Victoria Mwaura, Founder and CEO of Blindsight Africa and winner of the Women in STEM Pitch Competition, poses for a photo after being announced the winner. Photo: WITIA Press Unit
By Peace Muthoka
NAIROBI, Kenya, September 4, 2026 — Blindsight Africa Limited has won the Women in STEM Africa Summit 2026 Pitch Competition after showcasing technology designed to help people with visual impairment navigate their surroundings and access information more independently.
The company emerged top after a competitive pitching session that brought together nine innovators working on solutions in artificial intelligence, creative technology, agritech, transport and education technology.
Blindsight Africa, the technology arm of Provision Sight Africa, impressed the judges with a solution that combines smart glasses with a mobile application to give visually impaired users audio information about their surroundings.
The technology can describe scenes, read text aloud and identify obstacles, among other functions, giving users additional information to help them interact with their environment.
Victoria Mwaura, founder and chief executive officer of Blindsight Africa, said the recognition would help draw greater attention to assistive technology and the needs of people living with visual impairment.
“I’m so happy that finally this is getting a spotlight,” Mwaura said, noting that the technology was intended to create greater impact in the lives of people with visual impairment.
She said the company wants to move beyond what she described as relatively simple assistive technologies by developing solutions that match advances in the wider technology market.
The competition was the culmination of a two-day summit that brought together entrepreneurs, investors and other ecosystem players to discuss policy, artificial intelligence adoption, market access and financing for women- and youth-led businesses.
The five-member judging panel assessed the contestants based on the problem they were addressing, market potential, business traction and the strength of their business and market models.
Innobid, led by Eliud Luutsa, finished second with a platform designed to connect women and youth entrepreneurs to markets and financing. The company also secured KSh50 million worth of bonds to be integrated into its platform to support entrepreneurs.
Tallycheck Ltd, led by Caesar, took third place in the EdTech category. Judges praised its adaptable technology, combination of software and hardware, and go-to-market strategy. The company will also receive a week of support from UK-based Kinescope Hub.
Meanwhile, Playbus received the award for the best overall presentation after judges said it effectively captured the audience’s attention and communicated its investment case, although it did not finish among the top three.
For Blindsight Africa, the victory came with a KSh500,000 cash prize. Mwaura said the company would invest the money in strengthening its technology, developing African models and producing a new batch of devices for wider testing.
The company hopes the investment will help it refine its assistive technology and expand access to people living with visual impairment.
