Employing AI, these 5 African enterprises enhance assistive technology accessibility
A new wave of African startups is making strides in the development and implementation of assistive technology, designed from the ground up to meet the unique needs of the continent. These innovative companies are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to create affordable, accessible, and locally-suited solutions that are transforming lives across East Africa and beyond.
One such startup is Signvrse, founded by Elly Savatia in 2020. The Kenyan company's flagship product, Terp 360, is currently being piloted in classrooms and government portals, with over 8,000 hours of testing already logged. Signvrse has also generated more than $165,000 in revenue and been featured by the Paris Peace Forum as an impact project showcasing inclusive education technology from Africa. The startup has received support from Innovate Now, Africa's assistive-tech accelerator, the Google.org Accelerator on Generative AI, and Microsoft's Imagine Cup, earning $25,000 as a global finalist.
Another promising startup is Hope Tech Plus, based in Kenya and founded by Brian Mwenda in 2017. The company's flagship product, The Sixth Sense, uses sonar and haptic feedback to provide real-time spatial awareness for visually impaired users. Hope Tech Plus has received support from the Innovate Now Accelerator and the Royal Academy of Engineering's Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation.
In Tunisia, Cure Bionics has developed the Hannibal Hand, an AI-powered, 3D-printed bionic arm. The startup has secured over $75,000 in funding through various grants and accelerator programs.
Meanwhile, Vinsighte, a Nigerian EdTech startup, has developed an AI-powered app called Visis. Designed specifically for African contexts, Visis scans text and reads it aloud, making education more accessible to those with visual impairments. Vinsighte combines hardware with affordable subscriptions, making its text-to-speech app accessible to schools that cannot afford costly imports.
Assistive technology in Africa has historically been expensive, hard to maintain, and ill-suited to local needs. However, these new startups are addressing these challenges, using AI to improve text-to-speech and translation for local languages, customize prosthetics and mobility aids, and deliver real-time feedback for users.
The market for these locally designed solutions is valued at $523 million in 2023 and expected to reach $1.076 billion by 2030. Despite this promising growth, local technicians are rarely trained to repair devices, and software struggles with local languages, making many tools unusable.
In the hearing healthcare sector, HearX Group, based in South Africa, has transformed the landscape with an AI-powered smartphone audiometer and over-the-counter hearing aids, priced at around $999 per pair. HearX Group has logged $58 million in sales by 2023, raised nearly $60 million in funding, and won a Startup Award at SAVCA.
These African startups are not only addressing local needs but also making a global impact. Signvrse, for example, was featured by the Paris Peace Forum as an impact project showcasing inclusive education technology from Africa in 2023, and received the Presidential Innovation Award.
The future of assistive technology in Africa looks bright, with these innovative startups leading the way in creating affordable, accessible, and locally-suited solutions. As these companies continue to grow and evolve, they are set to revolutionize the lives of millions of people across the continent.
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