There are a few things more paradoxical than hearing someone speak without truly understanding them due to language barriers. While language has been humanity’s primary means of communication since time immemorial, its diversity often hinders real-time interactions despite technological efforts to bridge these gaps.

Various software and mobile apps have been dedicated to addressing these language barriers, but only a handful — such as the innovations of Danny Manu — have made significant strides.

Who is Danny Manu?

If you had asked this question 20 years ago, Danny would have been introduced as a Ghanaian-British music producer working with top global musicians. Fifteen years ago, he would have been recognised as an aerospace engineer, designing and running precision machinery used in aircraft production. However, beyond his contributions to the music and aerospace industries, Danny found his true calling in creating life-changing solutions that improve lives through his company, Mymanu.

Founded in 2014, Mymanu remained relatively unknown until 2017, when the company gained widespread recognition with the launch of Mymanu Clik — one of the world’s first wireless earbuds capable of translating over 30 languages in real time.

Though wireless earbuds have become a common accessory for communication and convenience, Mymanu Clik was the first and remains one of the few earbuds today that primarily function as a translator, amidst other functionalities found in regular earbuds.

Before Danny’s visionary earbuds, there were undoubtedly software and mobile apps engineered to translate text to speech and vice versa, but none were quite versed in real-time translation.

“In the aerospace industry, we had to deliver and attend workshops in Germany. Most of them were in German, and most of us didn’t speak German. So, I thought it would be a good idea to have a device that could translate into different languages simultaneously,” the tech entrepreneur explained. “That way, you could use it not only during professional workshops but also when you travel. No need for a human translator.”

After three years of development, Mymanu Clik was officially launched in 2017. The 35-year-old innovator launched an updated version in 2021 known as Mymanu Clik S. In 2024, the Mymanu Clik Pro — a version that enables translation without needing a phone or internet connection — was unveiled at CES in Las Vegas.

Aside from these Clik earbuds, Mymanu shook the telecom industry in 2023 with the launch of Titan, the “world’s first screenless phone’’ equipped with eSIM that enables users to make and receive calls and SMS, and of course, to translate dozens of languages – all without a screen.

“This is an inclusive technology that benefits a wider audience and reduces our reliance on screens, which can sometimes be detrimental to our health,” Manu said during the Titan announcement at IFA Berlin in 2022. “It’s an important step in making technology more accessible and beneficial to users.”

The Titan and Clik earbuds are powered by MyJuno, the parent mobile app for Mymanu’s products. MyJuno also doubles as a social network, allowing users to connect with others worldwide or in their local areas to join language-focused groups and interact meaningfully.

Despite the eventual brilliance of Mymanu’s products, Danny, like many other Black entrepreneurs in the diaspora, faced significant hurdles in securing the necessary funding to launch his business. “Like all the other ethnic minority-run businesses within the UK, I had a hard time getting the funding and financial support from banks and government-funded programmes that I needed,’’ he said.

However, the Ghanaian-rooted technologist persisted. Using his savings and crowdfunding efforts, he managed to grow Mymanu into a globally recognised company, selling hundreds of thousands of products in key markets across the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

The proof is in the pudding. Danny Manu’s innovations have garnered widespread recognition, including the Red Dot Award in 2018, and the CES Innovation Award in 2019 and 2024, and was also named in the Top 20 Finalists in the Amazon Innovation Awards — a prestigious accolade celebrating the most groundbreaking products across Europe and the UK.