From Proof to Scale: Building the Diagnostic Backbone for Global Health
The Pathology Network has created the infrastructure that connects hospitals, laboratories, and pathologists through technology, governance, and data.
The Pathology Network (TPN) is an Oxford-headquartered, Africa-focused health-tech company advancing laboratory medicine.
Through our flagship platform, Spes360, we connect clinicians, laboratories, and pathologists across national and regional borders, enabling fast, transparent, and accountable diagnostics.
Our goal is to build a digital diagnostic grid that empowers patients, strengthens healthcare systems, and drives equitable growth across emerging markets.
How One Story Ignited a Global Health Revolution
2015–2016
The concept of The Pathology Network (TPN) was conceived by Dr Joshua Kibera, a pathologist who witnessed first-hand how broken diagnostic systems cost lives.
The defining moment was born from the tragedy of Martha: a patient who experienced a lost biopsy, a delayed diagnosis, leading to a preventable death.
What began as a mission to ensure such delays never happen again has evolved into a scalable infrastructure model that connects clinicians, laboratories, and patients across entire health systems.
2017
Incorporation of The Pathology Network Ltd (Kenya) to test the concept and determine whether technology could coordinate diagnostic workflows in Kenya.
2018–2019
Early prototype ALIS runs in Dr Kibera’s private lab (later Aroha Cancer Centre). He understood that technology alone was insufficient and that governance and workflow redesign are essential.
Validation through Impact
2020 – 2024
Over the next four years, TPN developed and deployed Spes360, its digital diagnostic coordination platform.
Through collaborations with hospitals, laboratories, and pharmaceutical partners, the network has demonstrated measurable improvements in turnaround time, visibility, and accountability.
From Concept to Credibility
2025
- Establishment of The Pathology Network Ltd (UK) as the global HQ and IP holder under the UK Department for Business and Trade’s Global Entrepreneur Programme.
- 40,000+ diagnostic cases processed through Spes360.
-
60+ hospitals and laboratories onboarded.
-
Strategic partnerships with local pathology bodies.
-
Turnaround time for histology reports reduced to under 48 hours.
-
National partnerships for cervical and cancer screening initiatives.
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Formation of the TPN Medical Governance Council (TMGC) to ensure clinical and ethical standards.
Global Scale-Up
2026 onward
Launch of Spes360 Licensing Framework (Coordinator, Enterprise, Government Tech licences) enabling regional franchisees across Africa and emerging markets.
Preparation for international pilots (Oxford, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda) and integration of AI modules.
Market Opportunity
Africa’s in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) landscape; the entire market for laboratory and pathology testing, is expanding fast but remains heavily fragmented.
Across the region, hospitals often outsource tests to external laboratories through informal or paper-based systems, creating inefficiencies, lost samples, and delays that cost both money and lives.
Africa's IVD current market value estimation
$
0.01
Billion
Africa's IVD projected market value by 2032
$
0.01
Billion
Outsourced tests across Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria,
15-
0.01
%
Spes360 solves the coordination gap by connecting hospitals, laboratories, and pathologists through a single governed infrastructure — transforming a disjointed IVD sector into a scalable, accountable network.
For investors, this is not just a growth story, this is an opportunity to own the digital layer that will underpin every future diagnostic transaction across the continent and beyond.
TPN's Addressable Market
$30–$60million annually for the coordination layer alone
=$
20
Million
The TPN Advantage
An Operating System for Trusted Diagnostics
Spes360 isn’t another health app, it’s the coordination layer that connects the entire diagnostic ecosystem.
By uniting hospitals, laboratories, pathologists, and regulators under one governed infrastructure, TPN transforms fragmentation into traceability and insight.
Three Pillars:
Governed Quality – Clinical and ethical standards enforced through the TPN Medical Governance Council (TMGC).
Licensing Model – Regional and government partners operate Spes360 locally under TPN’s unified governance and SOPs.
AI Extensions – Patient engagement, Clinical Support, and SpesAI (logistics intelligence) turn diagnostic data into action.
Commercial Model
Sustainable, Repeatable Revenue Streams
TPN’s commercial model ensures recurring income while aligning with health systems sustainability.
Licensing Fees
Regional and government partners pay annual fees for deploying and maintaining Spes360 infrastructure.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Subscriptions for hospitals, labs, and diagnostic groups using coordination and analytics modules.
AI & Data Services
Predictive analytics and AI insights for regulators, pharmaceutical partners, and ministries of health.
Growth Drivers
The Perfect Storm for Scale
Healthcare across Africa is digitising.
From logistics to financing, it’s creating an environment ready for infrastructure-led innovation.
TPN’s growth strategy aligns with the continent’s most powerful structural trends:
Rising NCD Burden
Growing demand for early, accurate diagnosis.
Pharma Access Programmes
Require verified diagnostic readiness.
Digitisation of Logistics & Finance
Enabling faster, transparent workflows.
Public–Private Partnerships
Creating scale through shared governance.
Licensing Expansion Model
Ensures local ownership and rapid replication.
Impact & Track Record
Key Milestones
2017 - 2018
Concept developed and first MVP tested in rural Kenya.
Identified coordination and sample-referral challenges across hospitals and labs.
2019
Secured first paying customer and partner hospital.
Onboarded first external pathologist and angel investor.
2020 - 2021
Business model refined for scalability.
Received first institutional investment from Villgro Africa.
Opened initial office and hired core team.
2022 - 2023
Achieved first revenue milestone; 30 hospitals and 14 pathologists active.
Expanded operations in Nairobi and began fundraising for growth capital.
2023 - 2024
Closed US $650,000 seed round.
Released new scalable platform Spes360 and launched HPV.ke initiative.
Established UK headquarters and senior leadership team.
2025
40,000+ Patients served
300+ Clinicians connected
60+ Healthcare facilities served