Danny Manu, a Ghanaian-British engineer and entrepreneur. He is working to change how people communicate around the world. He is founder of ‘MyMenu’ and created a smart product called ‘CLIK’ wireless ear buds that can translate over 40 languages instantly. It works without needing the internet. This makes ‘CLIK’ different from other translation devices and very useful for travelers, businesses and anyone who needs to speak across language barriers.
The ear buds work with your smartphone using Bluetooth. When someone talks, this ear buds can recognize the language and quickly speak a translation in your ear. This makes conversations with people from different countries easier and more natural. ‘CLIK’ also includes other helpful features like speech-to-text, text-to-speech, phone calls and messaging.
Danny’s inspiration for ‘CLIK’ came from a personal experience. One day, his daughter dropped her phone in water. This made him think about how important strong and practical communication tools are. He wanted to create a device that helped people connect better, no matter what language they speak.
But starting his business wasn’t easy. Like many Black entrepreneurs in the UK, Danny had trouble getting money from banks and government programs. He said, “I had a hard time getting the financial support I needed.” So, he used his own savings and raised money through product sales and crowd-funding websites like ‘Kickstarter’ and ‘Indiegogo’.
Finally, In the end, he raised over £5 million to support his idea.
Danny’s strong belief in his product helped him keep going. According to him, when anyone truly have faith in his own idea, others will come to believe in it as well.
Today, CLIK ear buds are being sold in Europe, the U.S. and Asia. Thousands of people are already using them and the product continues to grow in popularity.
His success highlights that why it’s important to help minority-led businesses. In the UK, people from ethnic minority backgrounds make up a large part of the population but they get only a small amount of business investment. Danny’s story proves that with creativity, hard work and community support, big things are possible.
Besides ‘CLIK’, Danny’s company ‘MyManu’ also worked on other helpful projects. One of them is called ‘Medybird’, which helped vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of his work, Danny was recently honored by Google for his contributions to science, arts and culture.
Danny’s parents were originally from Ghana, but he was born in the UK. He studied at Oxford Brookes University and worked as an aerospace engineer before starting his own tech company in 2014. His background in engineering and love for music and technology helped shape his inventions.
Looking ahead, Danny wants to add even more languages to ‘CLIK’ including African ones. His goal is not only just to build gadgets but also he wants to help people from all cultures to connect and understand each other better.
