Two Kenyan artificial intelligence startups have each secured $5,000 (about KSh645,000) after winning Meta’s inaugural AI Academy Kenya Pitchathon. Neural Labs Africa and Me-Nasoma Labs received the awards in equity-free funding and Meta advertising credits, while also earning invitations to pitch at the company’s Regional AI Summit in Istanbul.
Neural Labs Africa won with NeuralSight, an AI-powered tele-radiology platform that connects healthcare facilities with remote specialists to produce medical imaging reports. The platform is designed to support healthcare facilities, including those operating in areas with limited internet connectivity.
Me-Nasoma Labs, meanwhile, developed an AI-powered reading application that converts documents and web pages into narrated audio. It also highlights text in synchronisation with the narration, targeting students, professionals and other readers.
The competition was organised by Meta in partnership with Nairobi-based accelerator This is Digital. It attracted 426 applications, from which 10 startups were selected to present their products.
The participating startups showcased solutions across several sectors, including healthcare, education, retail, legal services and financial compliance. Following the competition, both winners were invited to pitch at Meta’s Regional AI Summit in Istanbul on November 24.
Neural Labs Africa, founded in 2021, has previously received support from UNICEF’s Venture Fund. The company secured $50,000 and participated in UNICEF’s 2022–2023 artificial intelligence and data science programme.
In May 2024, UNICEF reported that clinical validation of the company’s medical imaging screening technology had achieved a 70% precision score.
The latest recognition places both Kenyan startups among the ventures selected through Meta’s new AI-focused competition. Their solutions address different needs, with Neural Labs Africa focusing on healthcare delivery and Me-Nasoma Labs seeking to improve access to written content through audio technology.