Innovation & Venture Studio — East Africa

Engineering Africa's future from concept to market

Named after the Great Rift Valley — cradle of human innovation — we turn early-stage concepts into scalable, locally-rooted ventures.

Innovation HubProduct DevelopmentManufacturing Support
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01 Why Kenya · Opportunity

Africa is the perfect testbed for sustainable innovation

The youngest population on earth, leapfrogging technology adoption, abundant renewable energy, and real climate and infrastructure challenges — the ideal sandbox for frugal solutions that scale to the Global South and back.

Youngest talent pool

The world's youngest population and fast-growing design, software and hardware talent.

Leapfrog adoption

Few incumbents, strong digital infrastructure and open, evolving regulation — a live sandbox.

Renewable abundance

Massive solar and renewable potential to power decentralised, off-grid solutions.

Reverse innovation

Frugal products proven locally, then scaled across the Global South and developed markets.

02 About us · The RIFT approach

Rooted in local realities, engineered for global standards

RIFT takes inspiration from the Great Rift Valley — the cradle of human innovation — to drive the next wave of sustainable, locally rooted technologies. The future of impact lies not in abstract concepts, but in concrete, testable products that respond to real needs.

We transform ideas into market-ready ventures through a hands-on, iterative journey: co-designing concepts, prototyping with local partners, piloting in real conditions, and scaling for commercialization.

RIFT is more than a lab — it's a bridge between creativity and market success.

Work with us
RIFT engineering// RIFT R&D · Nairobi
03 Core capabilities

From concept to market — zero shortcuts

A hands-on, iterative journey. Five gated stages, each turning a hypothesis into evidence — from a blank sheet to a scalable, production-ready venture.

STAGE 01

Concept development & planning

Localized, concrete solutions combining hardware, software and IoT — engineered to be locally manufacturable.

STAGE 02

Prototyping & testing

Design and build mechanical, electrical and software prototypes using local workshops and rapid fabrication.

STAGE 03

PoC & field piloting

Test prototypes in real conditions with users — refining product design, service and business model together.

STAGE 04

MVP & manufacturing readiness

Move from prototypes to Minimum Viable Products — scalable and production-ready.

STAGE 05

Deployment & commercialization

Go-to-market through local partnerships, distribution strategies and pilot deployments.

04 Portfolio · capabilities

One team. End-to-end.

Full-stack engineering firepower — mechanical, electrical, embedded, power, cold-chain and software — integrated into single, manufacturable systems.

Mechanicals

Trike & cargo / bed areas
Battery casings
Custom suspensions

Electro-mechanicals

Controller unit · electric drivetrain
Electrified truck & tiller (Kilikawi)
Systems integration

Cold chain

Smart refrigeration
Phase-change materials
Temperature controls & systems

IoT electronics

Battery + motor controllers
Static energy management
Performance & GPS logging

Power

Refurbishable batteries
Solar charging stations
SONGA power platform

Software

SONGA platform (web, mobile, cloud AI)
USSD customer platforms
Business-model innovation
05 Why it matters

Value to our partners

We compress learning cycles — turning strategy into field-tested products and market evidence.

Cost-effective development

Support from ideation to first pilot — reducing time and capital needed to validate product and model.

Fast iteration

Quick technical sprints to build and test functional MVPs within weeks — not months.

Hands-on engineering

End-to-end firepower — electrical, embedded, software and mechanical — under one roof.

Capacity building

Embedded client teams that grow real capability through supply-chain, product and market lessons.

06 Areas of expertise

Supporting rural innovation

Deep-tech domains where local context is the moat — and where hardware decides who wins.

01

E-Mobility

Locally-adapted EVs, charging infrastructure, batteries & fleet services for drivers, farmers and logistics.

02

Energy access

Decentralised energy powering mobility, agro-processing and livelihoods in off-grid communities.

03

Agri-mechanization

Electric appliances that cut labor, boost productivity and replace diesel for smallholders.

04

Climate tech

Clean rural technologies that build resilience, create jobs and drive low-carbon growth.

07 Selected work

Proof over promises

Two flagship builds — a global OEM collaboration and a ground-up frugal venture — both engineered and field-tested in Kenya.

CASE 01 — IMV ORIGIN × TOYOTA

A mobility ecosystem for Africa, made in Africa

24 MOidea → working MVP
120 KMfield-tested
~10km / kWh

RIFT supported Toyota (with design studio ED²) to take a new African vehicle ecosystem from a blank sheet to a field-tested prototype and service blueprint in under two years. A bespoke electric powertrain — e-Axle, drive-by-wire and regenerative braking built from scratch — was fabricated with locally CNC-machined parts, alongside a modular hub (ED² × Shigeru Ban Architects × RIFT) and a digital service platform.

Presented at the Japan Mobility Show 2025 — introduced on stage by Toyota's CEO, with Akio Toyoda visiting the booth.

Read the case
IMV Origin prototype in Kenya// IMV ORIGIN · field prototype
CASE 02 — SMART-COLD
SMART-COLD cold e-trike, Western Kenya// SMART-COLD · cold e-trike

A frugal off-grid cold chain for smallholders

62 KMrange on one charge
4–15°Cexport-grade cooling
−32%vs AC build cost

A fully off-grid, mobile cold-chain for avocado farmers in Western Kenya — a solar-powered cold hub plus a fleet of cold e-trikes. After three field-tested prototypes, the "Light / Lowtech" design (canvas, fans and icepacks) won: 36 crates, fully local, modular and repairable.

Embodying RIFT's philosophy — "90% of the performance at 50% of the cost." USD 5,750 build, 40–50% lower energy, 6–8 month payback. Addressing up to 50% post-harvest loss (USD 4–5B lost yearly across the region).

Read the case
08 Impact · Ecosystem development

Building Kenya's engineering and industrial ecosystem

RIFT Innovation Lab supports the localization and industrialization of Kenya's mobility, energy and productive-use sectors. Alongside product development, we help build local engineering and manufacturing capabilities and develop the next generation of African engineers.

01 / Localization

Localizing products, engineering and manufacturing

We help African companies and international market entrants adapt products to local users, infrastructure and operating conditions — progressively increasing local content.

Redesigning products for African users and operating environments.

Replacing imported components with locally manufactured or assembled alternatives.

Strengthening local suppliers, fabricators and technical partnerships.

Supporting prototyping, testing, certification and the transition to production.

Helping new entrants establish local engineering and manufacturing capabilities.

Local contentIncreasing →

Retaining technical knowledge, expenditure and value creation within Kenya.

02 / Talent development

Developing the next generation of African engineers

Sustained localization depends on a strong local talent base. RIFT combines commercial engineering projects with practical learning — design challenges, internships, mentorship and hands-on engineering programmes.

Real projects. Practical experience.

Students and early-career engineers work on meaningful development challenges across the full product cycle.

01
User research & design
02
Prototyping & testing
03
Field deployment

These programmes also strengthen existing engineers and connect universities, industry, entrepreneurs and international technology partners around shared development challenges.

Creating pathways for engineering talent grounded in local realities.

Work with RIFT to build local capabilities.

Discuss an impact partnership
09 Team & partnerships

Cross-disciplinary. Embedded. Built for Africa.

A deliberately lean core merging engineering, business strategy and local knowledge — amplified by a global partner network.

Declan Brunner

Declan Brunner

Mechanical Engineering

Jimi Akindele

Jimi Akindele

Business Localization & Partnerships

Kentaro Kata

Kentaro Kata

Strategy & Partnerships

Peter Frykman

Peter Frykman

Engineering & Manufacturing Strategy

Silard Liptak

Silard Liptak

Advanced Electrical Engineering

Thibaut Mallet de Chauny

Thibaut Mallet de Chauny

Management, Business Model & Digital Strategy

10 Contact

Let's build together

Join us in shaping Africa's future through engineered innovation. A product concept, a technical challenge, or a partnership — we're lean and we respond fast.

> Le MAC Building, Church Road, Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya
> +254 745 697 735 · www.rift.africa