Kenya’s Yakwetu Online among seven winners of WIPO 2023 award 

(From left) Ambassador Tatiana Molcean (Chair of the 2023 WIPO Awards Jury), Mike Strano, the Yakwetu co-founder and chief operations officer (holding the WIPO award), and the Director General of WIPO Daren Tang. PHOTO | COURTESY | WIPO

Kenya’s entertainment technology start-up – Yakwetu Online Limited, has been named one of the seven winners in the 2023 World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) Global Awards competition. 

The WIPO Global Awards programme celebrates small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are using intellectual property (IP) as a catalyst for economic, social, and cultural impact. 

This year, SMEs from China, France, Kenya, Mexico, Singapore, and Slovenia are the winners of the second edition of the annual competition. 

Yakwetu emerged among the seven winners who were selected from over 548 submissions spanning nearly 60 countries.

Ambassador Tatiana Molcean, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations, was the Chair of the 2023 WIPO Awards Jury.  

“Yakwetu in Kiswahili means both ‘Of Us’ and ‘For Us.’ We chose this name because it articulates our purpose of making available digital content for entertainment and education – from Africans to Africans; while protecting it from its greatest threat – piracy, and monetising it equitably for the creators,” said Mike Strano, the Yakwetu co-founder and chief operations officer, at the awards ceremony. 

“Yakwetu is deeply honoured to be the first African company, and first from the creative industry globally, to receive this award from WIPO.”  

Yakwetu becomes the first business from Kenya, Africa and developing countries to win the WIPO award.

The works of winning enterprises range from air quality measurement instruments to nanotechnology platforms for targeted drug delivery, to AI-based cybersecurity solutions and technologies for sustainable and biodegradable materials.

Additionally, their innovations in augmented reality, intelligent logistics, and disruptive entertainment technologies showcase the diverse range of sectors and applications in which IP has enabled the winners to thrive.

“For SMEs, IP is both shield and a sword: it not just helps to protect their ideas but is also a vehicle for entering and succeeding in new markets. This is why we are working so hard to ensure that SMEs are using IP to grow and scale,” Tang said.

“SMEs make up 90 percent of all enterprises in the world. Building a more inclusive IP ecosystem that brings IP closer to SMEs is key to WIPO’s strategy, and we see these awards as a chance to celebrate, recognize and reward dynamic and innovative SMEs using innovation to change the world,” Tang added. 

WIPO is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 193 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society’s evolving needs.

It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. 

Winners will benefit from a customized mentoring programme for each company, in areas such as accessing finance, establishing business partnerships, and strengthening their intellectual property strategies.

Full list of the 2023 WIPO Global Awards winners:

Aerosol Magee Scientific 

Country: Slovenia | Sector: Environment 

A leading developer and manufacturer of air quality measurement instruments, leveraging on patents and trademarks to protect their innovations and branding.

Centro de Retina Medica y Quirúrgica (CRQM) 

Country: Mexico | Sector: Health 

Patent-protected nanotechnology platform for drug delivery to the retina represents a significant breakthrough in treating common causes of blindness.

Flexxon

Country: Singapore | Sector: Cybersecurity 

AI-based cybersecurity solution that detects and prevents ransomware attacks in real-time leverages its extensive IP portfolio, including 50 patents and 27 global trademarks.

Lactips

Country: France | Sector: Environment 

Patent-protected protein-based polymers plastic-free plastic technology is 100 per cent bio-based, fully biodegradable, and water-soluble without leaving microparticles.

Shanghai Westwell Technology Co. Limited

Country: China | Sector: Environment 

Multi-scenario intelligent and green solutions for the bulk logistics fields. Building a robust patent, industrial design, and trademark-independent IP rights defense.

Xi’an KissFuture Network Technologies

Country: China | Sector: Creative Industries

A leader in AR/VR technologies, with patented innovations in motion platforms and hardware optimization. They offer comprehensive solutions for VR cinemas and cultural institutions.

Yakwetu Online Limited

Country: Kenya | Sector: Creative Industries 

A trademark-protected entertainment technology company that is innovatively disrupting the 95-99 per cent piracy-dominated distribution channel of digital content in Kenya, with plans for the rest of Africa and other developing countries.

Launched in September 2019, Yakwetu’s poof-of-concept is MyMovies.Africa, a mobile-first digital cinema extension, offering securely encrypted original movies from Africa on smart devices, across Africa and to her Diaspora, in 195 countries. 

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