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Dan Nyabadza is a Zimbabwean born inventor, former software engineer, and researcher currently living and working from Johannesburg, South Africa. Nyabadza, who first came to prominence when he invented the Pathfinder smart cane a device that was geared towards helping people living with visual disability have better and safer access to shared space. He is also currently the producer and hosts a weekly tech radio show streaming worldwide from Johannesburg to an audience of over a million active listeners.

Dan Nyabadza studied Computer science and was known to occasionally drop in on Psychology classes with Masters students, while with the London School of business and management with a conferer from Heriot-Watt University. He was notably interested in psychology, philosophy and the arts and to date is known to occasionally teach students, his peers and others around the world on related subject matters.

He is known as an observant jew although claims he is a member of the Rastafari movement, claims he does not refute or acknowledge.

EARLY CHILDHOOD

Nyabadza the son of a hydraulics engineer and a former early childhood development educator is thought to have been eccentric, battled with mental illness and while his peers described him as an odd-ball they also acknowledged he was a genius of sorts with varied interests in the arts, technology, psychology, and philosophy. He studied at Sunward Park high school in Johannesburg from 2007 to 2011. In the times, he was according to some been noted as suffering from extreme bouts of depression extensively over three years or more, often resorting to exhibiting what is claimed to be narcissistic tendencies and choosing to disassociate with society to pursue his interests in psychology and philosophy. A significant part of his early childhood was also hallmarked by travel between countries and continents often spending a few years in one place to another.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

2011- 2013

Documents and evidence showed he was enrolled at various institutions such as the London school of business & management, Heriot-Watt University, the University of South Africa amongst others where his notable interests in technology were first noticed. In his first year of studies, he undertook himself under through extensive self-study of web development technologies, psychology as he was known to skip registered classes to attend the Masters of Arts in psychology classes. He continues to this date to declare his undying love for psychology particularly with interests in behavioral sciences. At the time of these studies, he began to market himself as a guru of web development and marketing to upcoming startup businesses in industries such as construction, engineering, and related industries. Gaining prominence amongst his peers as innovative he began to bring in projects to school to work on with his peers and in turn compensate them for their efforts. This allowed him to establish himself as a master in web development and thereafter decided to freelance his services while also employed as an SEO engineer with various development agencies in the greater Johannesburg area before pursuing collaborations with Canadian and an Australian design firms which he worked with as part of his initial startup in the media space.

In 2013 he received an invite from Olusha communications who a client at Chillibush communications at the time to participate in a project called Jozi Jazz which hosted prominent artists such as Caiphus Semenya, Letta Mbulu and The soil an South African acapella group.

2014-2015

There are no historical accounts of his life between 2014 and 2015 either through social media or publications, however there are claims that he suffered a psychotic break with a mild depression at this stage of his life and was a recluse for at least a year where he was unemployed, not studying or pursuing any professional interests. These claims while unverifiable with the exception of verbal accounts he developed keen interests in applying his philosophical learning to his personal life with radical changes in diet, behavior, dress code, appearance, and interests.

2016- 2017

At the beginning of 2016, he enrolled himself at the University of South Africa to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Information Sciences, which he later dropped citing his love for psychology, and the pursuit of an entrepreneurial program offered by the University of Witwatersrand. On acceptance into a trial period in the program, he began reworking on media strategy to raise funds to develop a technology he had been researching two years prior to enrollment in the entrepreneurial program. On the verge of eviction out of the programme, he entered a competition hosted by the University of Witwatersrand to maintain his place in the programme and went on to become a finalist, of which he later decided to drop out of the program to pursue a non-guided business approach to his venture partnering with other students with industry expertise in aeronautics, finance was he previously deemed himself incompetent. He pushed for the development of his idea that had got him to the finals of the Navigator challenge vying to early-stage financing with no luck till he and his partners decided to invest personal capital into the project only later in the following year to secure grant financing multiple times for the same project.

Later he departed IBM Research where he was being hosted as one of the beneficiaries of a programme run by IBM thanking and publicly acknowledging the personnel that assisted him with his brief stay at the institution's programme and the same with Transnet research's programme ann initiative of the University of Witwatersrand.

2018-PRESENT

At the beginning of 2018, was a turning point where his business pursuits began to look promising and delivered results as he has announced as one of the finalists in 2018's edition of the Next Einstein Forum a platform that recognizes prominent and budding young African researchers and scientists. An offer he formally accepted and later left due to claims of unforeseen circumstances that barred him from traveling to the global gathering. Shortly there After Nyabadza announced a partnership with one of South Africa's top government agencies that cater for people living with a visual disability, he refuses to clarify the terms of partnership but has been acknowledged by the media team that manages the agency's social media through a post seen Dan Nyabadza with the agency's CEO and a claim that they endorse his technology in development at an awards ceremony(in a post from October 2018).

United Nations Volunteerism

In May he announced that he would be applying to work for the United Nations through social and personal posts, an endeavor Nyabadza claims is in alignment with his desire to use his skillset to advocate for inclusivity and human rights issues as an Ambassador later on in his career. Dan Nyabadza that same month submitted applications to volunteer and work with the United Nations Major Groups for Children and Youth where he was appointed a thematic member of the public relations team of the 2018 Migration week organizing the committee in Marrakech, Morrocco.

Nokia Inventors Programme

He also submitted an Application to Nokia's inventors' programme where he was fast-tracked on initial application and cites as proof of validation that his work is relevant and possibly an exit strategy from technology.

Unverified claims also linked him to various prominent individuals in different public and private roles, from Vice Presidents of global research firms, group directors of government agencies where he maintains that he is friends with the said individuals and has never asked for favors in their professional capacity that is unethical.

Broadcasting

Dan Nyabadza was very vocal on issues around technology since childhood and in 2018 he joined the1873fm.com as a broadcast partner with a Tech Show that he broadcasts in 92 countries worldwide in addition to his live streams on social media accounts. Nyabadza, claims an alternative approach and perception to technology for Africa is what he brings to the table and continues to broadcast features with some of the most prominent individuals and organizations in the technology space across Africa. he was cited in a recent interview as with plans to do television and video blogging as part of his personal interests in technology.

Volunteerism

Nyabadza is known to volunteer in various programmes that aim to educate youth and empower with technology skills and other religious festivities though he is known to denounce any religious association. He is also a licensee of TED education.

AWARDS & HONOURS

Category:South africa Category:Inventors by nationality Category:Technology