Every year, millions of people with severe physical disabilities face a common problem: standard wheelchairs don’t meet their needs. In Tunisia, one startup is addressing that gap head-on. Co-founded by Souleima Ben Temime, GeWinner has developed a smart piloting system that allows users to control electric wheelchairs using voice or even brain signals.
It’s a powerful combination of accessibility and engineering and it’s positioning the company as a pioneering player in Africa’s growing assistive tech market.
Innovation Begins with Insights
When Souleima’s uncle lost his mobility in an accident, she was confronted for the first time with the hidden world of people with disabilities. It wasn’t just the physical limitations he faced but the technological and social barriers that stripped him of autonomy. That moment, she says, “was the turning point. I discovered that not all electric wheelchairs, or even wheelchairs in general, can help people with disabilities. Some of them need alternative driving systems in order to move and to be independent again.”
That realization set Souleima, a biomedical engineer turned entrepreneur, on a transformative path. In 2019, alongside three fellow female engineers and university friends (Khaoula Ben Ahmed, Ghofrane Ayari and Sirine Ayari), she co-founded GeWinner—a Tunisian healthtech startup designing advanced smart piloting systems for people with physical disabilities. Their mission: to restore independence through technology.
The Birth of GeWinner
Born and raised in Tunisia, Souleima pursued her education entirely through public institutions. She completed a degree in Biomedical Engineering followed by a master’s in Embedded Electronic Systems and Medical Equipment, both from the Higher Institute of Medical Technologies of Tunis. Her academic journey was deeply technical but her professional path evolved as she transitioned into a business development role to co-lead the startup she had helped to envision.
“GeWinner is a healthtech startup developing a smart piloting system for electric wheelchairs,” she explains. “It’s designed to help people with physical disabilities move, be independent and live autonomously.”
“We have two mobile developers, an electronics engineer, and even people with disabilities who actively participated in developing the product.”
The core innovation is MOOVOBRAIN, a mobile application with four intuitive driving modes. “A person can control the wheelchair using their voice—saying ‘go back,’ ‘left,’ ‘right’and it only recognizes the user’s voice. The second mode is via facial grimaces and in this case specific facial expressions offer control. The third is a virtual joystick on the app. And the fourth, for those who are completely disabled, is through brain signals.”
Using a brain-machine interface, users can operate the chair by simply concentrating or blinking, when they focus, the wheelchair moves forward; when they blink, it stops or changes direction. “This small electronic board is integrated into the wheelchair’s joystick and is responsible for controlling its motors. The mobile app and the electronic board are connected via Bluetooth.”
Built by and for People with Disabilities
From the very beginning, inclusion was not just a goal—it was the method. GeWinner collaborated directly with disability associations and even employed people with disabilities as developers. “They helped us in two crucial ways,” Souleima shares. “First, in developing the mobile app, and second, in enhancing the user experience. As end-users themselves, their feedback was invaluable.”
This collaborative approach grounded the product in reality. Every feature, every update, was tested with those it was meant to serve. “We discovered that many of them face not just mobility issues but serious problems with battery life, poor wheelchair quality, and lack of obstacle detection. As we progressed, we kept discovering new challenges and we kept solving them.”
But for Souleima, technology was only part of the answer.
Shifting the Narrative on Disability
“One thing we realized is that people are not well-educated about disability,” she says. “So beyond building the product, we made it our mission to raise awareness.” Souleima visited countless associations across Tunisia, speaking with users, learning their needs and championing inclusion. “We also created a video series to showcase people with disabilities who are building careers, succeeding and leading because their stories deserve to be heard.”
In parallel, she launched a conference with support from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis. “I received a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Tunis to develop a program for people with disabilities in Tunisia. As part of that, my colleague and I organized a conference focused on employment opportunities, raising awareness, identifying challenges and sharing best practices with the broader disability community.”
Souleima is now a frequent collaborator with startup programs and a consulting agency. She’s also volunteered with the Junior Chamber of Commerce and Tunisian Civil Protection for two years.
Funding Hard Tech with Strategy
Hardware startups are notoriously difficult to fund, and GeWinner faced its share of financial challenges. “We needed to finance the development of the hardware,” she says. Their strategy at the beginning? Pitching competitions and grant programs. “The feedback from mentors helped us improve, and the awards helped fund the product.”
COVID-19 brought further complications, especially with testing. “We couldn’t access associations or events. So we used the time to reflect, to refine the technology and to focus on building something truly impactful.”
The greatest lesson she learned during that time? “To be flexible. To listen to the market. And especially to test with end-users, because in the end, they’re the ones who will use the product.”
Global Recognition, Local Impact
GeWinner’s innovation has not gone unnoticed. The startup holds a national patent in Tunisia and was named one of the top three young inventors globally by the European Patent Office in the Young Inventors Prize 2024, out of 550 global proposals. Souleima and her co-founders were also recently featured on the Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 list. The team has also been awarded a Startup Act Label from the Tunisian government. This legal recognition grants various tax and social benefits to innovative scalable technologies.
While accolades are validating, Souleima remains focused on impact. “It’s not about the titles. The most powerful moment for me was the first time we let Jamil, one of our association members, use the product — it was the first time he was able to move on his own. His reaction was one of pure excitement and pride. He was thrilled to be able to control the wheelchair by himself. That moment confirmed for us that this product could truly make a difference for people with disabilities and help solve a real, pressing challenge.”
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
For young entrepreneurs, especially those without resources, Souleima has clear advice. “Start. Don’t let a lack of resources be your excuse. The internet is full of free courses and opportunities. Ask for help. If you’re willing to learn, people will support you.”
She speaks highly of the Tunisian startup ecosystem. “Once you’re in, you’ll find people ready to advise, connect you and share opportunities.”
Her closing message is one of collaboration. “You can’t do everything alone. Collaborate. Stay open. Use technology to grow. Knock on doors. You’ll be surprised how many open.”
“That’s exactly what we do. When we’re struggling with something, we ask for help—we seek out collaboration, whether it’s with another organization, another startup or anyone who can join us in solving the problem together.”
Souleima Ben Temime and her team at GeWinner are not just building a product—they are rewriting the story of what’s possible when empathy meets innovation. From a deeply personal moment of pain came a bold, transformative vision: to return independence, dignity and mobility to those the world too often overlooks.
