Afromics was born from recognizing a critical gap in global genomic databases. While African populations represent the most genetically diverse humans on Earth, they remain vastly underrepresented in genomics.

The idea first took root during the She Starts entrepreneurship programme at the University of Cambridge, hosted at Murray Edwards College. There, our vision received tremendous support and validation, marking the beginning of something transformative.

With guidance from visionary mentors, Afromics evolved from an early concept into a genomic powerhouse with a clear ambition: to sequence 5 million genomes of African ancestry.

But our vision goes beyond numbers. We aim to make precision medicine and scientific discovery truly inclusive, recognizing Africans as the founding populations of all humanity and ensuring their genetic diversity is properly represented in global health solutions. We believe African genomics holds the key to unlocking insights that will benefit everyone.

Building on this momentum, Afromics was selected for the She Soars programme, also at Murray Edwards College. Over an intense six-week journey focused on business development, we sharpened our strategy, expanded our network, and refined our approach to this global challenge.

Our mission resonated. We were honoured to emerge as first-place winners, a powerful recognition of both the urgency and global relevance of our work.

From a bold idea to an award-winning venture, Afromics represents the next chapter in genomic medicine — one where Africa leads the way in discoveries that will benefit humanity worldwide.

Read more:

• "Murray Edwards acts as just 4 per cent of Cambridge spin-outs are all-female led" - Business Weekly