Formed at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana in 2018,聽Chekkit聽has built a platform that tracks product movement and the parties involved in the transfer of products from warehouse to distributor, and on to the final consumer.

Essentially, Chekkit is an anti-counterfeiting, asset tracking and consumer feedback analytics tool. It produces tamper-proof unique ID labels, either as QR codes or numeric codes, which can be placed on premium packaged food and beverage products for supply chain and consumer feedback tracking.

The startup has so far helped secure over 50 million pharmaceutical and consumer goods products, and is set for further growth after Nigeria鈥檚 National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) said pharmaceutical products would be mandated to implement end-to-end serialisation and traceability from the end of 2024.

To help take advantage of this opportunity to scale, Chekkit has raised an undisclosed round of funding from Adaverse, a Cardano ecosystem accelerator, with participation from existing investors like RTA, HoaQ, Launch Africa Ventures, and Blockchain Founders Fund. This comes after Chekkit was announced as the first approved GS1/NAFDAC traceability solutions provider in Nigeria, and聽follows a US$500,000 pre-seed funding round it secured in 2021.

The funds will help Chekkit onboard more manufacturers across Nigeria and other regions in Africa, while also expanding to new markets in India, UK and the Middle East.

鈥淪ince raising our pre-seed round of US$500,000 in 2021, Chekkit has partnered and integrated its pharmaceutical traceability and consumer intelligence solution with SAP, enabling pharmaceutical brands that already use SAP鈥檚 Advanced Track and Trace Platform to be able to collect and analyse last-mile patient data. The company has also integrated the GS1 global standards system, making our serialisation software regulatory compliant in over 100 countries globally,鈥� said Dare Odumade, Chekkit鈥檚 CEO.

鈥淲e are currently exploring opportunities to optimise and strengthen supply chains for other African and Middle Eastern regions through partnerships with major pharmaceutical donors, manufacturers, governments, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). We are focusing a side of the business on fixing the public pharmaceutical supply chains of these low to middle-income earning countries.鈥�

Vincent Li, founding partner at Adaverse, said Chekkit was not just another anti-counterfeiting solution.

鈥淩ather, it aims to repair the prevailing rift in consumer-manufacturer trust with the blockchain-secured channel, prioritising consumer insights. We see the potential to transform the supply chain industry and disrupt the DataFi market and we鈥檙e excited to support the scaling of Chekkit鈥檚 infrastructure,鈥� he said.

This article first appeared on .

The post Nigerian Anti-counterfeiting Startup Chekkit Secures Funding to Scale Blockchain-powered Solution appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Chekkit was formed at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial聽聽of Technology (MEST) in Accra, Ghana back in 2018. Since then, it has built a platform that tracks product movement and the parties involved in the transfer of products from warehouse to distributor, and on to the final consumer. Using tamper-proof unique ID labels in the form of QR codes or numeric codes, Chekkit can provide end-to-end serialisation and traceability for products, making it a powerful tool for combatting counterfeiting.

So far, the startup has helped secure over 50 million pharmaceutical and consumer goods products, and its growth is set to continue after Nigeria鈥檚 National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) announced that pharmaceutical products would be mandated to implement end-to-end serialisation and traceability from the end of 2024.

To take advantage of this opportunity to scale, Chekkit has raised an undisclosed round of funding from Adaverse, a Cardano ecosystem accelerator, as well as existing investors like RTA, HoaQ, Launch Africa Ventures, and Blockchain Founders Fund. This funding will help Chekkit onboard more manufacturers across Nigeria and other regions in Africa, while also expanding to new markets in India, the UK, and the Middle East.

In addition to this, Chekkit has partnered with SAP, enabling pharmaceutical brands that already use SAP鈥檚 Advanced Track and Trace Platform to collect and analyze last-mile patient data. The company has also integrated the GS1 global standards system, making its serialization software regulatory compliant in over 100 countries globally.

鈥淲e are currently exploring opportunities to optimize and strengthen supply chains for other African and Middle Eastern regions through partnerships with major pharmaceutical donors, manufacturers, governments, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),鈥� said Dare Odumade, Chekkit鈥檚 CEO. 鈥淲e are focusing a side of the business on fixing the public pharmaceutical supply chains of these low to middle-income earning countries.鈥�

Vincent Li, founding partner at Adaverse, is excited about the potential of Chekkit鈥檚 solution. 鈥淩ather than just another anti-counterfeiting solution, Chekkit aims to repair the prevailing rift in consumer-manufacturer trust with the blockchain-secured channel, prioritizing consumer insights,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e see the potential to transform the supply chain industry and disrupt the DataFi market and we鈥檙e excited to support the scaling of Chekkit鈥檚 infrastructure.鈥�

With its innovative solution and strong partnerships, Chekkit is set to make a significant impact on the fight against counterfeiting and improve the safety and聽聽of products for consumers around the world.

This article first appeared on .

The post Adaverse Backs Nigerian Product Authentication Startup Chekkit In New Funding appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

Blood transfusions are commonly used to provide blood or blood components to a patient who has either lost blood due to an accident or suffer from a medical condition that affects their blood.

Typically, blood is donated anonymously and then stored by hospitals or blood banks until needed. Due to the critical nature of the procedure, donated blood must be collected, stored, categorised, and transported using extremely high levels of safety and care.

Donors must be carefully screened for a variety of medical conditions and lifestyle aspects to ensure the blood is free of potential risks to the patient. Blood is tested according to national guidelines and stored according to blood type.

It is estimated that one in ten people entering hospital need some kind of blood transfusion as part of their treatment.

Data, traceability vital to safe transfusions

The key to successful, lifesaving blood transfusions is accurate documentation to ensure consistency and avoid any unnecessary risk. Due to the sensitive nature of blood, the way it is transported and stored is equally important, especially when the blood supply chain network covers a large geographic area where donated blood must travel thousands of kilometers.

Ultimately, hospitals and clinics seek the ability to track the journey from vein to vein in real time with accurate data and while maintaining the integrity of the value chain.

Here, blockchain technology holds huge potential. Blockchain encodes data in a secure and transparent way that can add visibility and security to the blood transfusion value chain. Blockchain could be a more effective way of storing the precise records that allow medical professionals to use donated blood with confidence during life-saving and other medical procedures.

Using blockchain, medical facilities can register vital data about every step in the blood transfusion value chain, from donation to testing to transport, storage and ultimately its use in a medical procedure.

Due to strict requirements for how blood is stored, technologies such as IoT can also play an important supporting role by tracking the temperature at which the blood is stored and recording that to the blockchain. As blood travels through the value chain, the data stored to the blockchain creates an audit trail that links the entire value chain from donor to recipient.

Advances expected from emerging tech

Other emerging technologies hold promise for greater efficiency and transparency in the blood transfusion value chain. Augmented reality could solve one of the key issues with blood donations by helping medical professionals find the vein more consistently and without the trial-and-error that most donors experience.

Machine learning and artificial intelligence also holds huge promise for driving improvements in the blood transfusion value chain, especially since so much data is already created and stored to ensure transfusions are safe and effective.

used machine learning to optimise the time between blood donation intervals to ensure donors don’t experience adverse outcomes. Using the model, the researchers could estimate the risk of adverse outcomes and how such risks may change with longer or shorter intervals. This data could then inform how often the donors could donate blood without suffering iron deficiency or other complications.

So-called digital footprinting using AI and machine learning could also help reduce errors when doctors order blood samples. Using RFID integrated to an AI platform, doctors could improve specimen identification and reduce specimen labelling errors while also ensuring accurate transport tracking.

Technology platforms unlock new capabilities

New advances in Laboratory Information Management Systems have also unlocked access to unprecedented levels of visibility and control over lab data and other associated processes. A Laboratory Information Management System is used to manage samples, lab users, instruments and other lab functions, as well as back-office operations such as invoicing.

For example, the 51风流Quality Management helps businesses implement and run quality control processes, and is designed to prevent defects, enable continuous process improvement, and establish sustained quality control programs. Global pharmaceutical companies use 51风流Quality Management as a primary Laboratory Information Management System to drive supply chain processes, maintain high levels of quality control during production processes, and support research and development.

When matched to a business transformation platform that enables the seamless integration of new technologies, there is virtually no limit to the powerful capabilities that laboratories can unlock. With an intelligent core in place and a quality management system to maintain the highest information standards, laboratories and other stakeholders can protect the integrity of the life-saving blood transfusion supply chain while enabling greater innovation.

The post Vein-to-vein-to-value: How Tech is Enhancing Life-saving Blood Transfusion Value Chain appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.

In leading the company鈥檚 global sales, services, partner, and customer engagement teams, he is responsible for SAP鈥檚 business across the globe, with a resolute focus on the success of more than 440,000 customers, 21,000 partners, and 40,000 employees within the organization.

Here, Russell shares his experience in the business technology sector, the voice of the customer, and the sage advice that has accompanied him throughout his career.

Q: How did you get into the business technology sector?聽

A: My parents played a big role in my decision to study business and ultimately go on to work in this sector. They鈥檝e spent their whole lives helping others. Their focus on learning and serving the wider community helped me see early on the potential to influence change 鈥� whether through ground-breaking innovations or simply by finding better ways to do things.

I鈥檝e had the opportunity to work at some fantastic companies. My first job in the sector was as managing consultant for PwC. This gave me immediate exposure to end customers and how critical technology is to core tenets of a successful business: innovation, customer experience, value creation, productivity, and more. When you experience the power of technology 鈥� better yet, when you work in a tight team to deliver it 鈥� it鈥檚 simply addicting. I was hooked immediately, and couldn鈥檛 wait to explore and apply the next promising technology trend or tackle the next customer implementation.

Later at IBM, I had the opportunity to get even deeper into the technology. I remember this being so important at the time. I just had to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible so I could have absolute conviction in how I was advising customers. Being there with the customer, managing the process end to end 鈥� from value proposition, to delivery, to the customer鈥檚 experience using the solution 鈥� that was incredibly valuable experience.

At SAP, the exposure to diverse geographies, new technologies, and different industries took on a whole new level. It was already known for its stellar reputation for strong customer relationships and ability to build a brilliant network of expertise around its customers. I felt 鈥� and still do feel 鈥� incredibly lucky to be a part of this.

I think this blend of technology, delivery, partnership, and customer engagement really helps you focus on value at every interaction with the customer. It鈥檚 a mindset that I鈥檝e tried to live at 51风流for the past 11 years, one that I try to promote within our teams, and one that has become even more critical as businesses adopt and consume technology more in the cloud.

The customers, the technology, the diversity, and the passion of the people I work with each day 鈥� this is all incredibly rewarding. But at the end of the day, what attracted me to 51风流and what continues to engage so many of us at the company is how well it aligns to our values as individuals and as a team. 51风流truly pursues its mission of helping the world run better and improving people鈥檚 lives.

What are the biggest challenges you are hearing from business leaders today?聽

You often hear the term digital transformation in our industry, but it lends itself to a number of interpretations. Simply stated, consistent in our customers鈥� voice is the demand to apply the latest technology to find a better way to do business. 鈥淗ow do I take advantage of AI, blockchain, and machine learning ? To make my supply chain more robust?聽 To improve the quality of my products, hire the best talent, improve the experience of my customers?鈥� Regardless of industry or geography, this is the common thread in our customer conversations.

Our customers鈥� calls for digital transformation have never been louder than during the pandemic. Social distancing, remote working, and supply chain resilience have been some of the most forceful factors in accelerating the economy into a state of hyper-digitization. Even the most reluctant businesses have come online, while others have accelerated their digitization projects. Estimates suggest the industry has condensed five to 10 years of digitization into one.

SAP, for example, has helped tens of thousands of customers go live in less than a year. We鈥檝e helped hospitals build applications to track demand and availability of ventilators, supported government authorities in automating cash-relief payments to citizens, deployed national virus-tracking dashboards, introduced applications to help health authorities ensure availability of critical medical supplies, and got scores of business up and running on e-commerce platforms to stay connected to existing customers and attract new ones. Eighteen of the 20 major COVID-19 vaccine producers are running their production on 51风流solutions. At companies like Moderna, 51风流is supporting compliance with international legislation intended to prevent counterfeit medicines to reach patients.

While we hope the virus lets up very soon, I don鈥檛 think the momentum behind digital transformation will. Businesses will move from digitization as a means of managing a crisis to one of capitalizing on newfound opportunity. We鈥檙e on an irreversible digital binge.

What are your priorities to help businesses make the most of this hyper-digitization?聽

The success of our customers鈥� transformation has required us to accelerate ours; we put two important foundations in place last year to prepare for this shift. First, we ramped up our investment in cloud capability across the company. We announced more research and development, greater co-innovation, and better integration, as well as improved security, reliability, and availability across our solution portfolio.

Secondly, in March last year, we brought together all of our customer-facing teams 鈥� sales, services, customer-engagement, and others 鈥� under the single mandate and board area of Customer Success. The premise and outcome have been a streamlined experience in our engagements with our customers, strengthened relationships as evidenced by our significant increase in net promoter score, as well as a focused feedback loop through to engineering that ensures our customers鈥� voice inspires every line of code, every business process, and every single digital interaction.

These foundational moves are exactly what enables us to better deliver on our customers鈥� digital transformation requirements, and do it even faster, more reliably, and at greater value 鈥� in the cloud. This goes beyond infrastructure and software as a service to full business transformation as a service.

More than three-quarters of the world鈥檚 transaction revenue touches an 51风流system, with US $3.5 trillion in B2B spend crossing our business network annually, and 98% of the 100 most valued brands running on our innovations. Although hundreds of thousands of organizations have already moved significant portions of their workloads to the cloud with 51风流during the past decade, the transition of our global economy to the cloud will accelerate this year.

We plan to unleash offerings, commercial models, and partnerships that will enable our customers to migrate to the cloud at unprecedented scale, transitioning entire industries and whole economies to a better way of doing business. By running full cloud with 51风流and consuming business transformation as a service, organizations will be able to better modernize, standardize, and digitize 鈥� opening up new business models and revenue streams.

In short, we have shaped and continue to shape our entire organization around the customer and fine tune how we work together and with our partners to deliver the value of digital transformation in the cloud.

How do you know when you鈥檝e been successful?聽

It鈥檚 pretty simple: we鈥檒l know we鈥檝e succeeded when each customer in every market is successful. We want every business across every industry and geography that partners with 51风流to fully adopt and consume our technologies to derive the greatest possible value from them 鈥� and intensify their relationship with us as a result.

This is our ambition and my passion for our customers in a full-cloud future with SAP.

What piece of advice have you found most useful in career?

That the best way to achieve success is to help others succeed. At the end of the day, I think this goes back to the values my parents instilled: the best thing you can do to help yourself is to help others. This is so relevant today. Whether it鈥檚 challenges like the pandemic or climate change, or opportunities like hyper-digitization or breakthrough business models, you take them on together 鈥� motivated by a purpose much greater than yourself.

This article first appeared on the 51风流Global News Center

The post Five Questions for SAP鈥檚 Newest Executive Board Member, Scott Russell appeared first on 51风流Africa News Center.