Three ventures from Africa have secured seed grants and technical support after being selected for the 2025 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Innovation Showcase (ISHOW).

The winners were announced following an online event held between June 10 and June 12, during which eight ventures from across the continent pitched their ideas and underwent a detailed design and engineering review by expert judges.

CIST East Africa Industries Limited from Kisumu, Kenya, was among those selected.

The organisation is behind an innovation designed to convert waste material into fuel.

Explaining the solution, ASME said, “CIST-Second Generation Bioethanol Fuel Micro Distillery System is capable of converting waste cellulose biomass, including sugar cane bagasse and water hyacinth into 95 per cent ethanol, blended and stabilised as a cooking fuel and transport energy.”

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Uganda was represented by two winning ventures. I-Dress, a project hosted at CAMTech Uganda-Mbarara at the University of Science and Technology, was recognised for its work in maternal healthcare.

“I-Dress is an affordable, sterile wound dressing made from gauze infused with honey and olive oil, designed to prevent infection and accelerate healing for post-cesarean wounds in low-resource settings,” ASME noted.

MariTest Africa, based in Kampala, introduced a diagnostic tool intended to assist health workers in isolated locations.

Sharing details of the device, ASME stated, “MariTest is a non-invasive, AI-powered diagnostic device for rapid malaria detection and monitoring designed for frontline health workers in remote settings without access to lab facilities.”

The three ventures will join the ISHOW Bootcamp scheduled for the winter season, where they will receive personalised guidance from engineering and design experts to help refine and scale their products.

They will also gain access to design services and become part of ASME’s ISHOW alumni network, connecting them to a worldwide community of hardware innovators and advisors.

The African event follows the 2025 ISHOW India showcase, which was held in April.

The next regional event, ISHOW Americas, will take place virtually from July 29 to July 31, where three more ventures will be added to the global cohort.

ASME acknowledged the contribution of its international partners, including The Lemelson Foundation, for their long-term support of ISHOW and their investment in advancing hardware impact innovation.