May 7, 2025| Lagos | Nigeria
With the new projection of the global medical device market with an expected astronomic growth from $678.88 billion in 2025 to over $1.1 trillion by 2034, players like Platos Health must be providing a very unique alternative solution to the myriads of problems facing the health sector in Nigeria, hence, the backing by Google and Tesla with the sum of $1.4 million as a pre-seed funding to scale her AI powered health monitoring platform and further strengthen its capacity to do more for the Nigeria people .
This growth is largely driven by the increasing demand for home-based health monitoring, especially among people ageing and individuals managing chronic illnesses.
Platos Health, Amsterdam and Lagos based Nigerian startup positioning itself as a local alternative to these global medical tech giants. It is also stepping away from the telemedicine solutions African healthtech startups are known for over the years.
Platos Health is taking on a silent health crisis with its latest launch: Platos Monitor, an AI-powered software platform designed to uncover hidden fat and metabolism risks, even in slim individuals. Starting with a nationwide rollout across 300+ pharmacies in Nigeria, the company aims to make preventive health accessible to everyone, first in Africa’s largest country, then globally. Today, the company also announced it has closed $1.4 million in a pre-seed round to strengthen its product-market fit.
The hook? Slim doesn’t always mean healthy. Platos Health’s data reveals that 34% of people with a normal BMI harbour dange
CEO, Platos Health
Platos Health’s mission has always been to make health accessible to everyone. In 2020, the company started with fully digital diabetes care in Nigeria, where 3.5 million people live with the condition, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Under its original product, Zest, the startup treated thousands of users, published research in the International Journal of Diabetes and Technology, and ran a successful pilot with Reliance Health. But as the company evolved, so did its mission: to make preventive health accessible to everyone.
By 2022, Platos had shifted to remote patient monitoring (RPM), signing partnerships with the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Chronicare (an affiliate entity of ISN, Roche’s largest distributor in Nigeria), and AllCO Health Insurance.
Why start in Nigeria? In countries with limited access to care—where there’s often just one cardiologist per million patients and doctors are increasingly leaving—a simple spike in blood glucose or blood pressure can lead to death, and chronic obesity can cause severe complications. “If we want to make an impact, it must start with individuals, not just in clinics and hospitals,” Fakayode explains. Platos Monitor empowers users directly, addressing these gaps with accessible, preventive tools.
A critical discovery drove the pivot to prevention. Platos’ data showed that 68% of users were overweight or obese, with only 3.8% in the ideal fat mass range. Medical research, including studies in The Lancet and PubMed, shows that excess visceral fat slows metabolism by impairing mitochondrial function and increasing insulin resistance, raising risks for diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. Platos’ findings aligned with this science. As Dr. William Li, a pioneer in metabolic health research, notes: “You’re not born with a slow metabolism that causes you to become fat.
It’s the other way around—having too much body fat slows your metabolism, creating a vicious cycle.”
Platos’ data already reveals that many of its customers live with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes high blood glucose, high blood pressure, and excess body fat. Among users logging these biomarkers, the majority showed elevated blood glucose, blood pressure levels, and were either overweight or obese. With an estimated 40 million Nigerians affected by metabolic syndrome—part of two billion globally—and 45 million living with overweight and obesity, Platos saw an urgent need to act.
Enter Platos Monitor, a self-monitoring solution that redefines healthtech by pairing affordable, medical-grade hardware with AI-powered software. Unlike competitors’ limited apps, Platos excels with its software-first approach. With the purchase of the Platos Body Monitor, priced between $50 (80,000 NGN) and $80 (120,000) for Nigeria’s price-sensitive market, users get the Platos Monitor Software for free—available on Android, iOS, and web—which integrates with Apple Health and Google Health Connect to track metabolic markers. Platos Intelligence, built on Google’s Gemini AI, delivers personalised insights, like breaking down ‘good fat’ versus ‘bad fat’, alongside features like Health Summary and AI-driven coaching to help users manage weight, improve metabolic health, prevent disease, and even prevent muscle loss to combat sarcopenia.
“Platos Body Monitor gets you started, but our AI-powered software changes lives—it’s health intelligence in your hands,” Fakayode says. In a January 2025 product-market fit survey, 59.4% of users said they’d be disappointed without Platos, citing its precision and seamless tracking. Early results are promising: 33% of users achieved clinically significant weight loss (5% reduction) by month three.
The Nigeria launch, spanning 300+ pharmacy stores from Medplus, Justrite, and Alpha Pharmacy, builds on Platos’ growth—revenue up 500% in 2024, with a 2754.51% increase in biomarker logs. The company now collects 49 biomarkers, targeting urban women and health-conscious men burdened by food choices and sedentary lifestyles. Platos’ pilot partnerships with Chronicare for its Remote Patient Monitoring offerings further cement its ambition to make health accessible.
Platos Health has attracted significant investor attention, closing $1.4 million in a pre-seed round from Google for Startups, Invest International, and angel investors from Google, Tesla, and Unicredit. “We saw a gap—health isn’t just clinical; it’s personal,” Fakayode adds. “Platos Monitor brings that power to Nigerians first.”
Looking ahead, Platos is doubling down on research and expansion. Collaborations with its scientific advisory board members, such as Professor Hanno Pijl and Dr. Jimoh Itopa, are exploring dietary impacts on fat and metabolism, inspired by Dr. William Li’s work on the body’s defence systems. Studies on fat regulation, brown fat activation, and metabolic restoration aim to position Platos as a leader in metabolic health, with plans to offer results as safe, personalised recommendations through Platos Monitor Plus, a subscription upgrade. The company also plans to expand into other emerging markets in Africa and Europe.
With metabolic syndrome and obesity affecting millions in Nigeria and billions globally, Platos Health’s pivot to preventive health could mark a new chapter for healthtech—one where hidden risks are no longer invisible, and Nigeria leads the way.
