As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the healthcare sector, South African start-up Lupak Healthcare is developing a platform that aims to make healthcare more accessible and affordable for patients, while reducing the administrative burden on medical practitioners.
Co-founded by Stellenbosch University (SU) Mechatronics Engineering student Linathi Gwayi, Lupak is an AI-powered healthcare platform designed for African private practices. Its approach combines patient access, AI-assisted administration and patient education, with the aim of allowing healthcare practitioners to spend more time caring for patients.
From personal experience to healthcare innovation
For Gwayi, the inspiration behind Lupak came from experiencing the challenges of accessing healthcare in South Africa.
Growing up in Ilitha Park, Khayelitsha, after spending his early childhood in Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape, Gwayi witnessed how long queues, limited access to affordable care and administrative inefficiencies affected patients and healthcare practitioners alike.
During his high school years, seeking medical attention often meant missing classes, spending hours waiting at healthcare facilities and sometimes returning the following day without receiving care. He later observed similar challenges among students in Stellenbosch who struggled to access affordable healthcare.
“Healthcare in South Africa has a two-sided pain point: people cannot get medical care, and the practitioners who provide it are buried in admin. I have seen both sides,” says Gwayi.
Determined to address these challenges, Gwayi joined forces with his long-time friend, Lupak’s Co-founder and CEO, Yakhanani Maswana, who leads strategy and fundraising. The team later welcomed Lunga Momoza, founder of Basket E-commerce, who oversees operations and sales.
Together, the co-founders set out to develop a solution that addresses both sides of the healthcare experience: improving access for patients and reducing the workload of healthcare professionals.
The growing role of AI in healthcare
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being explored as a tool to support healthcare delivery, from assisting clinical workflows to improving administrative efficiency and patient communication.
For Lupak, the opportunity lies in using AI to address practical challenges within South Africa’s healthcare system.
The platform brings together three key functions: connecting patients with private practices through partners, providing AI tools to reduce doctors’ administrative responsibilities, and supporting patients through education, reminders, follow-ups and bookings.
Importantly, Lupak is designed to keep healthcare professionals in control of AI-generated outputs, with doctors reviewing and approving them before use.
As the platform developed, the founders recognised that AI systems trained predominantly in developed countries may not fully reflect the needs and circumstances of South African communities. This prompted the team to adapt Lupak to the local context.
Building trust in AI-powered healthcare
While AI presents opportunities to improve healthcare efficiency, building trust remains one of the biggest challenges facing emerging healthcare technologies.
For Lupak, this means demonstrating that AI can support medical practitioners without replacing their professional judgement, while ensuring patients feel comfortable using a new healthcare platform.
“Doctors want to be sure that AI will support their judgement and not replace it. Patients need to feel safe sharing their health needs with a new platform. Partners want proof that a young team can deliver. As founders, we have to earn that trust, not assume it,” explains Gwayi.
To address these concerns, Lupak has brought clinical and telemedicine advisors onto its team, including Dr Mishka Karsan, a medical doctor, health tech innovator and founder of Heppy Health, and telemedicine advisor Carolina Brito, CEO and co-founder of Brito Wata. Their involvement helps ensure that the platform is informed by the realities of clinical practice.
The team also engages directly with healthcare practitioners and patients, using their feedback to improve the platform and its practical application.
Expanding access beyond traditional healthcare models
Since its launch in February 2026, Lupak has focused on developing and deploying its platform to healthcare practices and patients, despite the challenges of securing funding.
The company is also exploring new approaches to improving healthcare affordability and access.
One of its emerging initiatives is Care Now, Pay Later, a feature being developed to allow patients to receive healthcare services before making payment. The company is currently piloting partnerships linked to this model.
“No one should be turned away from healthcare because they cannot pay upfront. With Care Now, Pay Later, the doctor is paid straight after the consultation by our financing partners, and the patient pays over time through their employer’s healthcare benefit,” says Gwayi.
The start-up has also benefited from engagement with SU LaunchLab, which has supported the founders as they have become more involved in networking and pitching opportunities.
Engineering a future for African healthcare
Despite balancing the demands of a full-time engineering degree with building a healthcare start-up, Gwayi remains focused on developing technology that responds to challenges within his community.
His interest in technology began during high school when he participated in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) International Space Apps Challenge, sparking an interest in coding, website applications and artificial intelligence.
Although he initially wanted to become a medical doctor, his experiences with healthcare access led him towards engineering and technology development as another way to improve people’s lives.
Looking ahead, Gwayi hopes to contribute to positioning South Africa as a leader in biomedical robotics, while continuing to build Lupak into a platform that supports healthcare delivery across African communities.
His advice to aspiring innovators reflects the journey behind the company:
“You don’t need a technology background to build technology. I had none until my late high school years. Start where you are, learn what you need, and build for the problem you know best,” says Gwayi.
As AI continues to evolve in healthcare, Lupak represents a locally driven approach to innovation, demonstrating how emerging technologies can be developed around the needs of the communities they are intended to serve.
