Ugandan Engineer's NeoNest Warmer Revolutionizes Preterm Baby Care

In the bustling maternity wards of rural Uganda, where preterm babies fight for survival without the warmth they desperately need, one engineer's quiet determination sparked a revolution. James Walusimbi, founder of Che Innovations, turned his frustration into innovation, creating the NeoNest—a portable warmer that's saving tiny lives across Africa, one baby at a time.

The Spark in the Darkness

James Walusimbi grew up in Kampala, Uganda, surrounded by the vibrancy of a nation on the rise but haunted by its healthcare gaps. As a mechanical engineer, he spent years working in factories, designing machinery for export. Yet, his heart pulled him toward local problems. In 2018, a family tragedy shattered that balance. His sister gave birth prematurely, and the baby struggled in a under-equipped hospital. Standard incubators, bulky and electricity-dependent, offered little help during transport or power outages—common realities in rural Africa.

"I watched my nephew fight hypothermia in a makeshift setup of hot water bottles and blankets," James recalls. That image lingered. Preterm births affect over 15 million babies globally each year, with sub-Saharan Africa bearing the heaviest burden. In Uganda alone, neonatal mortality claims thousands, often due to something as basic as body temperature regulation. James saw the disconnect: high-end incubators from the West cost $10,000 or more, far beyond the reach of local clinics. He decided to build something better, something African.

Che Innovations was born in James's garage that same year. With no formal business training, he sketched prototypes on scraps of paper, blending engineering smarts with on-the-ground empathy. The goal was simple yet audacious: an affordable transport warmer that worked without constant power, portable enough for ambulances or motorbikes, and tough enough for dusty rural roads.

Battling the Bootstrap Blues

The early days tested James like nothing else. Uganda's startup ecosystem was nascent, funding scarce, and manufacturing infrastructure limited. He poured his savings—about $5,000—into the first prototype. Nights blurred into days as he sourced parts from local markets and scrapyards. Aluminum sheets for the bassinet, phase-change materials for heat retention, and basic sensors became his playground.

The biggest hurdle? Testing. Without a lab, James partnered with Mulago Hospital, Kampala's largest public facility. "We'd sneak prototypes into the neonatal unit at midnight," he laughs. Nurses became his first sounding board, pointing out flaws: too heavy, not warm enough in drafts, batteries failing in heat. Iteration after iteration, the design evolved. By mid-2019, NeoNest Mark I emerged—a 5kg warmer that maintained 37°C for 4 hours unplugged, priced under $500.

Funding woes mounted. Banks laughed at his pitch; investors wanted quick exits, not social impact. James crowdfunded via local networks, raising $20,000 from Ugandan diaspora and small grants. Supply chain snags hit hard—COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 halted imports of critical components. Production stalled, and James nearly quit. "There were days I questioned everything. Was I an engineer or a dreamer?" But a pivotal call from a rural clinic changed that. A midwife shared how they'd jury-rigged warmers from buckets and coals, losing babies daily. James pushed on, assembling units by hand with two friends in a rented shed.

Regulatory mazes added grit. Uganda's NDA demanded clinical trials. James navigated bureaucracy solo, enrolling 50 preterm infants in a pilot. Results were promising: zero hypothermia cases versus 30% in controls. Yet, scaling meant quality control. Early batches had leaks; one unit failed during a demo, soaking a demo doll. Humiliating, but it forced rigorous testing protocols.

Milestones That Moved Mountains

Breakthrough came in 2021. The first customer: a district hospital in Mbale, eastern Uganda. They ordered five NeoNests after a live demo on a bumpy road. "It worked flawlessly," the chief doctor reported. Word spread. By year's end, Che Innovations hit first revenue: $25,000 from 50 units sold to clinics in Uganda and Kenya.

• 2022 Pivot and Growth: Feedback revealed a gap—hospitals needed stationary incubators too. James pivoted slightly, launching DreamNest, a wall-powered version. Sales doubled to $100,000, with exports to Tanzania and Rwanda.
• 2023 Validation: A WHO prequalification nod and partnership with UNICEF brought $500,000 in grants. Production scaled to 500 units/year via a new workshop employing 15 locals.
• 2024 Expansion: Che entered South Sudan and Ethiopia, training 200 midwives. Revenue crossed $1M, with 80% margins thanks to local sourcing.
• 2025 TechCrunch Triumph: Selected for Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt, James pitched NeoNest to global scouts. Though not the grand winner, the exposure landed a $2M seed from impact VCs, fueling R&D for solar-powered upgrades.

Today, over 5,000 preterm babies have been warmed by Che devices. Survival rates in partner clinics jumped 25%. James's team grew to 40, blending engineers, nurses, and sales pros. They've saved an estimated 1,200 lives, per hospital data.

"Success isn't sales—it's the call from a mother saying her baby made it home." — James Walusimbi

Lessons Forged in the Fire

James's path offers hard-won wisdom for founders bootstrapping impact ventures. Here are three standouts:

1. Start with Users, Not Perfection. James skipped fancy prototypes, building "good enough" versions for real wards. Feedback loops accelerated learning. Early revenue validated faster than any pitch deck.
2. Localize Ruthlessly. Importing killed margins; sourcing Uganda-made parts cut costs 60%. Understanding power outages and road conditions made NeoNest unbeatable against imports.
3. Build Resilience Networks. Grants and partnerships bridged funding gaps. James joined African medtech hubs, finding mentors who taught grant-writing and regs. Solo heroes burn out—alliances endure.

These aren't theories; they're scars from the grind. James emphasizes measuring impact metrics early—lives saved, not just units shipped—to attract mission-aligned funders.

From garage tinkering to global stage, Che Innovations proves African founders can solve African problems with African ingenuity. James Walusimbi isn't chasing unicorns; he's building lifelines, one warmer at a time.

What is your biggest takeaway from James's journey? Share your thoughts or your own founder struggles in the comments below!