A South African AI tutor that helps schoolchildren tackle homework in multiple languages through WhatsApp has secured R850,000 in funding and support. BuddyAI offers curriculum-aligned lessons, exam preparation, adaptive quizzes and instant feedback for learners from Grade 1 to 12.
Buddy Learning, the company behind BuddyAI, took third place in the Social Innovation category of the 2026 SAB Foundation Social Innovation and Disability Empowerment Awards. The foundation recognised 20 innovators, awarding a combined R18.4-million in funding and business development support. The recipients will also receive 12 months of tailored mentorship to help grow their businesses.
The AI assistant lets pupils ask questions, receive step-by-step explanations and practise difficult subjects directly through WhatsApp, without needing another app.
“What stands out about this year’s innovators is the breadth of the problems they are responding to and the quality of the solutions being developed here in South Africa,” says Sarah Mthintso, executive director of the SAB Foundation.
MagiTech Science won first prize for NuvionDerm, a wound-care treatment that uses donated human placental tissue to support the body’s natural healing process. The treatment is designed for chronic wounds, burns, ulcers and surgical wounds.
Lola Green took second prize for LolaHouses, a housing system that uses locally sourced soil and recycled plastic waste to build affordable, durable homes. The approach reduces reliance on conventional building materials while keeping plastic waste out of landfill.
“These are entrepreneurs looking at challenges in healthcare, education, housing, mobility, water, access to finance and economic participation and asking how they can solve them differently,” says Mthintso. “The opportunity is to help those solutions become stronger businesses capable of reaching more people.
“They are very different innovations, but each responds to a real need in a practical way. That is where social innovation becomes powerful.”
Disability Empowerment Awards
The Disability Empowerment Concerns Trust (DEC Trust) partnered with the SAB Foundation to recognise innovations that improve mobility and economic opportunities for people with disabilities.
NAVU Mobility won first prize for the NK Gen-1, an affordable prosthetic knee manufactured in South Africa for above-knee amputees. The modular design allows individual components to be replaced without replacing the entire device.
Wheels of Change Inclusive Enterprise Hub took second place for a programme that helps people with disabilities develop skills and business opportunities in textile production, catering, farming and wheelchair repairs.
Third prize went to nXtABLED, an entrepreneurship platform offering accessible skills development, mentorship and an online marketplace connecting disability-owned businesses with customers, funders and partners.
Nyameka Mqikela, CEO of DEC Trust, says supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities and businesses developing disability-focused solutions can contribute directly to greater economic participation.
She says: “Disability should not determine whether someone can build a business or participate fully in the economy. The range of innovations recognised this year shows that disability innovation in South Africa is a growing area of entrepreneurship and enterprise. These businesses are creating solutions that can improve access while also creating economic opportunity.”
To date, the SAB Foundation has invested R970-million in 8,133 South African businesses, contributing to more than 20,000 jobs and impacting over 113,000 livelihoods.
* For more information about the SAB Foundation and its programmes, visit the website here.