Beneficiaries Spotlight Series Interview with Jennifer Esiaba

In this interview, we sit down with Jennifer Esiaba, founder of Miriam Grey Pharmacy, she shares her entrepreneurial journey, the impact of the Growth4Her Accelerator program, and the challenges she has overcome along the way, she also shares how she is revolutionizing healthcare access in Nigeria, particularly for women and those seeking mental health support. Read on to hear how her innovative approach is breaking down barriers in healthcare and empowering individuals to take control of their well-being.

Interviewer: Can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your business?    

My name is Jennifer Esiaba, I’m the founder of Miriam Grey Pharmacy, also known as Miriam Grey Health, and we’re on a mission to change the way healthcare is accessed in Nigeria, for women and for people that are seeking mental health support. How we achieve this is that we leverage technology to provide very easy and convenient online pharmaceutical services, at-home lab tests, and virtual doctor’s consultations. And by so doing, we break down a lot of barriers encountered by people trying to access care conventionally. Also, we are empowering individuals to take control of their health.    

Interviewer: What motivated you to join the Growth4Her Accelerator program?  

I would say along my startup journey, along my entrepreneurship journey, I’ve come to recognize that there are unique challenges faced by women and female entrepreneurs. And I think this sort of drew me to Growth4Her’s focus on mentorship, training, and investment, preparing women to become investment ready. And I saw this as a very, you know, invaluable opportunity to gain all the skills and the networking that I require to scale my brand and maximize the impact that we have.  

Interviewer: Were there specific challenges your business was faced with prior to joining the program? How did the Growth4Her Accelerator program help you overcome these challenges you faced in growing your business?  

Let me start with the first part. So, prior to Growth4Her, I would say that we faced common challenges that many other startups and businesses encounter, which is like, how do we refine our business model? How do we get funding? How do we manoeuvre and navigate all the complexities in the Nigerian healthcare landscape? These are some of the things that prove very, very daunting for us on our journey.  And then I would say, on to the second part, the programme provided us with a lot of very targeted guidance on all these that I mentioned. And it also made us learn and be equipped with tools and different strategies to help us overcome these hurdles and position ourselves for growth, and not just any kind of growth, but sustainable growth.  

Interviewer: Can you share a memorable moment or experience from the Growth4Her Accelerator program that stood out to you?  

I would say that the community and the fact that all of us share a common purpose, all the female founders that were in the cohorts was quite inspiring to me. Also, the opportunity to connect with them, learn from them because we are all at different stages of our business and on our journey. So, being in a group or community with like-minded women and that are very driven in business was, you know, something that should have been paid for.  

You know, you can’t quantify the benefits that you get from this kind of community. It also helps us to foster a very supportive network and that is still benefiting me and my business to date.  

Interviewer: Since completing the Growth4Her Accelerator program, how has your business grown or changed?   

Since its completion, I would say we have experienced significant growth, both in our customer base and our service offerings. So, the program was focused on getting us investment ready, and it helped us get into the talking stage with a potential angel investor, because we already had documentations ready that made our business look ready for investment. And this would help us to expand our team, and also optimize our technology platform. And conversations are ongoing, and we are very positive about the outcome.  

Interviewer: What advice would you give to other women entrepreneurs who are considering joining the Growth4Her Accelerator program?  

The first thing that jumps out at me is definitely ‘don’t hesitate.’ The Growth4Her program is a great opportunity to gain the networking that you need, confidence that you need, the skills that you require to take your business to the next level. And because it’s female-focused, female founder-focused, you would get a great, supportive, and a very empowering environment that allows you grow at your feet and puts you on the pathway to success.  

I would say I’m very thankful to Growth4Her and I’m happy to touch base, come back if you need me for anything, I’m grateful for the opportunity.  

You can visit her company’s website at www.mariamgrey.com