The Oxygen CoLab
We exist to help build thriving, self-reliant oxygen markets that work for patients
We're building the Missing Middle
Major progress has been made toward scaling up oxygen production in LMICs over the last decade - by engaging industrial gas suppliers and investing in public-sector-owned PSA plants. But the reality is that production alone doesn't guarantee access for patients.
The problem
Oxygen is produced, but it’s not reliably delivered to patients
Industrial gas producers
Publicly owned PSA plant
Health Facilities
Industrial gas producers
Industrial gas producers can make oxygen efficiently, but their businesses are built to deliver to large, centralised industrial customers - not smaller, distributed health-sector clients.
Publicly-owned PSA plants
Public-sector health facilities can struggle to run PSA plants on their own without adequate operational and maintenance capacity. Therefore, these plants are often underutilised or can become costly neglected assets.
Our solution
Local oxygen SMEs that connect production to patients
We are supporting the growth of a dedicated layer of health-focused local oxygen SMEs who can fill - the “Missing Middle'“. This “Missing Middle” is essential to move from fragmented, unreliable delivery systems to high-performing, sustainable oxygen markets that reliably serve patients.
These SMEs: aggregate small facility demand into viable volumes for large producers, translate industrial supply into health-ready solutions, operate public assets professionally with bundled services (training, equipment, logistics), and introduce needed competition beyond the few large industrial players, align incentives with health outcomes, not just production margins
Industrial gas producers
Local oxygen SMEs
Publicly-owned PSA plants
Health Facilities
How we are building the Missing Middle
Demand aggregation & procurement
Pooling demand and structuring smarter procurement to create predictable, long-term markets for oxygen suppliers.
Regulatory
reform
Working with governments to simplify regulation, lower barriers to entry, and ensure consistent quality across the market
SME support & market development
Backing local suppliers with capital, technical support, and market access to help them grow and deliver reliably
Unlocking oxygen financing
Aligning existing funding and building investment cases so more money flows further into sustainable oxygen systems
Where we’ve come from
Backed local respiratory SMEs
Supported local SME's delivering oxygen through service-based models with technical support and an academic evaluation
Built a global tech pipeline
We invested in technology that reduces the costs and improves the efficiency of oxygen delivered through service-based models
Influenced sector progress
We built an evidence base that demonstrated the case for the Missing Middle in oxygen access, and how we can fill it
The impact we've made
100%
Supported O2aaS* SMEs to achieve 100% uptime, drive over 50% increases in oxygen use and lower costs by up to 70%
22:1
Achieved 22:1 co-investment into R&D of fit-for-purpose oxygen concentrators
49%
49% drop in child mortality from hypoxemia due to O2aaS* SME intervention across 20 facilities in Uganda
95%
95% of concentrators provided through O2aaS remain functional compared to just 25% of those in facilities without
*O2aaS -> Oxygen-as-a-Service
Latest from us
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| OCT 2025 |
No more empty wards: Uganda’s journey toward reliable oxygen for all
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| SEPT 2025 |
Building the Missing Middle in practice: How our partners are delivering oxygen access on the ground
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| SEPT 2025 |
A new path for oxygen access. Introducing The Target Service Profile - a practical tool to build resilient oxygen markets
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| JULY 2025 |
Building the Missing Middle: Closing the gap between production and access
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| JUN 2025 |
Do Oxygen Differently: Breathing Room: Issue #2
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Every other month, we deliver all the latest directly to your inbox. You’ll find updates from grantees and the wider medical oxygen ecosystem, invitations to join us at global health events, opportunities to get involved, and more, in our Newsletter - Breathing Room