Eight African entrepreneurs have been selected by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as regional venture finalists for the ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), the prestigious international accelerator of hardware-led social innovation.
The prestigious ASME ISHOW hardware accelerator is open to individuals and organisations taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and environmental impact and that improve the quality of life around the world.
ASME annually matches up to 30 carefully selected ventures with appropriate engineering experts to ensure that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically, environmentally, culturally, and financially sustainable. To date, it has provided support to over 250 startups from more than 35 countries to solve critical quality-of-life challenges for vulnerable populations worldwide.
Eight social ventures from Africa have been selected to vie for three spots in the 2026 ISHOW global cohort, offering a share of grant awards, access to ASME’s network of experts, and technical support to help bring their impactful innovations to market.
They include AISHA, an AI-powered voice assistant deployed on low-cost hardware that provides healthcare information to patients and healthcare workers in underserved communities; BMTA&C Energy, a clean, solar, smart refrigeration technology; Ecomobilus Technologies for its “e-Mkoko”, a solar-powered electric handcart; and KilimoChills, for its “solar-powered cold storage room”.
The cohort is completed by Kumva Insights for its “Farm Smarter Platform”; Orienta for its “HVAD” technology; Team CannaSave for its “CannaSave” system; and Yaaka Investment for its “Yaaka E-waste recycling plant”.