Powering Africa's AI Inclusion

LeLapa AI, co-founded by South African biomedical engineer turned entrepreneur Pelonomi Moiloa alongside technical co-founder Jade Abbott and AI researcher Vukosi Marivate, is building artificial intelligence solutions tailored to African languages. Based in Johannesburg, the company develops tools like its flagship model InkubaLM, which supports Swahili, Yoruba, isiXhosa, Hausa, and isiZulu, enabling transcription, translation, and natural conversation in languages often ignored by mainstream AI. By allowing people to engage in their native languages, LeLapa AI advances digital equity for underserved African communities and ensures that technology reflects local culture and identity.

LeLapa AI’s models are culturally grounded and designed to be resource-efficient, working closely with linguists and communities to gather, annotate, and validate data—avoiding the biases common in Western-trained systems. Their AI helps businesses improve customer service, empowers voice-driven technologies, and supports social impact projects, from aiding Open Restitution Africa in locating African artifacts overseas to enabling mothers to communicate with healthcare workers through real-time translation. Beyond language AI, Moiloa has expressed ambitions to venture into robotics, continuing to expand the company’s role in Africa’s digital transformation.

Since its founding in 2022, LeLapa AI has drawn global attention for its ethical and inclusive approach to AI. In 2023, it secured $2.5 million in funding from Mozilla Ventures, with support from Atlantica Ventures and Google AI chief Jeff Dean. Moiloa was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in AI (2023), a recognition of her advocacy for AI that respects African people, languages, and cultures. As LeLapa AI scales its Vulavula platform—offering APIs for speech-to-text, translation, sentiment analysis, and more—it is positioning itself not just as a tech company, but as a pioneer shaping a more inclusive and representative digital future for Africa.