Jacob ThankGod Kene

Founder, Augmented Reality and Indoor Mapping Expert

About

Jacob ThankGod Kene is the founder and CEO of Waide Mobility, a pioneering accessibility technology company that emerged from a critical market insight identified at the 2023 Inclusive Africa Conference in Nairobi. During this event, Jacob observed firsthand the navigation challenges faced by visually impaired individuals in complex indoor environments, recognizing a significant gap in existing assistive technologies.

The founding moment came when Jacob assisted a fellow visually impaired Nigerian attendee at the Inclusive Africa Conference 2023 who had become disoriented in the hotel venue. This interaction revealed that despite available assistive tools like smart canes, millions of individuals still required human guides for indoor navigation due to GPS limitations in enclosed spaces. This market gap became the foundation for Waide Mobility's core value proposition.

Jacob's commitment to accessibility solutions was further reinforced when he later assisted another fellow visually impaired Nigerian during a residential fire accident that could have claimed his entire family. This life-threatening emergency highlighted the critical importance of accessible navigation systems during crisis situations, where split-second decisions can be the difference between life and death. This experience strengthened Jacob's resolve to ensure every indoor space provides safe, independent navigation capabilities for emergency response scenarios.

Under Jacob's leadership, Waide Mobility has developed into a comprehensive indoor navigation platform serving over 250 million potential users across Africa. His strategic vision combines augmented reality, AI-powered systems, and climate-resilient technology to create scalable accessibility solutions that address both everyday navigation needs and emergency response scenarios.

Expertise & Impact