Biography

With a background in Human-Computer Interaction and over eight years of experience in tech training and startup mentorship, Kipkoech is passionate about making advanced digital disciplines accessible, practical, and culturally relevant.

He currently serves as Lead Faculty at an Innovation Hub in Uasin Gishu and as a guest instructor with Wacre Skill Centre, where he teaches four high-impact courses designed for Africa’s next generation of creators and founders:

Introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP) – where students explore AI that understands Swahili, Sheng’, and local dialects;
Entrepreneurship: From Idea to Launch – guiding young innovators to build businesses rooted in community needs;
UI/UX Design Principles for Developers – emphasizing intuitive, mobile-first design for low-bandwidth users;
Digital Advertising Fundamentals: PPC – teaching lean, high-ROI ad strategies for small businesses using Meta and Google Ads.

A graduate of Moi University with postgraduate studies in Digital Innovation at Strathmore University, Kipkoech co-founded Talai Labs, a social enterprise that trains rural youth in human-centered tech design. He integrates Kalenjin values like kamuratanet (collective responsibility) and tumdo (purposeful action) into his teaching, encouraging students to build technology that serves people, not just markets.

Fluent in Kalenjin, Swahili, and English, Kipkoech often uses storytelling, proverbs, and local case studies from mama mboga e-commerce to boda-boda logistics apps to make complex concepts relatable. His workshops have reached over 2,000 learners in Kakamega, Bomet, and Trans Nzoia, many of whom now work as freelance designers, ad specialists, or startup founders.

When not teaching or mentoring, you’ll find him testing voice-based NLP prototypes for farmers, hiking the Cherangani Hills, or sharing chai with students under the acacia trees always asking: “Ko ne? How does this help our people?”