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Global Social Innovators Earn Prestigious ISHOW Spots
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has announced the regional cohort ventures joining the 2026 ASME Innovation Showcase (ISHOW), the prestigious international accelerator dedicated to hardware-led social innovation.
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Among the selected cohort, three ventures hail from Africa and three from the Americas, representing the most promising hardware solutions tackling pressing global challenges in energy, food storage, healthcare, and recycling.
Rigorous Selection Process: From Pitch to Production
A total of 16 social ventures—eight from Africa and eight from the Americas—pitched their innovative solutions and participated in an extensive design and engineering review with industry experts.
The rigorous online evaluation took place between July 6 and August 6, 2026, with expert judges assessing each innovation for technical viability, social impact, and market readiness. Following this intensive review, three ventures from each region emerged as the final cohort, securing their place in the 2026 ISHOW programme.
Regional Cohorts: Africa and Americas Lead the Way
The selected 2026 ASME ISHOW Africa and ISHOW Americas ventures are distinguished by their commitment to delivering affordable, sustainable hardware technology solutions. These innovations directly address critical challenges spanning:
- Energy Access – Off-grid and renewable energy solutions
- Food Storage – Post-harvest loss reduction technologies
- Healthcare – Medical devices and diagnostic tools
- Recycling – Waste management and circular economy innovations
Meet the Innovators
They are:
- BMTA&C Energy (Paris and Benguerir, Morocco) for its “Clean, Solar, Smart Refrigeration” technology — a low-carbon refrigeration solution that combines solar energy, thermal storage, and intelligent energy management to deliver reliable cooling while expanding cold-chain access and reducing emissions
- KilimoChills Solution (Nairobi, Kenya) for its “solar-powered cold storage room” – a modular, solar-powered cold storage solution that reduces post-harvest losses and helps small-scale food vendors
- Team CannaSave (Kampala, Uganda) for its “CannaSave” system – a low-cost, real-time monitoring system that detects neonatal nasal cannula displacement and alerts caregivers, helping ensure continuous oxygen delivery in resource-constrained healthcare settings
- Aetheria (Maastricht, The Netherlands) for its “MonoFoam” innovation – a mobile system designed to capture gases from end-of-life insulation foam while enabling the recovery of materials for reuse and recycling
- Amel Energyv (Amherst, Mass., USA) for its “Amel Materials” – a PFAS-free binder and solvent platform developed as an alternative to conventional materials used in lithium-ion battery manufacturing
- Tap Energy (Erie., Colo., USA) for its “Streamline” system – an in-pipe micro-hydroelectric turbine system designed to capture excess pressure from industrial water lines and convert it into electricity.
Accelerator Support: Seed Grants and Technical Mentorship
The 2026 ISHOW cohort will be invited to participate in the annual ISHOW Bootcamp in the winter to receive an extensive and customized design and engineering review by experts curated to guide them as they scale to market.
As official members of the 2026 ISHOW cohort, the six selected ventures will receive seed grant awards and comprehensive technical support from ASME. This backing is designed to help them navigate the critical path from prototype to market, ensuring their hardware innovations achieve maximum social impact. The accelerator programme provides engineering mentorship, design refinement, and business development guidance to accelerate commercialisation.
The ASME ISHOW India regional event will be held September 3-4 alongside the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE) in Chennai, India. The ventures selected from each of the three regional events will join the ISHOW 2026 global cohort.
Scaling Impact Through Hardware Innovation
The ASME ISHOW continues to serve as a vital launchpad for social enterprises leveraging hardware to solve real-world problems.
With representation from both Africa and the Americas, the 2026 cohort reflects a growing global commitment to engineering-driven solutions that are affordable, sustainable, and scalable. As these ventures advance through the accelerator, they are poised to transform their communities and beyond.
ASME maintains implementation partners and sponsors around the globe, including The Lemelson Foundation for continued support of the ISHOW and a multi-year strategic investment in ASME to support the hardware impact innovation system.
