Built here
We build in Africa, with the people whose languages we model, instead of translating systems designed elsewhere.
Africa shouldn’t have to wait. We intend to build it ourselves.
Waridi — Swahili for “rose” — is an AI research lab training frontier models for human–computer interaction, built around the way Africans actually speak.
Mission
Make voice technology accessible, natural and intelligent in every African language — so someone in Arusha, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam or a rural village can use technology in their own language, without compromising on quality.
Why Swahili first
The best place to start a continent.
Swahili is a bridge language. Getting it right — dialect by dialect — opens the door to the rest of Africa.
- 200M+
- people speak Swahili, as a first language or an everyday second one
- Only
- African language among the official languages of the African Union
- EAC
- official language of the East African Community, a bridge across East and Central Africa
Roadmap
Starting with voice, and with Swahili.
- Now
Tanzanian Swahili
Where Swahili is woven through daily life, schools, government and commerce. Our first dialect, done exceptionally well.
- Next
Kenyan & regional Swahili
Nairobi, Mombasa, Uganda and beyond — different vocabulary, rhythm and slang, including Sheng.
- Then
More African languages
Kikuyu, Luganda, Kinyarwanda, Yorùbá, Hausa, isiZulu, Amharic and more, built with the same care.
How we work
What we believe.
Dialects, not just languages
“Supports Swahili” is not one thing. We collect, train and evaluate region by region.
Consent first
Every voice we train on is consented and fairly paid. Cloning requires the verified consent of the voice owner.
No compromise on quality
Someone in a rural village deserves technology as good as anyone’s, in their own language.
Headquarters
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Building from East Africa, for the world — with the people whose languages we model.