A detailed list of Zimbabwean AI start-ups in 2024 with information about the founders, the business models, funding updates, and product offerings.
Since most Zimbabwean start-ups are incorporated in foreign countries because of unfavorable local conditions, for this list, we defined a Zimbabwean start-up as a company founded by at least one Zimbabwean citizen or one based in Zimbabwe.
| Name | Founder (s) | Products | Country Incorporated |
| Ocular AI | Michael Moyo, and Louis Murerwa | Enterprise search | USA |
| Need Energy | Desire Masunda and Leroy Nyangani | Energy Management Platform | Zimbabwe & South Africa |
| Vambo AI | Chido Dzinotyiwei and Isheanesu Misi | Machine translation | South Africa |
| Dr CADx | Gift Gana, and Tatenda Madzorera | Medical imaging | USA |
| Academy Of Robotics | Pasi William Sachiti | Driverless cars | UK |
| Lalaland AI | Michael Musandu and Ugnius Rimsa | Virtual supermodels | Netherlands |
| Kuchera | Kumbirai Chipadza, and Chris Hugger | Mining logistics | Germany |
1. Ocular AI
Ocular AI helps companies search and visualize all their in-house data using AI-powered search engines and chatbots. The founders Zimbabwean-born Louis Murerwa and Zambian-born Michael Moyo met while studying for their Computer Science degrees at Dartmouth College in the USA.
Louis Murerwa spent two years at Google, while Michael Moyo worked at Microsoft for eight months before they joined forces to launch Ocular AI in 2024.
In February Ocular AI was admitted into Y-Combinator the world’s most prestigious start-up accelerator that comes with a $500,000 cheque for 7% equity, a first for a Zimbabwean start-up.
2. Need Energy
NeedEnergy is an AI-powered clean energy trading platform that enables power plants to bill, invoice, and monitor the renewal energy they sell to their clients. Depending on the size of the microgrid, NeedEnergy charges an annual fee ranging from $1,000 to $30,000.
Founded in 2016 by Leroy Nyangani a Chemical Engineer and Desire Masunda a Financial Analyst the start-up has raised over $200,000 and is an alumnus of Techstars 2023, the Inaugural GoogleStartups Accelerator for Climate Change and Startupbootcamp Australia
In 2021, NeedEnergy launched Zimbabwe’s first distributed gas grid, marking a significant milestone in the country’s energy landscape. By May 2024, they connected the first microgrid to their virtual power plant, advancing their vision of becoming the leading African alternative energy company.
3. Vambo AI
Vambo AI is a machine translation start-up that supports 44 African languages including KiSwahili, iSizulu, French, ChiShona, Amharic, English, Xhosa, and three Arabic dialects. Founded in 2023 by Chido Dzinotyiwei and Isheanesu Misi, the platform has already attracted over 11,000 users.
In June, the Vambo AI team launched their developer APIs, streamlining the integration of multilingual capabilities into a wide range of workflows.
Vambo AI was a finalist in the 2023 Aanit Prize competition and the 2023 Grindstone Africa accelerator program. More recently, they were selected for the 2024 Mastercard EdTech Fellowship accelerator in South Africa.
5. Dr CADx
Dr CADx is an AI-powered medical imaging platform that accurately detects 14 diseases from chest X-rays with 96% precision. The start-up was founded in 2016 by Gift Gana a Physicist and Tatenda Mdzorera a Radiographer.
In 2019 Dr CADx raised a pre-seed round of $25,000 from the Baobab Network Accelerator and undisclosed amounts from Ground Squirrel Ventures and Oui Capital to fund clinical trials ahead of a commercial launch in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa.
Dr CADx plans to expand its capabilities to include CT scans, mammography, ultrasounds, and MRI, aiming to democratize access to radiology, enhance diagnostic accuracy, and lower the cost of care.
6. Academy of Robotics
Academy of Robotics, founded in September 2016 by UK-based Zimbabwean Pasi William Sachiti, is the company behind Kar-go, the world’s first autonomous delivery vehicle.
By May 2017, Sachiti and his team successfully built a functional prototype of Kar-go using the £10,000 grant they won as the Aberystwyth University InvEnterPrize winners.
A £300,000 seed round in 2017 enabled the Academy of Robotics to make the necessary investments for the official launch of Kar-go in 2019. Since then, the company has successfully raised over £20 million.
Academy of Robotics’ self-driving technology is used by the NHS as patient helper robots, for road maintenance by Urovia UK, and for delivering medical supplies in London.
7. Kuchera
Kuchera is an AI-powered mining logistics solution that helps companies track assets in real-time, reduce fuel costs, and boost productivity using advanced algorithms.
The company was founded in 2023 by Zimbabwean-born entrepreneur Kumbirai Chipadza, French Product Manager Chris Hugger, and South African financial specialist Mxolisi Sibiya.
Dubbed the world’s first OEM-independent solution for cutting costs and reducing CO2 emissions, Kuchera charges a monthly fee for each truck equipped with its solution with prices ranging from $149 to $379.
Kuchera leveraged funding secured from the Beumer Group to conduct three successful case studies in Africa that have helped the company secure partnerships with Eureka Gold Mine, Murowa Diamonds, and Bothakga Burro Botswana
8. Lalaland AI
Lalaland is an Amsterdam-based start-up that develops virtual models for the fashion industry. It was founded in 2019 by Zimbabwean-born Michael Musandu and Ugnius Rimsa from the Netherlands.
By helping e-commerce companies create digital models of every size, age, and race, Lalaland aims to enable brands to embrace diversity while reducing operational costs.
Lalaland secured pre-seed funding from ASIF Ventures in 2020, won €50,000 as the recipient of the 2020 Philips Innovation Award, and received a €350,000 investment from Google in 2021.
In 2022, Lalaland raised €2.1M in a pre-Series A round of funding and capped off the year by winning the Tommy Hilfiger Fashion Frontier Challenge, which included a €100,000 prize.
Lalaland offers monthly subscriptions per user, with prices starting at €600 for unlimited virtual models with a cap of 50 renders, and €900 for unlimited models and renders.
Did we miss a Zimbabwean AI start-up from this list? Send us a tip at hello@povonews.com.
