The overflowing of raw athletic talent in Africa has long been constrained by weak systems, limited visibility, and fragmented scouting structures, which has sent thousands of talents to early graveyard, and killed many ambitions even before birth. ProPath Sports is positioning itself as a technology-driven answer to reimagine talent discovery in Africa, and ensure promising young athletes are seen, properly developed, and given a fair shot at success.
Founded in 2024 by Daniel Maganjo, Harrison Otieno, and Rinah Lidonde, ProPath Sports is building an AI-powered platform designed to replace guesswork, bias, and chance with data-backed development pathways.
Through its flagship iSTEAM platform, the startup aims to connect young athletes, schools, parents, coaches, scouts, and federations within a single, structured ecosystem that tracks performance, validates progress, and opens doors to national and continental visibility.
“Instead of guesswork and fragmented efforts, we provide measurable progress and national visibility,” Maganjo explained, adding that the platform is designed to help athletes “reach their definition of sports success.”
What You Should Know About ProPath Sports
At its core, ProPath Sports is building what it describes as the digital backbone for youth sports in Africa. The startup’s mission is not simply to identify talent, but to ensure that talent is consistently nurtured, monitored, and validated from an early stage.
Its AI-driven infrastructure allows young athletes to document their journey, measure improvement, and present verified performance data that scouts and sports bodies can trust.
The company was founded by three individuals who understand the problem firsthand. As former student-athletes, the founders experienced the frustration of having talent without access to clear career pathways or institutional support.
“As former student-athletes, we once dreamed of going pro, but lacked the career pathways and industry support to make it happen,” Maganjo said.
That lived experience now shapes ProPath’s vision: building systems that make sports development intentional rather than accidental.
Inside iSTEAM: A Data-Driven Ecosystem for Youth Athletes
The centerpiece of ProPath’s innovation is iSTEAM, a data-driven ecosystem that brings structure to youth athlete development. Rather than relying on subjective assessments or one-off scouting events, iSTEAM enables objective tracking of performance, progress, and potential.
Through the platform, athletes maintain athletic journals, coaches receive structured growth pathways, parents gain visibility into measurable development, and scouts can make informed decisions based on verified data.
The startup also plans to integrate wearable technology, allowing real-time performance metrics to feed directly into athlete profiles. According to Maganjo, this approach replaces fragmented efforts with clarity, accountability, and long-term progression.
Solving a Problem the Founders Lived Through
ProPath’s focus on sports is deeply personal. The founders say their decision to build in this space was driven by shared frustration with how youth sports careers often unfold across Africa.
“Parents couldn’t see it as sustainable, and there was no clear path forward,” Maganjo noted, describing how talented athletes are frequently discouraged due to uncertainty and lack of institutional backing.
By designing clear, curriculum-aligned pathways, ProPath aims to shift how families, schools, and communities perceive sports, not as a risky gamble, but as a structured and viable career option when supported by data and planning.
Why Africa’s Youth Sports System Needs a Rethink
Africa’s youth sports ecosystem, while rich in talent, remains poor in infrastructure and standardisation. These gaps leave many talented athletes unseen and unsupported, regardless of their ability.
According to ProPath, families often gamble resources on academies without clear outcomes, scouts rely on fragmented and geographically limited networks, and federations struggle with the absence of systems embedded in education.
“The reality is that global platforms are too expensive and complex for grassroots contexts, traditional scouting is subjective and geographically limited, and community academies lack the technology and structure to scale,” Maganjo said.
Blending Technology With Local Context
What differentiates ProPath from global sports platforms is its emphasis on local relevance. This approach allows ProPath to scale within existing structures while maintaining consistency and accessibility.
The startup has designed its system to integrate seamlessly with Kenya’s Competency-Based Education (CBE) system, ensuring that sports development aligns with formal education rather than competing with it.
“Our algorithms provide objective assessments and personalized development plans,” Maganjo explained, adding that the platform’s holistic design ensures athletes are “continuously developed, monitored, and validated.”
Early Traction and Market Interest
Although still early in its journey, ProPath Sports is already seeing encouraging signals. Sports camps, parents, and federations have shown strong interest in structured, curriculum-aligned development and verified performance insights.
Pilot seminars conducted by the startup confirmed demand for guidance, standardisation, and transparent pathways in youth sports development.
These early responses reinforce the founders’ belief that the problem they are solving is both widespread and urgent.
Scaling From Camps to Classrooms, and Beyond
ProPath’s immediate focus is working with sports camps across Kenya, but its long-term strategy places schools at the center of its expansion.
“Right now, we’re working with sports camps in Kenya, but the future is schools,” Maganjo said, outlining plans to embed the platform into the national school system through the Competency-Based Education curriculum.
Looking ahead, the startup plans to expand into at least three additional African markets by 2029–2030, leveraging similar education frameworks to ensure consistency and scalability.
Kenya, according to the founders, is only the launchpad for a much broader continental ambition.
Business Model and Long-Term Vision
ProPath operates a freemium model for institutions, camps, and academies, while scouts and recruiters access the platform through a subscription model.
The company is currently raising funds to accelerate growth and execute its expansion roadmap. Despite being at an early stage, the startup’s ambitions are clear.
“We’re building the digital backbone for youth sports in Africa, so talent isn’t left to chance,” Maganjo said. “If a student athlete is ready, the system should be ready too.”
In an ecosystem where opportunity has too often depended on luck, location, or connections, ProPath Sports is betting that data, structure, and technology can finally level the playing field for Africa’s next generation of athletes.
Talking Points
ProPath Sports presents a timely and well-conceived intervention into Africa’s fragmented youth sports ecosystem, addressing a long-standing gap between raw talent and structured opportunity.
Its strongest advantage lies in its systems-thinking approach, moving beyond mere talent identification to continuous development, validation, and visibility through data and AI, while aligning with Kenya’s education framework.
This significantly improves credibility and scalability compared to ad-hoc scouting models.
However, the platform’s long-term success will depend on execution: integrating wearable technology at scale, ensuring data accuracy in grassroots environments, and overcoming adoption barriers among under-resourced schools and camps.
There is also the challenge of balancing algorithmic objectivity with the nuanced, human elements of athletic potential.
If ProPath can sustain affordability, build trust among federations and recruiters, and demonstrate clear success stories of athletes progressing through its system, it could evolve into a foundational infrastructure for youth sports development in Africa rather than just another sports-tech platform.
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