Limu Lab’s mission to preserve culture through tech

When Sifiso Danisa tried to find a digital tool to help her daughter learn isiZulu, she was shocked at how little was available. The digital shelves were empty, despite South Africa being home to 11 official languages spoken by millions of children. Together with co-founder Sphumelele Sibeko, he turned that frustration into Limu Lab a start-up reimagining how children learn and love their mother tongues.

In January 2024, the company launched its flagship app, supported by MIF. Since then, Limu Lab has been using technology to make indigenous language learning interactive, accessible, and fun for children. The app integrates animations, gamified activities, and multi-sensory learning features to build literacy and confidence among young learners.

“We didn’t just want another educational app,” says co-founder Sphumelele Sibeko. “We wanted a digital platform that children actually enjoy using - where technology is the bridge between culture and curiosity.”

The company’s technology is designed to respond to a very specific gap, the shortage of African language content in digital learning ecosystems. While millions of South African children interact with mobile devices daily, most of the apps they encounter prioritise English or global content.

“The truth is, when my daughter wanted to learn isiZulu, I couldn’t find a single high-quality app that reflected her identity,” recalls Sifiso Danisa. “That moment was frustrating, but it was also a clear business signal. If parents and teachers don’t have tools, children lose the opportunity to see their own languages represented in tech. That’s where Limu Lab comes in.”

Through iterative development and user testing, Limu’s first prototype, known in the tech world as a “minimum viable product” (MVP), evolved into a full platform that allows children to see, hear and repeat words through playful characters, rhymes and games. The design prioritises intuitive navigation for young learners, and content is available in multiple languages, with more being added.

Like most start-ups, the early stages meant building fast while proving demand. The founders bootstrapped their first prototypes before securing backing from the MultiChoice Innovation Fund.

“The MultiChoice Innovation Fund gave us more than capital,” says Sibeko. “The leadership coaching was pivotal. It helped us play to our strengths as founders and think like a scalable tech business, not just a passion project.”

Since then, Limu Lab has:

• Surpassed 1,000 app downloads in its first year.
  
• Piloted content with Showmax (Dec 2024).
  
• Partnered with SuperSport Schools on a national campaign.
  
• Joined the Mastercard Foundation Fellowship in March 2025.
  
• Signed its first quintile 1-3 school onto its platform in August 2025.

These milestones point to a growing appetite for localised edtech solutions, especially those that address South Africa’s literacy challenges.

While Limu Lab is a tech start-up at its core, its cultural relevance is what makes it distinctive. The app’s use of audio, animation, and interactive feedback loops is designed not only to help children learn new words, but also to instil pride in speaking to them.

“In the classroom, a child repeating a word with excitement because they heard it on Limu is powerful,” says Danisa. “That interaction is more than just learning, it’s identity being reinforced through technology.”

This approach is particularly relevant during Heritage Month, as South Africa reflects on its linguistic and cultural diversity. By digitising storytelling, songs, and everyday words, Limu Lab is positioning technology as a tool for cultural preservation and modernisation at the same time.

As women without traditional coding or engineering backgrounds, the founders have had to navigate scepticism.

“We were often underestimated - people assumed we couldn’t build a credible tech business without a male CTO,” Sibeko says. “But what we’ve learnt is that you don’t need to code everything yourself to innovate. You need a clear vision of the problem and the right network to execute it.”

That mindset has allowed Limu Lab to scale while outsourcing key development functions, focusing their energy on user experience, storytelling, and community impact.

The business’s roadmap includes expanding its language offerings, integrating AI-powered voice recognition for pronunciation, and scaling its reach into more schools across the country.

“For us, culture and tech are not opposites,” Danisa concludes. “They are partners. Heritage isn’t just something to celebrate once a year, it’s something we can embed into digital tools that children use every day.”