• Zimbabwean entrepreneur Chido Dzinotyiwei co-founded Vambo AI to deliver artificial intelligence in users’ native languages.
• The platform prioritizes indigenous and local languages that remain underrepresented in digital technologies.
• Vambo AI combines writing, translation, and search tools to expand access to AI beyond dominant global languages.

Founded in 2023, Vambo AI places indigenous and local languages at the core of its technological vision. These languages remain largely underrepresented in the digital ecosystem. The company aims to provide tools of the same standard as those available for major internet languages, enabling users to think, create, and communicate in their own idiom.

The platform claims to deliver international-level artificial intelligence that combines performance and technical sophistication with intuitive language use. This approach seeks to reduce linguistic barriers that continue to limit access to information, opportunities, and digital tools for large segments of the population.

By integrating writing, translation, and search functions, Vambo AI positions itself as a digital companion for users who want to operate online in their native language. The platform promotes a more inclusive internet by valuing languages that global technology platforms often overlook.

Beyond Vambo AI, Chido Dzinotyiwei is a member of the OPUS entrepreneurs’ collective. She also founded Vambo Academy, an education technology platform launched in 2020 that focuses on preserving African languages through virtual learning. In 2022, she co-founded Akayi, a facilitator within Zimbabwe’s business ecosystem.

She graduated from the University of Cape Town with a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance, followed by a master’s degree in development finance from the Graduate School of Business. She began her professional career in 2020 at Standard Bank Group’s Corporate and Investment Banking division, where she worked for four years as an analyst in the finance and treasury unit.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum