Tony OdhiamboNairobi, Kenya | Cambridge, MA, USA

CS, Economics & Data Science at MIT

Turning African talent and research into assets investors can back.

I'm a junior at MIT, from Kenya. I build computational models and empirical tools, from reinforcement learning agents and NLP pipelines to market design simulations, for information asymmetry, agency, and resource allocation in development economics.

Speaking at the Rise Global Summit — Rise Global Summit, Oxford

UNGA High-Level Week — UNGA High-Level Week, New York

At the US Congress — The Hill, Washington DC

Teaching chemistry at Ayb School in Yerevan — Armenia Trip

The Kenya olympiad team — Team Kenya, olympiad year

Outside the United Nations during CSW week in New York — United Nations

The Mwendo facilitator team — Mwendo Team

The YYGS family group at Yale — YYGS Family Group

Yale Young African Scholars — Yale Young African Scholars, Harare

AfroTech in Houston — AfroTech, Houston

The Mwendo Launchpad cohort outside Light Academy in Nairobi — Mwendo Launchpad

MIT African Students Association — African Students' Association, MIT

Rise Fellows at a Technology and Society dinner in Oxford — Rise Fellows in Oxford

PAMO silver medal — Silver, PAMO Kigali

YYAS alumni at Yale Young Global Scholars — YYAS Alumni at YYGS

ChemAxis molecular visualization — ChemAxis

At MIT orientation — MIT Orientation

African Universities database — African university database

Mwendo

I built Mwendo, Kenya's largest open-access prep curriculum for global student opportunities. Access to preparation runs on money, selective programs, or who you already know. Mwendo removes all three.

300: students in the first month
10+: countries, organically
30+: trained at the Launchpad

mwendokenya.org→

Research

African university databaseMIT Sloan2026 —→
Every institution in all 54 countries, cross-checked and mapped.
Capital expenditure from SEC filingsMIT Sloan2025 – 26
EDGAR 10-K and 10-Q text turned into validated capex panel data.
NLP for catalysis literatureMIT Chemistry2026
Redox classification from abstracts, then from SMILES structure.

Software

ChemAxisChemistry × motion→
Tilt your phone, turn a 3D molecule in real time.
MovezikiMusic × computer vision
Use your hands to play instruments and conduct an orchestra.
HamsteredFaces × hamsters→
A browser gesture mirror that matches your face to hand-drawn hamsters.

In a working session at the Rise Residential Summit — Rise Residential Summit

Name on the high school honors board — High School Valedictorian

MIT trip in Los Angeles — MIT Experiential Trip, Los Angeles

A candid at the Rise Summit — Rise, Oxford

KCSE results featured on the Nation website — KCSE results, Daily Nation

The MIT African Students Association executive board — MIT ASA Exec

Rise winners at the 2025 Residential Summit — Rise Residential Summit

Above Yerevan in winter — Yerevan, Armenia

Competitive chess — Youth Chess Championship

Rise Global Summit

At the Kevin Xu Innovation Challenge — Kevin Xu Innovation Challenge

Presenting at the Rise Residential Summit — Rise Residential Summit

Giving the graduation speech in cap and gown — Graduation Speech

With students at Ayb School — Ayb School, Armenia

Rise Global Summit

Young Scientists Kenya

Civics Unplugged fellows at dinner in Boston — Civics Unplugged Dinner, Boston

Speaking

Aug 2026Pathways Africa: Kikao Mentorship Session
Aug 2026Lead Instructor, Mwendo Higher Learning Launchpad
Jun 2026Yale Young African Scholars: Pathways II Program
Jan 2026InspirED Session
Aug 2025Lightning Talk, Rise Residential Summit, Oxford
Jan 2025Global Teaching Labs, Armenia

Honors

Apr 2026PKG FellowMIT Priscilla King Gray Center
Apr 2026BCAP FellowMIT OACES & Black Alumni of MIT
Oct 2025Shortlisted, Kevin Xu Innovation ChallengeEquitech Futures
Apr 2025Flame of AfricaMIT African Students Association
Feb 2025Rise Social Venture Challenge WinnerResolution Project
Sep 2024Rise Global WinnerRise for the World
Sep 2024Onuoha FellowThe Onuoha Fellowship
Aug 2024Emergent Ventures WinnerGeorge Mason University
Apr 2024Full ScholarshipBLAST AI
Mar 2024Full ScholarshipMIT
Feb 2024Civics Unplugged FellowCivics Unplugged
Dec 2023Full ScholarshipYale Young Global Scholars
Oct 20231st Place Nationally, KMO FinalsKenya Mathematical Olympiad
May 2023Silver Medal, PAMOPan African Mathematics Olympiad
Apr 2023Gold Medal, EAMOEast African Mathematical Olympiad