A bioethanol system that turns agricultural waste into clean fuel, a low-cost AI device for rapid malaria diagnosis, and sterile dressings made with honey and olive oil to treat surgical wounds have earned three African startups a place in the 2025 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Innovation Showcase (ISHOW) cohort. The selected ventures were chosen from eight finalists following a virtual pitch and engineering review held June 10–12.
“ISHOW design and engineering review processes focus on five key areas essential to the success of a venture: with impact at the core, the other focus areas include hardware validation, user or customer understanding, implementation strategy, and manufacturing. The ventures being recognized underwent a rigorous evaluation by experts, who offered feedback to support their journey to the market,” Iana Aranda, President of Engineering for Change and head of sustainability strategy at ASME, said at a virtual awards ceremony. (Engineering for Change is a part of ASME’s Engineering for Sustainable Development division).
These are the 2025 ASME ISHOW Africa ventures that earned a place in this year’s accelerator:
CIST East Africa Industries Limited based in Kisumu, Kenya, is developing the “CIST-Second Generation Bioethanol Fuel Micro Distillery System” under the leadership of Richard Arwa. The system converts waste cellulose biomass including sugar cane bagasse and water hyacinth into 95 percent ethanol. This ethanol is then blended and stabilized for use as fuel for cooking and transportation.
I-Dress, developed at CAMTech Uganda at Mbarara University of Science and Technology, is a low-cost, sterile wound dressing made from gauze blended with honey and olive oil. It’s specially designed to help prevent infections and speed up the healing of post-caesarean wounds in under-resourced healthcare settings.
MariTest Africa based in Kampala, Uganda, led by Hakim Kakooza, is a non-invasive AI-powered device that diagnoses malaria without using blood. It’s reusable, gentle on the body, and works automatically to both diagnose and suggest treatment. The device was built for frontline health workers in remote settings without access to lab facilities.
The three ventures will receive seed grants as a share of (USD) $30,000, product design support, and entry to a global network of ISHOW alumni.
ISHOW Africa is one of three regional events hosted by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) as part of its annual program. Winners from Africa, India (April), and the Americas (July 29–31) will form the full 2025 ISHOW cohort that will take part in a technical bootcamp with engineering and business experts to improve designs and strengthen business strategies.
“Hardware start-ups need more than just funding—they thrive within well-coordinated support ecosystems. Investor readiness begins in university labs, maker spaces, and campus accelerators. Often, the biggest hurdle for innovators is accessing early-stage support and scalable growth pathways. However, cross-border collaboration can open up new markets and enable manufacturing at scale,” Robert Turner, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Earth Tech Futures, said in his keynote address at the ceremony.
Turner acknowledged that while technical talent is present, significant success hinges on access to key resources—capital, supportive policies, mentorship, manufacturing capabilities, and market entry opportunities. “ISHOW Africa participants show the creativity and problem-solving needed today to drive Africa`s hardware innovation. The next significant step is establishing support systems that foster the growth of new ideas, he added.
Since its launch, ISHOW has supported more than 250 startups in over 35 countries. The program focuses on hardware that is environmentally, socially, and financially sustainable, aligning with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
Learn more about the ventures, their innovations and ASME ISHOW Africa at thisishardware.org.
About the Author
Mercy Nduati is the Engineering for Change Editorial Fellow for 2025. She also works on the editorial staff of the Vennomax Media Network that publishes the Industrial Journal magazine. And she has written for the magazine Kenya Engineer, published by the Institution of Engineers in Kenya. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication and media from Egerton University.
