FINCA investee Elucid is improving access to affordable life-saving services for farming communities across six countries.
For millions of smallholder farming families, getting medical care is not as simple as making an appointment. The costs, distance to travel to a clinic, and time away from work turn even routine visits into a difficult choice, forcing many people to either delay care or go without it altogether. Women tend to carry the greatest burden as they are often responsible for managing their own and their family’s health while navigating limited resources.
Elucid, one of the early-stage companies in FINCA’s impact investing portfolio, is working to change that. Elucid’s innovative business model provides robust healthcare services for entire rural communities in Côte d’Ivoire, Ecuador, Ghana, Madagascar, Uganda, and Venezuela. By partnering with local health facilities and mobile clinics, Elucid brings checkups, preventative screenings, and maternal care directly into underserved areas, helping farming families get treatment where they live and work and reducing the financial barriers that prevent them from seeking medical services.
The company also provides education and outreach to help community members understand the importance of prenatal care and support women in accessing medical treatment throughout pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal and reproductive care are central to Elucid’s offerings, and women now make up nearly two-thirds of Elucid’s patients.
Samuel Knauss, Elucid’s co-founder and managing director, considers health a prerequisite for economic opportunity and wellbeing. When people can access healthcare without taking on debt or traveling long distances, he explains, they are better able to work, earn income, and plan for the future. For farming families, that can mean receiving critical life-saving treatments, experiencing a healthier pregnancy, or avoiding difficult choices between medical costs and other household expenses.
For Monica, a cocoa farmer in Ghana, Elucid’s services provided critical care and peace of mind during her pregnancy. “Elucid covered everything: all hospital visits, my cesarean section, and prescribed medications,” she said. “I was expecting to pay a lot of money and had already made plans to borrow some, but I didn’t need to borrow a single pesewa.”
FINCA has supported Elucid’s growth since 2023 through investment and strategic connections. Thanks to FINCA’s network, the company has established new relationships with collaborators and pro bono advisors, raising its visibility, strengthening its operations, and positioning it for continued growth across more countries and agricultural sectors.
As Elucid continues to scale, it remains focused on delivering human-centered care: “Hearing feedback and stories from families who were able to get their children medical care, and about the village celebrations when a child recovers, constantly reinforces why our mission matters,” Samuel Knauss says. “When care reaches people where it’s needed, farming families and their entire supply chains win.”
