3 Kenyan Startups Among 16 Selected for ISHOW Accelerator : TechMoran

Three Kenyan startups — Ecomobilus Technologies Limited, KilimoChills Solution and Orienta — are among 16 ventures named regional finalists for the 2026 ISHOW accelerator run by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). The cohort, selected following online pitches and design and engineering reviews conducted between July 6 and August 6, comprises eight African ventures and eight from the Americas. The 16 finalists will compete for six places in the 2026 global ISHOW cohort and access grant funding, technical support, design services and ASME’s international engineering network.

"The finalists will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony on August 11, with Jit Bhattacharya of Kenyan electric-mobility company BasiGo scheduled as the guest speaker," the programme organisers said.

The three Nairobi-based companies represent hardware-focused responses to persistent infrastructure and social challenges. Ecomobilus Technologies is bringing its e-Mkoko, a solar-powered electric handcart designed for last-mile logistics and informal traders who rely on manual transportation. KilimoChills Solution offers a modular, solar-powered cold storage room aimed at small-scale food vendors to reduce spoilage where conventional electricity is unreliable. Orienta’s HVAD smart glasses target accessibility by helping visually impaired people navigate streets, identify people and access information via an offline, hands-free platform.

Across Africa, the other regional finalists include BMTA&C Energy (Morocco), which has developed a solar-powered refrigeration system combining thermal storage and intelligent energy management; Kumva Insights (Rwanda) with its Farm Smarter Platform using sensors and IoT to monitor farm conditions; Team CannaSave (Uganda), which created a neonatal nasal cannula displacement monitoring system; and Yaaka Investment Limited (Zambia), which is developing an e-waste recycling plant. Notably, AISHA — headquartered in Pennsylvania but listed among African-region finalists — deploys an AI-powered voice assistant on low-cost hardware to deliver healthcare information in underserved communities.

• Number of regional finalists: 16 (8 Africa, 8 Americas)
• Competition window for selection reviews: July 6 – August 6
• Virtual awards ceremony: August 11 at noon Eastern Daylight Time
• ASME regional event in Chennai: September 3–4
• Number of places in global cohort: 6

The Americas finalists show similar diversity in problem focus and hardware innovation. Entries include Aetheria (MonoFoam mobile system for recovering gases and materials from end-of-life insulation foam), Amel Energyv (PFAS-free materials for lithium-ion battery manufacturing), H2O Now (solar-powered portable water generator), Kinnections (a wearable glove using controlled fingertip vibrations for people with Parkinson’s), NeoTex (sensor-equipped infant garment for vital-sign monitoring), Ocean Made (biodegradable Kelp Pots to reduce plastic in plant production), Tap Energy (in-pipe micro-hydroelectric turbine) and WeavAir (an environmental and infrastructure monitoring platform from Canada).

Final selection will produce six ventures that will join ASME’s 2026 global ISHOW cohort and participate in the organisation’s annual ISHOW Bootcamp during winter. The bootcamp will provide customised design and engineering reviews, design services and inclusion in the ISHOW alumni network — resources intended to help move prototypes and early-stage hardware products toward commercial scale and international markets.

For the three Kenyan companies, the accelerator offers direct access to engineering expertise and potential grant funding at a moment when locally developed physical technologies are increasingly addressing logistics, food preservation and accessibility challenges that software alone cannot solve.