EASE Secures $9.5M Equity From AAFC for AI Imaging, Robotics in Africa

Netherlands-headquartered EASE Holdings BV, a medical equipment-as-a-service provider operating in South Africa and Ghana, has secured US$9.5 million in additional equity from AAFC Group Inc., according to a press release distributed via PR Newswire on Nov. 2. The release does not assign a series label to the round, and the company did not disclose a valuation.

AAFC Group, described in the release as a U.S.-based investor in emerging-market asset-backed finance, is the only investor named. The new capital brings EASE's total equity to US$24 million, which sits alongside the company's existing debt facilities. TechAfrica News reported the same figures.

Medical Equipment on a Pay-Per-Use Basis

EASE places high-value diagnostic and therapeutic equipment with healthcare providers on a pay-per-use or managed-service basis, with maintenance, support and upgrades included. Because of that structure, customers can treat the cost as an operating expense rather than buying the machines outright. Target categories include MRI, CT and PET-CT scanners, surgical robots and radiotherapy systems, much of it increasingly AI-enhanced.

Current deployments include surgical robots in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga, a PET-CT scanner in Rustenburg, an MRI scanner in Akwatia, Ghana, and CT scanners in Accra.

Use of Funds and Expansion Plans

The capital will be used to scale operations in South Africa and Ghana and grow the company's installed base of equipment. EASE expects at least US$20 million in new South African installations in 2027, working with large banks and equipment manufacturers. It also plans to expand its South African board and has engaged Wynand du Plessis of Mindcor-InterSearch to recruit a managing director. Beyond its current markets, the company is assessing India, Morocco and Malaysia.

“This investment marks an important step in expanding our healthcare infrastructure platform,” said CEO Dr Kanyinsola Oyeyinka. “We can now bring more high-value equipment to our customers,” Oyeyinka added.

The Investor View

Frans van Schaik, CEO of AAFC Group, said “EASE is addressing a structural constraint.” Van Schaik pointed to providers' need for increasingly sophisticated diagnostic and therapeutic technology, and to the equity-to-debt ratios banks require, which make advanced medical equipment very expensive to own. “EASE provides a solution that allows providers to keep pace,” he said.

Why It Matters

This is less a classic venture round than a balance-sheet build. EASE owns expensive equipment and recovers its cost through usage and service fees, and van Schaik's own framing is that bank equity-to-debt requirements are what make such equipment hard to own. New equity is the base that lets the company carry more of it.

The investor fits the model. AAFC focuses on emerging-market asset-backed finance, and EASE's assets are scanners, robots and radiotherapy systems installed in clinics and hospitals. Its stated target of at least US$20 million in new South African installations next year is more than double the fresh equity, a sign of how much the plan leans on bank and manufacturer partnerships alongside the new capital.

For providers in South Africa and Ghana, the pitch is access without the upfront purchase. Recruiting a South African managing director and enlarging the local board point to a company preparing for heavier operations there, while India, Morocco and Malaysia remain under assessment with no timeline given.

Source

PR Newswire — EASE Secures US$9.5 Million to Expand AI-Enabled Medical Imaging and Surgical Robotics in South Africa and Ghana