A Soweto startup’s unlikely journey from gadgets to AI healthcare

When Seati Moloi launched Khoi Tech, an AI-driven wearables for health startup, in Soweto, South Africa’s largest township, in 2020, few would have imagined that a startup known for making wireless earphones and smartwatches would one day be pitching healthcare technology to British investors.

But from June 8-12, Moloi returned to London Tech Week for a second consecutive year, not to showcase consumer gadgets, but to present AI-powered health and workplace wellness technologies developed in Soweto.

In a small office far from the venture capital corridors of Sandton and Cape Town, Khoi Tech is attempting something few African startups have achieved: building a globally competitive healthtech company from township roots. The startup, which first gained attention for its Afripods wireless earphones and Afriwatch smartwatches, is now developing AI-powered employee wellness, remote patient monitoring and driver fatigue management platforms for businesses and healthcare providers.

Its evolution from consumer electronics maker to enterprise healthtech startup reflects a broader shift in African innovation, where township-born companies are increasingly building technologies designed not only for local markets but for global problems.

“To represent South Africa at London Tech Week for a second consecutive year is both an honour and a responsibility,” Moloi told TechCabal in an interview on Friday. “It is a powerful reminder that world-class innovation can emerge from township communities such as Soweto and compete on any global stage.”

Founded in Soweto and backed largely with internally generated revenue and founder reinvestment, Khoi Tech initially built its reputation through consumer devices such as the Khoi Afripods true wireless earphones and the Khoi Afriwatch1 smartwatch. The products helped establish the company as one of the country’s emerging home-grown consumer technology brands.

But by the time Moloi arrived in London this year, the company had evolved far beyond wearables. “While our initial focus was primarily on hardware products such as the Khoi Afriwatch1 and Khoi Afripods1, we returned in 2026 with an expanded portfolio that included business solutions addressing real challenges in healthcare and the mining sector,” Moloi said.

Today, Khoi Tech develops an ecosystem of devices, software applications and software-as-a-service platforms aimed at improving health, safety and operational efficiency.

Moloi stated that the township company’s employee wellness platform uses connected devices and analytics to help employers monitor workforce wellbeing and productivity. The company’s remote patient monitoring technology enables doctors and healthcare providers to track patients outside traditional clinical settings, while its driver fatigue and health management platform uses biometric data and proactive alerts to improve safety in logistics and transport operations.

“We didn’t succeed despite being from Soweto; we succeeded because we are from Soweto. The environment forces you to iterate rapidly, understand hyper-local logistics, and build absolute resilience into your business architecture from day one,” he said.

The Soweto-born founder said Khoi Tech also developed sports analytics tools that provide real-time biometric and performance data to teams and coaches, as well as family wellness platforms that consolidate household health information to encourage preventative care.

Artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly sits at the centre of these offerings. “At Khoi Tech, we are integrating AI into our health-tech solutions to transform large volumes of health and wellness data into meaningful insights,” Moloi stated. “By leveraging AI, we aim to enable proactive health monitoring, early identification of trends and risks, and improved decision-making for healthcare providers, employers and policymakers.”

The transition from consumer electronics to enterprise health technology appears to be resonating internationally. As one of nine South African startups selected by the UK-SA Tech Hub, in partnership with Telkom and Disraptor, Khoi Tech used London Tech Week to engage investors, government officials and potential technology partners.

According to Moloi, the company is now in serious discussions with several venture capital firms and has established partnerships with technology companies from elsewhere in Africa as it explores expansion opportunities across the continent and potentially into the United Kingdom.

Yet building a global technology company from the famous Soweto township that is home to South Africa’s two renowned Nobel Peace Prize winners, Nelson Mandela and archbishop Desmond Tutu, has not been without challenges.

“Operating outside traditional technology hubs such as Sandton and Cape Town can present challenges, including reduced access to investors, business networks and support ecosystems,” Moloi said.

But he believes being rooted in the famous township has also given Khoi Tech a competitive advantage. “Being founded in Soweto has given us a unique perspective and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by underserved communities,” he told TechCabal. “This proximity enables us to identify real-world problems and develop practical, affordable technology solutions.”

For Moloi, Khoi Tech’s journey is part of a larger ambition to prove that Africa can create, own and export world-class technology. “Africa must move beyond consuming technology to creating and owning it,” he said.