What is the name of your organization?
Sinapse Oy
What is the name of your solution?
DIY Robotics KIT
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
AI-powered, offline-ready robotics kits and a teacher-led platform delivering future-of-work skills to underserved African youth.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Espoo, Finland
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
UGA
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Africa’s youth population is projected to reach 1 billion by 2050, yet the continent faces a critical skills and education crisis. Over 250 million children globally lack access to formal learning, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than 12% graduate with STEM-related degrees. Millions of students are held back by lack of infrastructure—unreliable electricity, limited internet, and scarce devices—and poorly resourced teachers. This gap is further widened in rural and low-income communities where the digital divide limits access to the future-of-work skills needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving economy.
Synapse addresses three core contributors to this problem: 1) lack of access to devices, electricity, and connectivity; 2) low teacher capacity and motivation; and 3) lack of engaging, contextual STEM curriculum. By delivering affordable, offline-first robotics kits, AI-assisted learning, and an edupreneur platform, Synapse is solving for both learning access and quality—scalable even in the most underserved environments.
What is your solution?
Synapse is an AI-powered learning platform that delivers future-of-work skills to African youth through highly accessible, hands-on robotics kits and contextual digital coursework. The solution combines three components:
1. Low-cost, offline robotics kits that work without internet, constant power, or high-end devices—ideal for rural or low-resource settings.
2. Structured, modular courses in robotics, AI, IoT, and software development—delivered via a browser-based platform powered by personalized, AI-assisted instruction.
3. An edupreneur model that turns teachers into micro-entrepreneurs, enabling them to deliver lessons, track student progress, and earn income—all from a single platform.
The kits and platform are built with edge-computing capabilities, enabling local processing of AI modules, making learning possible even in offline environments.
Our solution has already passed prototype testing that has led to LoIs. We are currently piloting our solution in Uganda for improving product and building a financially sustainable learning ecosystem.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Synapse will serve children and youth aged 10–18 in underserved and rural communities across Sub-Saharan Africa—starting with Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. These learners typically lack access to internet, electricity, modern devices, and trained STEM teachers. The solution also serves teachers—many of whom earn low incomes and lack tools for delivering 21st-century learning.
For students, Synapse will offer an engaging, hands-on introduction to robotics and coding, sparking interest in STEM careers and building critical future-skills like problem-solving, design thinking, and digital literacy.
For teachers, the edupreneur platform will provide training, tools, and income-generating opportunities, improving both capacity and motivation.
By equipping schools and communities with our kits and platform, Synapse will drive access to quality learning experiences, increase employability, and build local capacity for technology innovation.
Ultimately, Synapse aims to break the cycle of exclusion from the digital economy by empowering both learners and educators with practical, scalable tools.