Case Studies: AI Built for Real African Workflows

The challenge

Analysing a single DNA sequence normally means stitching together five or more disconnected, foreign-hosted tools, each with its own install, file format and learning curve. For African researchers, students and public-health labs that means slow turnaround, high skill barriers, and sequence data leaving the continent.

What we built

• Unified gene prediction, CRISPR guide design, primer design, plasmid mapping, 3D protein structure prediction, AMR screening, molecular docking and phylogenetics into a single browser workspace.
• Added an AI assistant that interprets every result in plain language, tuned to the local and global pathogen landscape.
• Exposed the toolset over the Model Context Protocol (MCP) so AI agents such as Claude and ChatGPT can query the platform directly.
• Deployed on African-controlled cloud infrastructure so sequence data stays under local governance by design.

Where it stands today

• Live, free and browser-based, so researchers run a full workflow without installing anything.
• Selected among the Top 15 startups in Uganda’s BIOMIC Accelerator Program, run by The Lung Institute at Makerere University with STI-OP and Hindsight Ventures.
• The first Africa-hosted genomics platform to make its tools natively callable by AI agents via MCP.

The challenge

Disc-diffusion results are read by eye and measured with a ruler, so they vary between technicians and between laboratories. Reading them against CLSI and EUCAST breakpoints is manual work. Resistance data rarely leaves the lab in a form anyone can pool, which leaves clinicians prescribing without a current regional picture.

What we built

• Built precision computer-vision measurement of zones of inhibition from a standard plate photograph.
• Layered a "Senior Microbiologist AI" that shows its reasoning rather than returning an unexplained verdict.
• Mapped every measurement to CLSI/EUCAST breakpoints and the WHO AWaRe classification for stewardship guidance.
• Kept the laboratory scientist in control: every AI-assisted measurement can be reviewed and overridden before a report is issued.
• Added synchronisation of validated results so laboratories can contribute to national and pan-African surveillance.

Where it stands today

• Shipped as an installable Android application for use at the bench.
• Generates interpreted laboratory reports with localised clinical guidance instead of raw measurements.
• Gives participating laboratories a route to feed standardised resistance data into regional surveillance.

The challenge

FMCG field operations run on WhatsApp messages, paper route sheets and end-of-week spreadsheets. Supervisors cannot confirm a visit happened, stock and cash positions are reconciled days late, and disputes over variance are impossible to settle after the fact.

What we built

• Modelled the real chain of custody across merchandisers, sales representatives, supervisors, warehouse staff and administrators.
• Made every store visit verifiable with GPS-validated check-ins and shelf photography.
• Tracked sales in local currency against live stock and a running ledger, so variance surfaces the same day rather than the next cycle.
• Delivered supervisor dashboards covering sales, visit volume and compliance flags at a glance.

Where it stands today

• One system of record for field activity, replacing message threads and disconnected spreadsheets.
• Same-day variance reconciliation with an auditable trail behind every figure.
• Six core modules covering visits, inventory, variance, reporting and administration.

The challenge

Food safety compliance under HACCP, GFSI, BRC and ISO 22000 is typically managed through spreadsheets and printed binders. Deviations are noticed late, corrective actions are hard to close out, and audit preparation means reconstructing months of paper history.

What we built

• Digitised HACCP plans and critical control point monitoring in one platform.
• Automated deviation alerts so problems surface in real time instead of at the next review.
• Guided corrective and preventive action (CAPA) through to closure, with AI assistance on each step.
• Added instant traceability and version-controlled document logs for audit readiness.

Where it stands today

• A single precision-engineered platform in place of fragmented spreadsheets and binders.
• Real-time deviation management with a closed CAPA loop.
• Audit-ready traceability and document history available on demand.

The challenge

Many secondary schools cannot run practical chemistry: reagents, glassware and safety infrastructure are expensive, and one teacher cannot give individual attention to a class of sixty during a practical session.

What we built

• Built high-fidelity interactive simulations and an interactive periodic table students can explore directly.
• Created a virtual reaction lab where experiments run safely and repeatably, with no consumables.
• Added an AI tutor available at any hour, so a student stuck at 10pm still gets an explanation.
• Followed international curriculum standards so the material maps onto what schools already teach.

Where it stands today

• Practical chemistry becomes available to schools without laboratory infrastructure.
• Students get unlimited repetition of experiments that would be too costly or hazardous to repeat physically.
• Teachers get a tool that scales one-to-one explanation across a full class.

The challenge

Between antenatal visits, expectant mothers are largely on their own. Generic international pregnancy apps miss local context, and warning signs that warrant a clinic visit are easy to dismiss without guidance.

What we built

• Built week-by-week baby growth tracking so mothers know what to expect at each stage.
• Added an AI symptom checker focused on early identification of pregnancy problems.
• Provided personalised family planning guidance rooted in local wisdom and community values.
• Delivered it through Sisters Aoede, a compassionate conversational assistant rather than a clinical form.

Where it stands today

• Continuous support for mothers between antenatal appointments.
• Early-warning guidance that helps a mother decide when to seek care.
• Culturally grounded reproductive health information in an accessible format.