Kenya’s health-tech startup Zendawa has been crowned the 2025 KPMG East Africa Private Enterprise Tech Innovator Winner, emerging top among ten remarkable ventures redefining technology across the region. After months of competition and eight high-powered pitch events, Zendawa stood out for its groundbreaking use of digital innovation to improve access to healthcare services. The company will now represent East Africa at the KPMG Global Tech Innovator 2025 finals this November, competing against winners from 21 countries for the global title.
The KPMG Private Enterprise Tech Innovator competition celebrates tech entrepreneurs who are driving change, shaping industries and transforming communities. Zendawa’s win reflects not only its strong technological foundation but also its focus on real-world impact, making healthcare more accessible, affordable and efficient for everyday users.
Speaking about the recognition, Wilfred Chege, CEO of Zendawa, said, “After months of intense competition and eight high-powered pitch events, Zendawa has emerged as the East Africa regional winner, standing out among ten incredible ventures shaping the future of technology. Zendawa will now go on to represent East Africa at the KPMG Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator 2025 competition this November, where they’ll compete against winners from 21 other countries for the global title.”
Transforming Healthcare Through Digital Innovation
Based in Nakuru, Kenya, Zendawa was founded with a mission to bridge long-standing healthcare gaps through technology. The startup’s leadership combines deep experience in both medicine and technology. Its founder is a renowned pharmacist accredited at the African continental level, while the co-founder is an award-winning technologist recognized across Africa for developing impact-driven solutions. Together with an inclusive board of directors, their combined expertise forms the backbone of Zendawa’s vision to build sustainable digital solutions for the evolving healthcare sector.
Zendawa has developed a fully integrated digital platform that connects patients, pharmacies and medical practitioners, making healthcare access seamless. Through machine learning, the platform allows users to order both prescription and non-prescription medicines, automatically matching each order to the nearest pharmacy with available stock. Delivery partners then ensure last-mile delivery, bringing medicine straight to the customer’s doorstep.
For pharmacies, Zendawa offers a digital suite that helps track online and offline sales, improving cash flow and inventory management. This system not only helps pharmacies run more efficiently but also creates valuable data that the company uses to unlock financing opportunities. Using Artificial Intelligence, Zendawa analyzes sales data to generate credit scores for pharmacies, which enables them to access working capital through lending partners. This model directly supports small and medium-sized pharmacies that often struggle with liquidity and capital constraints, empowering them to expand and serve more customers.
Zendawa’s innovation extends to telemedicine, where medical practitioners can consult and treat patients remotely through the platform. It also offers digital appointment management tools that allow both doctors and patients to schedule and manage in-person visits from anywhere. In addition, the system facilitates consensual medical record data sharing, giving healthcare providers a more complete understanding of patient history and improving care decisions through AI-powered analysis.
By combining these features, Zendawa is redefining healthcare accessibility in Kenya. It ensures that medical services and products are available at the tap of a button, helping patients save time and ensuring doctors and pharmacists can serve more efficiently. Its model shows how technology can be used not only to digitize healthcare but also to humanize it, making care more personal, responsive and reliable.
Recognizing Other Innovators
The KPMG East Africa Private Enterprise Tech Innovator competition also celebrated other outstanding startups. Ndovu, the first runner-up, is a digital investment platform that helps individuals invest securely and affordably in both local and global financial markets. Ndovu focuses on building long-term relationships with its clients by understanding their financial goals and crafting personalized investment strategies that balance growth with risk management. The platform’s mission is to make wealth creation simple and accessible, helping more Africans achieve financial freedom.
The second runner-up, Zerobionic, is a disability-led African startup using artificial intelligence and robotics to make communication more inclusive. The company transforms plastic waste into AI-powered humanoid robots that communicate in sign language, making information more accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Through gesture recognition and machine learning, Zerobionic’s technology translates sign language into speech and vice versa, creating a feedback loop that promotes inclusivity and environmental sustainability at the same time.
Taking East Africa’s Innovation to the Global Stage
Zendawa’s regional win is a major step forward for Kenya’s and East Africa’s innovation ecosystem. It shows that homegrown startups are not only solving local problems but are also capable of competing at the highest global level. The startup’s upcoming participation in the Global Tech Innovator 2025 competition this November represents more than just a chance to win an international title, it is an opportunity to showcase how African-led innovation can redefine healthcare globally.
KPMG’s initiative continues to shine a light on the region’s most promising entrepreneurs, offering them global exposure, mentorship and opportunities for collaboration. The competition underscores the power of innovation in driving economic and social transformation across industries.
