Innovate Now Fellowship Launches During AI & Inclusion Challenge 2025

On Friday, November 14, 2025, during the AI & Inclusion Challenge 2025 at Strathmore University, held on the sidelines of the Global Data Science and AI Summit, the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) proudly launched the Innovate Now Fellowship –  a bold initiative aimed at strengthening and scaling Africa’s assistive technology (AT) ecosystem. 

The Fellowship is being offered by the Global Disability Innovation Hub through its GDI Accelerate Inclusive Leaders Platform, as a new component of the Innovate Now Accelerator designed to strengthen leadership, resilience, and inclusive innovation capacity across the ecosystem. The Innovate Now Accelerator is delivered in partnership with the Assistive Technologies for Disability Trust (AT4D) and Kilimanjaro Blind Trust Africa (KBTA), with support from Senses Hub and funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD)  

“The idea behind the fellowship is to solve two complementary challenges,” said Ben Hardman, Head of Innovation Ecosystems at GDI Hub: 

• AT businesses often struggle to recruit talented young professionals with the right mix of technical and creative skills.
• Meanwhile, many university graduates in Africa are unaware of the vibrant opportunities within the assistive technology sector. 

The fellowship bridges this gap by connecting emerging talent with established ventures, showcasing the sector as an exciting career destination. 

The challenge brought together 25 students shortlisted from  135 registrations across Kenya, 20 individuals with lived experience of disability, and four  AT ventures: Beyond Brain Barriers, Deaf Tawk, HopeTech, SignVrse. These ventures presented  challenges  for innovators  to tackle.  The participants received technical guidance and strategic support throughout the programme from a strong network of mentors, coaches, and ecosystem partners. This included Samir and Sameer Rawal from Digital Impact Square – a TCS Foundation Initiative (India), John Rarui and Paschal Kyalo from Strathmore University, as well as Ben Hardman and Shantosh Cumarasurier from GDI Hub, all of whom played key roles in strengthening the fellows’ experience and shaping their work. 

This support was further enriched by active engagement from venture representatives, including Tabby Ngeru and Victor Njuguna from Beyond Brain Barriers; Abdul Qadeer and Elizabeth Crowther from DeafTawk; and Brian Mwenda from HopeTech, and Winnie Ongiri and Kenneth Muyoyo from Signvrse; who provided practical insights and ensured close alignment with real venture needs. 

The day culminated in the selection of four fellows, who will work with the ventures for six months to address specific challenges, funded through Innovate Now by NORAD. 

The winners of the Innovate Now Fellowship are: 

• Antony Shikanda – joining Beyond Brain Barriers
• Lameck Nderitu – joining DeafTawk
• Hannington Ouma – joining Signvrse
• Glory Kemei – joining HopeTech 

  “We’re helping students recognise that assistive technology is both a viable career pathway and a space where innovation and impact come together,” Hardman added.  

The Innovate Now Fellowship marks a significant step toward building inclusive innovation ecosystems and creating equitable futures for people with disabilities across the region.