Meet the startup recognized as the Top Launch Startup of the 2026 Imagine Cup
Early momentum. Clear direction.
The Launch path highlights student founders who are at an earlier stage but already showing strong signals in how they are approaching what they are building.
L-Guard Ltd. stood out for how clearly the problem was defined, how intentionally the solution is taking shape, and the direction it is heading next.
As the Top Launch Startup, L-Guard Ltd. receives $50,000 USD along with continued visibility and support from Microsoft as they move their solution forward.
Meet the startup
L-Guard Ltd.: AI-powered road safety, built for real-time response
Rwanda
L-Guard Ltd. is addressing a critical gap in road safety across Africa, where many accident victims lose their lives not from the crash itself, but from delayed emergency response.
The startup has built an AI- and IoT-powered system that monitors vehicle activity, detects crashes in real time, and automatically alerts nearby hospitals and emergency responders. By combining sensor data with machine learning models on Azure, L-Guard transforms real-time vehicle signals into actionable emergency intelligence.
This shifts road safety from reactive response to proactive intervention, issuing risky driving warnings, detecting incidents as they happen, and ensuring that help is activated as quickly as possible, even in low-connectivity environments.
As the startup continues to move from pilot validation toward broader deployment, the focus is on strengthening reliability, expanding partnerships, and scaling across high-risk transport markets. By making timely rescue the standard, L-Guard is working to reduce preventable fatalities and bring more accountability to emergency response systems.
Helen Ugoeze Okereke – Growing up in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, Helen set out to become what she called a “computer wizard,” focused on building real solutions with technology. Today, she leads L-Guard’s vision and strategy, driven by a mission to use technology to save lives.
Ramadhani Wanjenja – With a background in embedded systems and intelligent hardware, Ramadhani leads the technical architecture of L-Guard. His personal experience surviving a motorcycle accident shaped the direction of the solution and its focus on immediate response.
Terry Manzi – Raised in Kigali, Terry brings a systems and operations mindset, leading software-hardware integration, deployment, and partnerships to ensure L-Guard works effectively in real environments.
Erioluwa Olowoyo – With a focus on product design and user experience, Erioluwa ensures L-Guard remains intuitive and accessible. His path into technology was self-driven, shaped by a commitment to building solutions that work for real users in real contexts.
What this represents
The Top Launch startup reflects what it means to build with intention from the start.
This is not about having everything finished. It is about identifying a real problem, building toward a solution, and continuing to move forward with clarity and purpose.
As L-Guard Ltd. continues to develop, their work highlights the impact student founders can have when they combine technical skill with lived experience and a clear mission.
Partner tools behind the build
Alongside mentorship and community, Imagine Cup startups gain access to tools that support how their solutions continue to take shape.
Through GitHub Education, teams use the Student Developer Pack, collaborate with AI-assisted coding through Copilot, and build on a platform used by developers around the world.
With Replit, teams build, test, and deploy using natural language in an AI-powered environment designed for rapid iteration.
Together, these tools give startups the flexibility and support to keep moving forward as they scale their solutions.
