Megagas Alternative Energy Enterprise is among three winners selected by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at the 2024 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW). ISHOW is an international accelerator program of hardware-led social innovation.
Seven social ventures from throughout Africa pitched their solutions and participated in an extensive design and engineering review with expert judges on June 19 and 20 in Nairobi. Three regional winners were selected to join the 2024 ASME ISHOW cohort and announced at an invitation-only awards ceremony. They will receive a share of Ksh 3.8 million (USD 30,000) in grant awards and technical support to help bring their innovations to market.
The other two 2024 ASME ISHOW Kenya regional winners are Afya Lead from Tanzania and Neosave Technologies Limited from Uganda. Afya Lead was feted for their Mkanda Salama innovation, a patented, non-invasive device designed to address postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Neosave Technologies was recognized for its auto-thermo solution, a wearable medical device designed for clinicians to continuously monitor sick newborns admitted to care, particularly in regions including Uganda with limited human resources for health.
Meanwhile, Megagas Alternative Energy Enterprise Limited from Nairobi, Kenya was rewarded for their community kitchens powered by renewable energy. The company converts plastic waste into clean cooking gas via a patented process and distributes it through women entrepreneurs. Its community kitchens offer affordable, eco-friendly cooking solutions at $0.02 per hour, serving as social hubs for low-income households.
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The 2024 ISHOW cohort will later in the year be invited to the annual ISHOW Bootcamp to receive an extensive and customized design and engineering review by experts. They will also have a chance to earn a second round of seed grants from ASME. They become part of the ISHOW alumni network, an international community of hardware innovators and stakeholders with exclusive access to experts and resources.
The prestigious ASME ISHOW hardware accelerator is open to individuals and organizations taking physical products to market that will have a positive social and environmental impact and that improve the quality of life around the world. ASME ISHOW annually matches up to 30 carefully selected innovators with appropriate experts to ensure that the proposed hardware solutions are technologically, environmentally, culturally, and financially sustainable.