This Startup’s AI Supports 11 African Languages And Counting

South African startup Vambo AI is empowering users to use advanced AI in their native tongues.

In April 2023, Chido Dzinotyiwei and Isheanesu Misi founded Vambo AI to create AI that “understands the languages of people in the rest of the world”. Its platform currently supports 11 African languages.

“The reason why most of the world has not used AI – or explored its revolutionary power for education, economic empowerment, and more – is because it is not built in languages they understand,” Dzinotyiwei said, according to Disrupt Africa.

A Multilingual AI Platform

Vambo AI offers an array of functionalities, including writing, searching, translating, and transcribing in 11 languages, including Arabic, KiSwahili, IsiZulu, and French. 

This innovation stems from Dzinotyiwei’s earlier venture, Vambo Academy, a language-learning startup launched in 2019. 

The insights gained from this project highlighted a gap in the market for AI platforms catering to African communities’ linguistic diversity. 

Traditional platforms like Duolingo and Babbel often overlook the complexities of African languages, a gap Vambo AI is set to fill.

Localized Solutions For Global Impact

Vambo AI’s impact extends beyond individual users to businesses. Businesses can leverage the startup’s API and developer tools to create localized solutions tailored to various regions. 

“Approximately 95% of African languages lack digital representation, which has dire consequences for economic participation, language preservation, and societal development,” says Dzinotyiwei. 

Vambo AI addresses this by offering tools that facilitate language learning and enable content generation and communication in African languages.

Achievements And Future Plans

Despite being a young startup, Vambo AI has bootstrapped its way to success with some support from AWS credits. Its business model includes API licensing and B2B enterprise solutions. 

The platform has evolved from an MVP with four languages to one that now supports 11 languages.

The startup has garnered attention from various organizations and participated in prominent accelerators, such as the Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship and Grindstone Africa. 

These opportunities are paving the way for Vambo AI’s expansion plans, which include developing better models, adding more languages, and enhancing features to meet the needs of its diverse client base.