Juliet Wanyiri

Juliet Wanyiri is a graduate student at the MIT Integrated Design and Management (IDM) – a joint program between the MIT School of Engineering and Sloan School of Management.

Born and raised in Kenya, Juliet founded Foondi Workshops which is a capacity-building platform for young African innovators. Using collaborative design and technology workshops, we aim to grow the design, technology and innovation skill-set on the continent in electronics, design and the internet of things (IoT). The vision behind Foondi’s technology programs is to create a platform for young Africans to gain access to the fast-changing 21st century technical skills for career advancement and new venture creation.

Foondi’s work expands across Kenya, Uganda and Burundi where her company has engaged over 400 young Africans on the use of design and technology to develop innovative solutions that address challenges in transport, energy, healthcare and security. The outcomes of these workshops have been solutions around healthcare, clean energy, weather monitoring, wearable technology and security solutions which employ design, electronics, AI and the internet of things (IoT).

Through the fellowship, Juliet hopes to expand Foondi’s works across the larger African market with the aim of increased access to 21st century skills in design, electronics and the internet of things (IoT) for Africa innovators.