Signvrse

Signvrse is revolutionizing communication accessibility by building Africa’s first AI-powered real-time sign language translation platform. Using cutting-edge technologies including NLP, computer vision, and 3D graphics, Signvrse transforms text and speech into lifelike sign language via expressive 3D avatars. Designed with and for the Deaf community, the platform supports deployment across websites, apps, videos, and live events, enhancing digital inclusion in education, healthcare, and public services.

More than 466 million people globally — including over 2.5 million in Kenya — are Deaf or hard of hearing, yet fewer than 2% have access to education in their native sign language. This communication gap leads to lower literacy, limited job access, and exclusion from vital services. Real-time interpretation remains scarce and expensive, leaving Deaf communities behind in digital transformation and national development.

Signvrse’s platform begins with automatic speech recognition (fine-tuned Whisper Base model adapted for Kenyan English) and NLP (using winkNLP) to generate sign language glosses. These are animated using motion-captured 3D avatars rendered via Three.js. AI assists with gesture retargeting, animation compression, facial expression generation, and eventually gloss-to-motion synthesis. The platform is optimized for on-device and browser-based use even in low-resource environments.

By providing real-time sign language translation, Signvrse empowers Deaf individuals to engage equally in digital life. It ensures that vital content in education, healthcare, government, and corporate spaces is accessible. Designed with cultural sensitivity and linguistic accuracy, Signvrse is not only a tech platform but a movement toward equity and inclusion across Africa.

Signvrse generates revenue through enterprise partnerships, government contracts, and accessibility-as-a-service for institutions. Their work with Huawei, UNESCO, and Kenya’s Ministry of Education proves their commercial potential and product-market fit.

Over 2,300 KSL signs motion-captured

Partnered with Huawei, ICT Authority, and UNESCO in national DigiSchool program

Awarded $23,166 from the Kenya Government, $10,000 from We Are Family Foundation, and other grants

Letters of Intent from UNFPA, UNICEF, Kenya Airways, and more

Developing gloss-to-motion ML models and growing dataset to 25,000 signs

Signvrse is seeking partners for compute access (GPU hours/month: ~41,800), funding, and distribution. They are already piloting with major corporates and public sector institutions, and invite collaboration for scaling inclusive access technology across Africa and globally.

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