so. This tech-enabled delivery is essentially like “Uber for blood,” making it unique compared to static blood banks.

(LifeBank’s founder emphasizes: “We are not a blood business. We are a distribution business.”)

End-to-end safety

To build trust, LifeBank implemented innovations like SmartBag, a blockchain-tracked, temperature-monitored blood bag. It also built SmartBank – modular mini-blood banks with screening machines and cold storage for remote clinics.

These ensure quality control. (For example, independent tests in Nigeria showed SmartBag cut transfusion-transmitted infections by 57%.) LifeBank’s approach is “radical transparency,” as Temie puts it – using tech to ensure “safe blood supply”.

Public-private partnerships

LifeBank forged strategic ties with hospitals, NGOs, and the government. It acts as a neutral aggregator for public and private facilities.

Partnerships with state health agencies aided network rollout: LifeBank’s services have been integrated into state emergency systems (e.g. Lagos’ EMS and COVID response).

Tech allies like Google helped build the mapping app. Meanwhile, LifeBank runs blood drives and a donor registry, linking citizens to hospitals via its app (the fourth “D” – donors). This nurtures a sustainable supply pool.

Diversification of offerings

Rather than rely only on blood, LifeBank continually expands what it carries. During COVID it added PCR test kits, ventilators, personal protective equipment, and mass vaccination logistics to its platform.

It now delivers antivenom for snakebites, maternal consumables, and more. This diversification both meets urgent healthcare needs and broadens LifeBank’s revenue streams (since many governments and NGOs pay for COVID-related logistics).

Branding and impact focus

LifeBank leverages its mission in marketing and fundraising. It touts high-impact metrics (e.g., “40,000 lives saved”) in media stories and awards applications. The team even prints patient names on a “Wall of Life” to highlight real impact.

This impact-driven narrative – a credible, verifiable outcome – helped attract global media (Al Jazeera calls Temie “Amazon for blood”) and philanthropic interest.

Temie herself, a powerful spokesperson, frames LifeBank’s vision as “zero women die from postpartum hemorrhage”. The combination of strong branding and a visible mission has made LifeBank a poster child of African healthtech, opening doors to international partnerships and capital.

Scalable model

Finally, LifeBank was consciously built for scale. Its technology stack (apps, databases) is re-deployable in new cities/countries. In Kenya and Ethiopia it set up local teams but reused the same software and processes.

To ensure sustainability, LifeBank uses a Build-Operate-Transfer model in some cases (e.g., SmartBank units handed to governments). And it fosters local ownership: “We hire people who care deeply and are relentless about solving problems”.

In short, its strategy is to blend Silicon Valley tech agility with locally attuned logistics.

Competition

In Nigeria and across Africa, LifeBank’s model faces few direct peers because of the unique complexity of medical logistics. Traditional blood systems are run by the government or NGOs (e.g., Red Cross) but typically do not guarantee delivery.

For example, Nigeria’s National Blood Service collects blood, but often hospitals must fetch it themselves, leading to delays and waste. LifeBank’s on-demand platform filled this gap.

No local startup matches LifeBank’s 24/7 logistics focus; broadly similar services include Ghana-based mPharma (which manages pharmacy inventory) or telemedicine apps like HelloDoctor, but they don’t solve emergency delivery.

Regionally, the most cited comparison is Zipline – a drone-delivery service in Rwanda and Ghana that airdrops blood to remote clinics.

Zipline’s high-tech drone model pioneered the space, but it differs structurally: Zipline owns and flies expensive aircraft from large hubs, whereas LifeBank uses low-cost motorcycles and local drivers to reach every hospital in a city.

LifeBank’s ground network allows more flexibility in urban traffic and can carry bulkier items (e.g., oxygen cylinders), which drones currently cannot.

In Kenya, Blood for Life (a government app) exists, but without its own transport arm.

In short, LifeBank’s unique value is its integrated tech-and-transport network: a digital platform + local riders/bikes that meet doctors in minutes.

All rivals – public or private – still struggle with Africa’s harsh infrastructure. Even well-funded systems confront “epileptic electricity” and poor roads. Nigeria had ~30 oxygen plants but clinics still ran out of oxygen due to power failures.

Similarly, healthtech startups face tough funding climates. As Temie notes, “healthcare logistics is not just a social good; it’s a massive market opportunity” – but realizing it requires dealing with bureaucracy, security, and patient payment capacity.

LifeBank’s competitors (if any) must meet the same structural challenges of regulation, safety accreditation, donor recruitment, and capital scarcity.

The start-up’s first-mover edge and flexible model currently set it apart in Nigeria’s health ecosystem.

Impact on Society

LifeBank’s activities have had measurable impacts on health outcomes, infrastructure, and social dynamics:

Lives saved

By 2020, LifeBank reported delivering 155,569 units of blood and other supplies, serving 1,200 hospitals and “saving more than 40,000 lives”.

(Each unit of blood or oxygen delivered in time potentially saved a life – for example, a bleeding mother or an anemic child.) Another source (LifeBank itself in 2023) cites over 230,000 patients served and support to care centers reaching 96 million people across four countries.

Even allowing for rounding, these figures underscore that LifeBank’s scale is now national-regional.

The company’s contribution to reducing maternal mortality is especially significant: Nigeria still loses tens of thousands of mothers yearly to hemorrhage, and timely transfusions have prevented many such deaths through LifeBank’s service.

Healthcare infrastructure

LifeBank has effectively augmented health system capacity. Its fleets and cold-chain vehicles are used by hospitals day and night; labs have on-demand access to key reagents and vaccines; and (most notably) LifeBank has built and managed oxygen facilities.

The AirCo oxygen plant in Nasarawa (launched 2021) adds critical supply to a region that suffered chronic shortages. In partnership with Oxygen Hub and the government, LifeBank now operates oxygen plants (modular as well as fixed) that keep clinics supplied.

It also introduced the SmartBank units to remote areas (health posts in rural towns), helping deliver care equipment directly at the point of use. In sum, by filling cold-chain and transport gaps, LifeBank has strengthened the underlying logistics infrastructure.

Gender and entrepreneurship

Temie Giwa-Tubosun’s prominence has inspired many women in tech and healthcare. Her global awards (Jack Ma Prize, Global Citizen, Cartier Impact) highlight female leadership in Africa’s startup scene.

Internally, LifeBank employs dozens of female engineers, managers and nurses (reflecting Temie’s values).

The organization’s success has also spurred other African healthtech ventures to address supply chains and maternal health.

For instance, LifeBank’s innovations were featured in Africa’s Business Heroes competitions and WEF panels, spreading the model’s influence.

Challenges Faced

Despite its successes, LifeBank has navigated numerous obstacles, common to African health startups:

Infrastructure and operations

Nigeria’s roads, traffic and power supply are notorious hurdles. Delivering blood at 2–6°C requires reliable refrigeration – in practice, 90% of LifeBank’s 2016–17 investment was spent on cold-chain vehicles and equipment.

Drivers work round-the-clock, even in dangerous conditions; Temie cites “security” as an ongoing concern when riders make night deliveries. Electricity outages still plague even built oxygen plants, meaning backup generators must run constantly.

In addition, integrating technology into low-resource hospitals was hard: LifeBank found many clinics initially “struggled to use” its inventory app. This meant extra training and support costs.

Regulatory and institutional

Blood transfusion is heavily regulated by health authorities. LifeBank had to get licenses and approvals from multiple agencies. In Nigeria, there is no precedent for a private entity moving public-sector blood, so Temie needed to build trust and navigate bureaucracy.

(She notes that governments and laboratories were “not comfortable building this kind of business”, so LifeBank had to prove itself as a capable partner.) Across countries, differing laws on the import of medical goods and licensing of emergency services complicate scaling.

Financial and market constraints

Raising capital has been an ongoing challenge. As Temie admits, getting funding in the first year was hard: she “invested a lot of personal savings” and depended on grants.

Without subsidies, hospitals often can’t afford premium-priced blood delivery.

LifeBank must balance social mission with revenue; although many facilities treat their service as essential, payments are sometimes delayed by budget processes.

Temie warns that “without funding, even the best ideas die”, a reality in an ecosystem where healthcare startups have few local VCs.

Competition for donors

Nigeria’s chronic shortage of voluntary donors (only 6 units per 1000 population) means LifeBank constantly runs blood drives and awareness campaigns.

Cultural myths and low-paid donor culture present a tough marketing problem. LifeBank even had to innovate donor incentives and mobile apps to encourage giving.

Global shocks

The pandemic proved a double-edged sword. COVID-19 dramatically increased demand for oxygen and test kits – but it also disrupted international supply lines and forced LifeBank to adapt in real time.

Staff had to be kept safe, and operations scaled under health restrictions. Securing PPE and tests in bulk required new supplier relationships (some outside the network LifeBank already had).

Lessons from LifeBank’s Journey

LifeBank’s rise offers several key takeaways for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers in Africa’s health-tech sector:

Solve a real pain point with personal commitment

Temie emphasizes that the idea “kept [her] up at night” – it was built on personal conviction. Entrepreneurs should anchor ventures in lived experiences or urgent needs. Temie’s background (WHO, film logistics) and her near-death delivery gave credibility.

Lesson: Founders with domain expertise and passion can persevere through early hurdles.

Blend mission with business model

LifeBank demonstrates that a social mission can align with a viable enterprise. As Temie notes, the model must be sustainable: “Grants run out, but if people are willing to pay for your services…customers will not run out”.

LifeBank treats blood (and oxygen) deliveries like a logistics business, charging for the premium service, which has proved more enduring than pure grant models. Other health innovators should likewise build financial viability (e.g., cost-recovery from hospitals, B2B contracts with governments) into their impact strategies.

Use technology to leapfrog infrastructure gaps

Even where roads or storage are poor, data and digital tools can make supply chains more efficient.

LifeBank invested early in a robust software platform (mapping, inventory, tracking), which became the backbone of its operations.

Startups should leverage accessible tech (mobile, AI, blockchain) to create transparency. As LifeBank did with SmartBag, novel tech can also win trust and proof-of-concept.

Forge strategic partnerships

LifeBank’s partnerships were critical. It leveraged tech hubs (CcHUB, Google Campus) for support aligned with NGOs and health foundations (e.g., MSD, Skoll) for credibility and funding, and worked hand-in-hand with governments to integrate services.

The lesson is to collaborate, not compete, with existing health institutions. For policymakers, this means supporting public-private collaboration: when officials in Nasarawa state backed AirCo, they expanded oxygen access far faster than the government acting alone.

Iterate and pivot with agility

LifeBank started as a “blood delivery” startup but learned quickly that other supplies were urgently needed. The COVID-19 pivot to testing, oxygen, and PPE shows adaptability.

Founders should listen to front-line users and be willing to expand or adjust offerings.

As Temie puts it, “Hold your mission tightly, but your methods loosely”. She advises entrepreneurs to stay true to the goal but be flexible in execution.

Measure and communicate impact

Transparent metrics build trust. LifeBank prints patient names on a “saved lives” wall, and shares hard numbers in pitches: millions of lives reached, thousands of deliveries.

This storytelling helped attract further funding. New ventures should quantify outcomes early (even small wins) and use data to persuade investors and regulators.

Advocate for supportive ecosystems

The journey shows that innovation at Africa’s health-tech nexus requires enabling policies. Temie urges policymakers to “create enabling environments for health-tech infrastructure”.

For example, streamlined regulations for drone delivery or fast-track import of medical devices could accelerate scale.

Investors should recognize health logistics as “a massive market opportunity”, not just charity. Governments and donors can further assist by sharing data (hospital demand stats) and co-investing in logistics platforms.

Scalability and vision

LifeBank has a bold goal – a million lives saved in ten years. Reaching such a scale means combining discipline, partnerships, and an obsession with solving the right problems.

The ABH Q&A encapsulates this: by constantly listening to communities, building talent and systems, and embedding in day-to-day operations, LifeBank grew from Lagos to multiple African countries.

Its experience suggests that with the right funding and focus, health-tech solutions can be continent-wide.

Looking ahead, LifeBank is positioning itself as a continental platform. Its SmartBank units and digital inventory system are now operational in three African countries.

Future growth could involve drone networks in East Africa (they already piloted a drone delivery in Ethiopia) and integration with national e-health records.

But its core lesson is clear: technology + logistics + capital = lives saved.

As Temie says, “In Africa, healthcare innovation isn’t optional, it’s urgent”. LifeBank’s decade-long journey underlines that urgent innovations – backed by entrepreneurs, investors, and enabling policies – can transform outcomes even in the toughest environments.

Sources: Interviews, news articles, and reports from Africa Business Heroes, Speakup Africa, Cartier Women Initiative, and Business Day.

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