These Indian startups are building products for those with disabilities

Looking for love or the right clothing? While most startups bypass those who are disabled, a clutch of entrepreneurs have set aside cash and raised funds to build apps and devices for them. Loaded with voice commands & gesture control, they help autistic children communicate and aid adults in finding partners

Year & place of founding: 2014, Kochi

What they do: Has developed Android apps that helps visually challenged and elderly users. Its Kuluk is an app that helps users to make calls to specific people through gesture control. For instance, with one shake it could call the user's mother and with two quick shakes it could call the father. Its `item-seeker' helps users to tag different things at home or office so that they can be found easily. The MapSeeker app is a road navigation aid to find the nearest ATMs, police stations and bus stops. A blind Android developer is a part of the team that developed the product.

Why did they start it: Mathew believes that technology must be made 'accessible' and inclusive. He has been working with visually challenged people for more than one and half decades through an NGO and coaches the national visually challenged football team. His NGO also gives training to make visually challenged people employable.

Funding source and amount: Funded by Mathew who also runs an IT company Systica that is profitable.

Challenges: Has found it difficult to raise money because there is no revenue model as of now. "The challenge is greater because most visually challenged people fall in the low income group and hence cannot pay up," says Mathew.

Most rewarding moment: When the company won the mBillionth South Asia Award for inclusive solution.

Year & place of founding: June 2015, Pune

Funding source and amount: Rs 90 lakh, Anoop Hingorani and Indian Angel Network

What they do: Have developed a wheel chair that allows senior citizens and those with limited mobility to access shower and commode in a secure and convenient manner. It has a tool-free height adjuster and replaceable biodegradable seat that ensures hygiene. It even has an Android app control.

Why did they start it: At an annual college festival competition organized by an NGO, Sonawane and friends designed a bathroom-friendly wheel chair. After college, Sonawane took up a corporate job. "But then the NGO got in touch with me and asked if I was interested in building the product," he says. He took up the offer.

Challenges: Faced cash crunches several times. "Conventional VCs think we are a social enterprise while the social funds think we are a for-profit that is making a costly product for the middle and upper classes," Sonawane says.

Most rewarding moment: "It gives us a feeling that we are doing some good to society even as we look to make profits. When our first customer told us how the product changed his life after a spinal injury restricted his free movement, it was bliss," Sonawane says.