Blackfrog
Location
India; Kenya; Nigeria
Sector
Public Health
Type of Investment
Risk Capital
Project Stage
Test & Transition
Length of Investment
2025+
Website
Investment Overview
Blackfrog Tech has developed Emvólio, a patented rapid cooling technology for safe last-mile transport of vaccines, insulin, breast-milk, blood-serums, medications and specimens with minimal thermal shock.
The Development Challenge
Gavi estimates that 2.3 million children die every year due to lack of access to vaccines, with 18 million children missing out on any vaccination (zero-dose children). A key reason for un/under vaccinated children is broken supply chains; notably lack of cold chain at the last mile, which also creates significant vaccine wastage.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 50% of vaccines go to waste before they are administered, where “wastage in unopened vials is usually attributable to cold chain”. The cost of vaccine wastage due to exposure to temperatures outside the recommended range, is estimated at $34.1bn annually, a figure that does not include the physical and financial cost of avoidable illnesses with on-time delivery of effective vaccines.
The Innovation
Blackfrog Technologies is a medical device company headquartered in India. Its flagship product is Emvolio, a lightweight, backpack style, portable temperature-controlled refrigerator, designed to deliver vaccines at the last mile, facilitating the administration of routine vaccines, such as measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis and hepatitis. Emvolio has multiple applications from storing and transporting medical specimens, blood, organs and animal husbandry.
The Company operates both a hardware and software solution. The Emvolio backpack (hardware) is equipped with live location tracking, temperature and battery monitoring through IoT and wireless technology. The on-device temperature display and alerts notify users of malfunctions. The MyEmvolio software platform remotely monitors a portfolio of customer Emvolio’s, and Blackfrog has a larger platform monitoring all Emvolio devices. Key KPIs include temperature, uptime/downtime, distance travelled and geo-tagging mapping.
Our Investment
GIF has invested $1,000,000 in Blackflog Technologies as part of a pre-Series ‘A’ Funding Round.The aim is to support the company’s growth by building its commercial sales track record, showing the company can convert pilot projects into larger order volumes, and also develop new product lines to serve new markets.
Blackfrog in numbers
of vaccines globally wasted due to cold chain interruptions
rural health centres across 16+ states in India where Emvolio is now operational
risk capital investment to increase unit sales and manufacturing capacity
Innovating for Climate Resilience
This investment is the first made by the Thrive Fund, a joint initiative between GIF and PATH which invests exclusively in early- and growth-stage technologies that strengthen public health amidst rising temperatures and extreme weather events.
Levering an innovative finance structure, it is designed to accelerate the adoption and rapid deployment of transformative health innovations in emerging markets through patient capital and knowledge support, enhancing health systems and community resilience.