Upenyu Machingambi
Upenyu Machingambi is the Founder of Mator Design, Country Director for Zimbabwe at AI for Africa, and a Blockchain Consultant at BlockWise, with over eight years of experience in artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, design thinking, and STEM education across Africa.
He is a 2025 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Dual-Award Winner and an AI and Design Thinking consultant who has positively impacted over 12,000 youth, business professionals, and students from more than seven African countries with digital skills, AI, green technology, and business development competencies.
As the Founder of Mator Design since May 2021, Upenyu leads a social impact company registered in Zimbabwe and Zambia that provides inclusive AI, robotics, coding, and design thinking education in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
Mator Design delivers training services covering AI, robotics, design thinking, space technology, and data science, and operates an innovation hub for teenagers in Harare where young people acquire 21st-century skills including computer programming, robotics design, and creative problem-solving.
In August 2024, Mator Design conducted AI and Robotics Bootcamps in Harare where students made and programmed smart robot cars, and delivered AI and design thinking training at the TeXpo 2024 event at Arrupe Jesuit University. The company also provides affordable robotics kits for schools in Zimbabwe and Zambia, enabling hands-on STEM learning experiences. Read Mator Design Opens an Innovation Hub for Teenagers.
In November 2025, Upenyu emerged as one of the headline winners at the UNDP Zimbabwe AI & Innovation Week 2025, securing two top awards: the Lithium Value Chain Award and the MineTech Innovation Challenge Award, earning a combined $10,000 in funding for his projects Lithium Loop ($4,000) and DigiSafe ($6,000).
Mator Design was the only company to win a prize in both award categories. Lithium Loop is a next-generation blockchain platform that delivers mine-to-market transparency, ESG compliance, and community impact for Zimbabwe’s lithium value chain, while DigiSafe strengthens digital governance and operational safety across mining operations. Read Mator Design Sweeps UNDP Innovation Week with Dual Awards Amid Rising Global Lithium Demand.
As Country Director for Zimbabwe at AI for Africa since August 2024, Upenyu serves as an AI trainer and consultant for corporates, universities, and business professionals, empowering the next generation of African enterprises and professionals through relevant AI tools and skills. He has expertise in AI and computational systems, including AlphaFold 3, Large Language Models (LLMs), and blockchain architecture using Hyperledger Fabric.
He has successfully led AI and digital skills training programs in collaboration with renowned institutions including the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the World Trade Organization, the University of Zimbabwe, SNV Zimbabwe, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Junior Chambers International, Digital Africa, BongoHive Lusaka, GirlUp Zambia, Impact Hub Harare, and others.
Between January and June 2024, Upenyu served as Lead Trainer for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, where he delivered Design Thinking training to over 200 business professionals from South Africa, Mauritius, Zambia, Malawi, Namibia, and Mozambique. The objective of the program was to drive growth and competitiveness in SMEs through technology and innovation in the SADC region. As a Blockchain Consultant at BlockWise since January 2022, Upenyu conducts enterprise blockchain research and training to advance financial inclusion in Africa.
Between September 2017 and December 2021, he was a Researcher in Blockchain Technology at Rok Fund, where he led research projects on blockchain solutions for supply chains, enterprise operations, healthcare, and agriculture, and evaluated cross-sectoral business opportunities and potential risks of blockchain solutions. Upenyu is also driving initiatives to bridge the gender gap in STEM in Africa. His Girls in AI program, launched in November 2025, reaches young girls in Chitungwiza, one of Zimbabwe’s largest satellite cities, in partnership with GirlUp, as well as in Harare and Lusaka.
Between 2020 and 2021, Upenyu served as a Board Trustee (Pro bono) at PROSPAZ Trust, a Zimbabwean association that provides a platform for sharing supply chain knowledge among students and professionals. He started his career as a Purchasing and Logistics Assistant at the Ministry of Health and Child Care in Zimbabwe in 2015, working at Fr O’ Hea Memorial Hospital.
Upenyu earned his Bachelor of Science Honors Degree in Supply Chain Management from Chinhoyi University of Technology in 2016. He holds a Professional Certificate in Blockchain Technology from the University of California, Berkeley earned in 2020, a Certificate in Design Led Strategy: Design Thinking for Business Strategy and Entrepreneurship from the University of Sydney Business School earned in 2020, and a Certificate as an Enterprise Blockchain Architect from We2Blocks earned in 2020.
Read Speed: A New Differentiator for Startups and Announcing Mator Design Partnership with Zambezi Ark Technologies.
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