Nigerian digital health startup Diatron Health has been selected to join the DMZ Pre-Incubator program at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada, ranked as the world’s top university-based tech incubator by UBI Global.
Chosen among 25 startups from hundreds of international applications, Diatron Health represented Nigeria in a diverse cohort spanning eight countries, marking another milestone for African innovators breaking into the global startup scene.
Diatron Health, co-founded by Samuel Bankole and Olutola Awosiku, is developing technology to help prevent, manage, and diagnose chronic health conditions through the use of artificial intelligence, behavioural science, and data-driven insights.
Bankole, who previously led the frontend engineering team at Quabbly — creators of West Africa’s first no-code platform — said the selection validated his vision for building scalable health technology products.
“Being selected for the DMZ Pre-Incubator was validation that the skills I developed building scalable products at Quabbly could translate to solving critical healthcare challenges,” Bankole said.
At Quabbly, Bankole oversaw a team of engineers designing user-friendly systems for non-technical creators; experience, he said, directly influenced Diatron’s design philosophy.
“Healthcare technology has similar requirements: it must be simple for patients and providers while handling complex data and workflows,” he added.
The DMZ Pre-Incubator is a six-week accelerator designed to help early-stage founders validate business ideas, build minimum viable products, and connect with Toronto’s innovation ecosystem. Participating startups receive mentorship, expert workshops, and access to over $470,000 in membership benefits.
For Diatron Health, the program provided more than technical growth — it offered strategic insight.
“The DMZ taught me how to validate that we were building the right product,” Bankole said. “It was a crucial balance between technical expertise and business direction.”
Co-founder Olutola Awosiku, a medical laboratory scientist and Ashoka Changemaker Scholar, brings healthcare expertise that complements Bankole’s engineering background. Awosiku’s prior achievements include winning Best Healthcare Solution at Afrihack 2020, 2nd Prize at Ignite Innovation Lab 2020, and participation in MIT Hacking Medicine GrandHack 2020.
Together, the duo represents the growing synergy between healthcare and technology emerging from Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.
“At Quabbly, we proved Nigerian engineers could build products that compete globally,” Bankole said. “The DMZ selection reinforced that geography doesn’t limit what we can build — Nigerian talent is world-class.”
Since its inception in 2010, the DMZ has supported over 500 startups, helping them raise more than $1 billion in capital and create over 4,000 jobs worldwide.
Diatron Health’s participation underscores Nigeria’s rising reputation in global tech innovation — and signals the growing impact of African startups at the intersection of technology and healthcare.
