We are thrilled to present our 2022 Remarkable Accelerator Demo Day event!
Please note the recording below includes audio description (AD) and captions.
Transcript
[03:05 – 03:48] Voice over
Remarkable, acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which we are gathered today. This is their land, never ceded, always sacred. And we pay respects to the elders past, present and emerging. For they hold the traditions, the culture and the hopes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across the nation. We acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the remarkable contribution they make to Australian life. And we would also like to acknowledge the advocates who have played a role in advancing the rights of people with disability, leading to addressing the inequalities faced by people with disability. They have paved the way for us. We carry a privilege and a responsibility because of that history. We are better together.
[04:00 – 05:00] Molly Levitt
Did you know that with an estimated population of 1.85 billion people with disabilities are an emerging market larger than China? Their friends and family add another 3.3 billion potential customers. Together, the disability market controls over 13 trillion in disposable income. Did you know that for every dollar invested in assistive technology, there is a $9 return? And did you know that the internet ebooks, your electric toothbrush and so many more of the products and technologies that are most ubiquitous in your life right now were built first for people with disabilities. Today, you’re going to hear from founders who are building products designed to positively impact the lives of people with disabilities, which, as you now know, inevitably means positive outcomes for the world at large and the bottom line. We can’t wait for you to meet our teams.
[05:00 – 07:29] Pete Horsley
Welcome to the remarkable demo day 2022. My name is Pete Horsley, founder of Remarkable.
I’m so excited to have you join us for this exciting event. Over the next 45 minutes, we’ll invite you to join the conversation on social media or on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram. And please use the handle @RemarkableTech and #DisabilityTech. And please use capitals. This screening includes sign interpretation, closed captions and audio description. Throughout this screening, you will see interactive QR codes on screen. These are the quickest way to send direct messages to the founders, no matter what your request is. Scan the code and you’re just one click away from being connected. In fact, let’s try one now. Scan this QR code to send us an email. There’s even a reward waiting on the other side for five lucky attendees. For those unable to interact with QR codes, don’t worry. We’ll share the URLs in the chat throughout this event too. There’s growing momentum globally around diversity, inclusion and now accessibility. Remarkable began in 2014 with one idea. How do we get more innovative and inclusive technology into the hands of people with disabilities faster? We saw a real lack of innovation and development in technology for inclusion, so we sought to bring together entrepreneurs, authentic co-design and capital, to commercialize new technologies, to amplify human potential. And this is now our seventh cohort of startups. This year we’ve had the absolute privilege to build the geographic reach of Remarkable by working together with our sister organization, Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, to pilot a US program. This is the start of what will be a full cohort in the US in 2023. And this event would not be possible without the generous support of our partners. icare, Telstra, Microsoft, VivCourt, Smart Job and TPG Foundation. Technology can amplify the potential of people with disability over the next 45 minutes. You will learn more about disability tech startups who have completed our 2022 remarkable accelerator program. As part of tonight’s celebrations, you will hear from eight incredible startups. Each will be introduced by their startup coach, who has worked closely with them over the last four months. I’d like to hand over to Molly to introduce WearWorks. The first of four participants in this segment.
[07:38 – 08:35] Molly Levitt
I’m Molly and I was lucky enough to be the coach for WearWorks. This team is on to something really special. Our senses are how we interact with the world. When you think about tech, that helps us better interact with the world through our senses. We think about audio, which helps us digest information through our ears. Tech that was transformative for people who are blind. You might think about messaging, which helps us receive and communicate information quickly through our eyes. Tech that was transformational for people who are deaf. But what about touch? People who are blind know that touch is inherently an inclusive language. But tech based on touch as a communication tool is an area of untapped potential. The WearWorks team, are haptic experts, whose first product, the way brand helps you navigate the world just through vibration. It has the potential to transform lives and make us all more present to the world around us.
[08:54 – 12:36] Keith Kirkland
Haptic means touch and touch is a more inclusive way to communicate information. Hi, my name is Keith Kirkland. I’m a 42 year old black American male with shoulder length locs, and I’m the co-founder of Wear Works. Several years ago, we got a call from a marathoner who was blind. He wanted to know if we could help him fulfill his dream of running in the biggest marathon in the world without being tethered to a guide. WearWorks is a haptic platform company. We build products and experiences that use the skin as a communications channel to deliver information in a more intuitive and less obtrusive way. We took on the challenge and just eight months later, he made history as the first person who was blind to run in the New York City Marathon without sighted assistance. And he did it using our very first product, WayBand. And in this video you can see him finishing the race. Navigation is inherently visual and we all use it almost every day. The space is dominated by Google through Maps and Waze, but they, like all mapping applications, rely heavily on visual cues, and visual based navigation is not always safe. Oftentimes it’s not practical. And for 285 million people worldwide living with a visual impairment, it’s a real problem. So we invented WayBand, a haptic navigation app and an optional wristband that gently guides you to your destination using only vibration. The WayBand app can be used with your smartphone in your hand or it can be paired with our WayBand wristband for a hands free experience. The way it works as you type or say where you want to go, confirm and you’ll be guided to your destination using our patented haptic corridor. When you’re in the corridor, you feel nothing. Swivel slightly to the left or the right and WayBand will gently nudge you back on the right path using your own natural sense of touch. We’ve tested with thousands of people and most can figure out the correct way to go within seconds without any instructions, it’s that intuitive. We’re initially targeting young, blind and visually impaired students and professionals, and we’ve already pre sold half of our initial production to partners at Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Lighthouse Guild, Helen Keller, the New York City Department of Education, and several Paralympians. Through these influencers and channel partners, we have access to millions of potential customers that trust us. Our team has the deep expertise in touch. Kevin is an internationally award winning industrial designer, and I worked on a suit that would allow a person to download and learn kung fu using only vibrations. We both have been exploring haptics for over nine years and we’re backed by a world class and diverse team. We’ve done the hard R&D, proven the technology, built the team and made history. In addition to selling WayBands, we see a part of our business model being driven by licensing accessible haptic navigation. We’ve already been in talks with organizations such as Airbnb, Disney and Google. Haptics are going to change the world for everyone. Navigation is just the beginning of our journey and we’d love to have you along. We’re raising a Round. The WayBand app is available right now and this QR code will let you try it out on us for a month for free. Download it now and we’re looking for connections. The heads of accessibility and government, university schools, military and enterprise. Thank you very much. And please keep in touch.
[12:57 – 13:41] Kate Jenkins
Hi, I’m Kate Jenkins and I’m proud to be the start up coach for the amazing Hailey Brown from VacayIt. I’ve loved working with Hailey throughout the accelerator program and to witness her fearless approach to tackling every challenge that comes her way. Hailey is a natural entrepreneur and leader, and I really admire the way Hailey leads her team and their co-creating design approach VacayIt is a groundbreaking platform that will not only revolutionize travel for people that have low vision and are blind, it will fundamentally change Travel marketing. I’m super excited to see where Hailey and VacayIt take off to next, and I can’t wait to start using the audio guides to plan my next holiday.
[14:06 -18:00] Hailey Brown
Tourism marketing is predominantly visual for the 253 million blind and low vision tourists globally. This means that they have to rely on tools and platforms designed for sighted people to choose where to travel. Put simply, the tourism industry is inaccessible. But what if tourism experiences didn’t need to be limited to imagery and instead could be a much more immersive, enriching experience? So instead of using just this photo of the puffing Billy Steam train, you can listen to this. Feel the magic of the steam train travel from the moment you arrive, as you inhale the smoky scent of steam billowing out of the. Vessel’s chimney and are greeted by the
evocative sound of the train’s whistle. And that’s exactly what we’re doing. Hi, I’m Hailey, the founder of VacayIt. And we have created an audio guide to the world. We’re enabling travelers to make informed and independent decisions about where they want to travel. You’ll be able to pick up your phone wherever and whenever and listen to the stories, sounds and history clips of the world around you. The release of VacayIt is timely with the rising popularity of audio such as podcasts and audiobooks, which right now is a largely untapped market within the tourism industry. Our stories are hosted on the VacayIt app, which allows users to navigate according to their desired needs with the use of accessible features like map, text or voice search. Spread across the country, our stories are created in collaboration with the leading destination marketing organizations on a local, regional state and national level. We are growing rapidly, bringing new stories to life every week, and we’re not planning on stopping anytime soon. Currently within Australia we generate revenue via two active streams major event providers and destination marketing organizations. We’re generating 600,000 annual recurring revenue via these streams and estimate an attainable market of $3 million within Australia to increase our market opportunity and capitalize on first mover advantage, we will expand our services to New Zealand and Fiji first, followed by the US and UK and will add two new revenue streams on platform booking services and user generated content. With our product and market adequate resources, increased market size and additional revenue streams, we see an opportunity to capture $20 million of the market within our first three years. We have built a strategic and dedicated team at VacayIt, hiring experts in the area of accessibility, content curation, partnership management and development. The national and global support we’ve had for VacayIt so far proves that it’s already been a game changer for the tourism industry. Not only are we changing the lives of our users, but we’re also revolutionizing the way that tourism organizations market destinations. We’re looking for smart investment so that we can hire strategically and build the technology that will enable us to scale rapidly, reach new audiences, and expand into multiple global markets. Join us in creating an accessible future for the tourism industry now. Not in six months because everyone deserves a holiday.
[18:02 – 19:58] Warren Bingham
Hi, I’m Warren and I’ve had the wonderful pleasure of being the coach for Nuroflux. Being my first time as a remarkable coach, it has been an honor working alongside the awesome founders, coaches and mentors who are all focused on tackling some of the world’s biggest problems. Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide. It is a major cause of disability, and with someone suffering a stroke every 2 seconds, there is a serious need to improve the sensitivity and quality of stroke detection and monitoring. The Nuroflux team is a powerhouse of knowledge, passion and grit and their tenacity, focus and innovative execution are driven by the values of saving and enhancing the lives of millions worldwide by improving the monitoring of stroke patients. Sam van Bohemen, co-founder and CEO of Nuroflux is a biomedical engineering PhD student with a neuroscience honors degree of which his research is focused on this life saving technology. Dr. Dr. David Cardoso, co-founder and CBO, has a PhD in medicine and is currently completing his MBA Sam and David’s execution during the remarkable 22 program has been outstanding and has seen them complete their safety study, validate the market need and progress significantly towards the efficacy clinical trial. They are well on their way to launching the world’s first wearable, affordable, continuous brain monitoring technology that will enable improved clinical monitoring of patients suffering stroke worldwide. Well done, Sam and David.
[19:58 – 23:50] Sam van Bohemen
Hi, my name is Sam and I am the CEO and co-founder of Nuroflux. When a family member suffered multiple strokes in between CT scans, we were desperate to understand why these strokes were not detected. And now, at Nuroflux, we are developing an innovative device to address this problem. Worldwide, there is a stroke every 2 seconds, and with an aging population, the incidence of stroke is expected to increase. Following a suspected stroke, a patient will come into a hospital where they will have a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis. Now CT scans provide an imaging snapshot in time, but due to radiation exposure are only performed every 24 hours. In this first 24 hour window, patients will receive treatment and are at risk of deterioration, such as having a secondary stroke, which occurs in 10% of all patients. However, there is currently no way to continuously monitor patients’ brain activity and brain blood flow, which are key indicators in stroke. Standard care relies upon waiting for the next CT scan and on nurses performing intensive nursing observations. Now, as you can imagine, this is very distressing for patients and is time consuming for nurses. It is the subject of a method and is useless if the patient is unconscious. So now at Nuroflux we are developing a wearable device that will provide real time continuous monitoring of treatment and the detection of patient deterioration, leading to faster detection intervention and improved patient outcome. Our wearable device utilizes a proprietary, multi-modal system that I have developed during my PhD in biomedical engineering to provide real time continuous monitoring of brain activity and brain blood flow simultaneously, the device will be easy to use and will have alert algorithms that indicate the need for clinical action, such as the detection of secondary strokes, the neurological and diagnostic and monitoring equipment market is growing. In fact, the Asia-Pacific region is experiencing the largest growth in the sector. However, we anticipate our device will also disrupt the global diagnostic imaging market, which is valued at 37 billion AUD. Our initial foothold market will be in-hospital monitoring where we will sell devices and offer a subscription service for our software platform. However, there are also a number of exciting expansion opportunities. Our device is scalable to ambulances and at home settings to help detect stroke in the community and due to the low cost and portable nature of the device. We’re also interested in rural and remote communities where there is limited access to CT and MRI scanners. Furthermore, our device may also monitor other diseases, including delirium and traumatic brain injury. David and I are the co-founders of Nuroflux. I’m a biomedical engineering Ph.D. student with a neuroscience honors degree. My co-founder, David, is a commercialization and innovation associate and a major medical research institute. He has a PhD in medicine and is completing his MBA. We are also supported by an experienced team of clinical, and strategic advisors. Nuroflux has also formed an exciting strategic partnership with the George Institute for Global Health, a Medical Research Institute to pursue a multicenter clinical efficacy trial that will take place in Sydney and will be supported by three of Australia’s leading stroke clinicians. We are seeking $800,000 at a $4.1 million pre money valuation. These funds will help secure our IP position, develop our regulatory strategy and create our next generation device and software platform. We are seeking pre-seed investment and strategic partners. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We hope that you will join us on our journey to improve stroke patient outcomes in Australia and worldwide.
[23:50 – 25:02] Ben Reid
Hola, Remarkable family. My name is Ben. I’m the founder of a local venture studio called Digital Creators and I’ve had the privilege of working with Accessercise. This cohort getting fit is hard, it’s personal and you want to feel inspired and supported along the way. Accessercise is building a global platform for people with disability to keep fit in a way which is tailored and customized for them. You can consider it my fitness pal for the disability space today. They’ve built a mobile app, they’ve got traction. They’re getting strong global recognition for what they’re doing And their product today is focused on content tailored for your needs and the ability for you to find fitness locations near you. Over time, they’ll look to evolve that into community offerings, bring in more of that inspiration piece, and break down any barriers that a person with disability might have to get fit. And who knows? Someone using this app might become a Paralympic silver medalist like Ali one day, and if you want to support them, they have a fundraiser open on Seedrs. You can go to seedrs.com , type in Accessercise and register your interest. So what are you waiting for? Greenlight.
[25:23 – 28:23] Ali Jawad
This is me. Yes, I was a very cute kid and I was born as a double leg amputee, growing up I was an obsessed gym user, which allowed me to achieve international success and compete at four Paralympic Games winning silver in 2016. However, I always wondered why as a disabled person, There is no fitness tool for me to exercise on my own terms. I had to rely on people to guide me Fast forward 17 years and this is evident, with over 70,000 health and fitness apps globally available. None service the disabled market with 81% of disabled people in the UK alone wanting to be more active. But continue to have limited resources. This is why at Accessercise we built a purpose made fitness app allowing disabled people to exercise on their own terms without relying on other people. Our solution is an integrated fitness app, which has three key features a unique exercise library with bespoke exercises tailored to the user’s impairment, a social hub where users get to like love, share and comment and support each other, and an explore section that allows users to rate the accessibility of sporting facilities in the local area. This would have been an incredible tool for me growing up as a disabled person. Our business model is a standard freemium premium with two major revenue streams and a third coming in future versions with e-commerce. Our go to market strategy covers three main avenues. Firstly, directly to consumers. Secondly, through partnerships with organizations within the fitness and disability industry. And finally working with governments as part of their disability support packages at government wide level. The team behind the vision are all high performing people in the areas of sport, disability, law and business. You have myself, a four time Paralympian with a 17 year sporting career. Sam, a world champion sailor who is heavily involved in projects for the London 2012 Olympics. Yulia, a top lawyer, and Shareen, a former managing director of Barclays Bank in just over a year since launch. We’ve already had incredible traction within the industry, with thousands of downloads, an MVP that’s live in the UK market. We’ve been featured live on CNN Global, gained User Economics, which have been proven to be scalable to the masses and even won the Inclusion Startup of the Year award. We’re currently in a funding round seeking £1 million to give us 18 months. Runway to allow us to add more impairments in the app and have 140,000 active users for expansion to America. So if you have a disability, please download the app and give us as much feedback as possible. And if you’re an investor, please check out our equity crowdfunding page. So what are you waiting for? Come on the journey with us and help us change access to exercise forever.
[28:40 – ] Pete Horsley
I’d like to introduce Jackie Coates, head of the Telstra Foundation, who will be awarding this year’s Telstra People’s Choice Award, a $5,000 cash prize to one of the startups as chosen by staff at Telstra.
[28:53 -29:29 ] Jackie Coates
Hi everyone. It’s great to be part of Remarkable demo day again this year. We like to celebrate it with the Telstra People’s Choice Award. Now we’ve run a poll with Telstra people and I am very pleased to announce that the 2022 Telstra People’s Choice Award goes to Homeable. Congratulations, team. You will be taking home a $5,000 cash donation from the Telstra Foundation and congratulations to all the start-ups in Remarkable. We think you’re all pretty amazing and you’re doing so much great work to make the world more inclusive and accessible for people living with a disability, which is just fantastic. Thanks again and have a great demo day. See ya.
[29:30 – 29:45] Pete Horsley
Thank you, Jackie. A well-deserved award. I’d like to welcome back our coaches who will be introducing our Final Four founders who are all creating incredible impact.
[29:47 – 30:38] Sam Lazarus
Hi, my name is Sam Lazarus and I’m delighted to introduce you to the team at Biomotum, a wearable robotics startup that, when successful, will change the health outcomes of almost every single human on the planet. And I hope you recognize that I’m not being brash, but rather appreciate the sheer scope of the problem. Bio modem will solve how to improve people’s mobility in order to elicit better physical health. When we talk about how technology designed for inclusion can change the world, we literally see a world where Biomotum has won. And I hope you keep that in mind when learning from Ray about the amazing solution that they’ve built and how they’re planning on getting us all to a place where we can, through movement, have better control of our health.
[31:00 – 34:07] Ray Browning
Hi, I’m Ray Browning, co-founder and CEO of Biomotum. I’d like to start by saying this is the most exciting and impactful work of my career. At Biomotum, We build wearable robots that help people to walk. Why? Because one in seven individuals have difficulty walking, meaning everyday tasks are hard, if not impossible, and the resulting physical inactivity contributes to poor health and limited productivity. Improving walking involves a combination of physical therapy and assistive devices, but the access to physical therapy is limited. Gait training is not efficient, and assistive devices don’t adapt to the changing needs of the individual. Our first product is the spark, an easy to use robotic ankle assistant that can deliver efficient adaptive therapy on demand. Research participants have taken over 1 million steps, and the results are impressive. Children with cerebral palsy improved their walking speeds. 3 to 6 times faster than current approaches. The spark makes it possible to improve mobility anytime, anywhere. Our control algorithms allow the device to be used on stairs, up and down hills and over rough terrain. No other product can do this. I’d like to show you a video of one of our research participants. Pay particular attention to their walking speed and the way they walk.This is an 11 year old child with cerebral palsy. Prior to using the spark, their walking speed was about one mile per hour, which is not fast enough to cross a crosswalk. After only four weeks of using the spark three times a week, their walking speed nearly doubled. The impact of this improvement is best captured by what parents say. This is life changing. We are capitalizing on the electrification of transport and advances in robotics to create wearable personal mobility solutions that are effective and affordable. And given the number of people who have trouble walking. The market opportunity is massive. We’ll sell our product to three customer groups researchers conducting groundbreaking studies on new ways to use this type of technology. Physical therapists, the workhorses of medicine who will use it to deliver effective therapy. And patients delivering the ability to do therapy at home while assisting with daily life. We’ve assembled an amazing team. Zach is a global leader in Rehabilitation Robotics. Phil is a PT and veteran of the exoskeleton industry, and Steve is a wearable device design guru. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss our seed round and connections to health care partners. Please reach out. I’d like to leave you with this. All of us will experience difficulty walking. We can either be inactive and in poor health or we can thrive. A Biomotum. We will help you thrive. Thank you.[34:27 – 35:26] Poppy Rouse
Hi, I’m Poppy Rouse, And this is my second time as a startup coach for Remarkable. This year, I’m lucky enough to be coaching the Homeable team who are empowering people with disability to live more independently at home. Using Smart Home technology, Homeable was born out of Remarkable’s Design-athon just over six months ago, and as a new team, they’ve already figured out how to work together in perfect harmony with incredible momentum from onboarding partners to completing that first pilot. I’m truly blown away by how much they’ve achieved and all while managing busy day jobs, this team lives and breathes customer centric design. They’re constantly gathering feedback from users and iterating the services and business model as they go. They’re open minded, laser focused and unwavering in their pursuit of excellence. Unsurprisingly, their customers love them, as I’m sure you will, too. So it’s my great pleasure to introduce Homeable.
[35:46 – 38:53] Liam Highmore
Hi, my name is Liam and I’m a co-founder at Homeable. What does home mean to you? If you’re anything like me, you love being at home. It’s a place that makes us feel safe and in control. But above all else, it’s a place we should all feel comfortable in, including our friend Jacob. Now, Jacob uses a wheelchair and lives by himself in his Sydney home. He finds it difficult performing daily tasks like turning on his lights and making it to the front door in time to accept his delivery. Now, Jacob is also unable to reach the cord for his blinds and as a result has been closed permanently, leaving him with no natural light. But did you know smart home technology could help overcome these challenges? For Jacob and the nine out of ten people living with disability who require some form of assistance with daily tasks, that’s almost 4 million people in Australia alone. Now we’ve found that people are often unsure how smart technology could benefit them, and the industry’s one size fits all approach often results in technology that just isn’t suitable for their needs. We are continuously hearing from occupational therapists that the smart home landscape is incredibly difficult to navigate and no company has managed to make the entire process of creating a smart home truly accessible. That is, until now. Homeable offers an end-to end smart home service that works like this. Jacob can be referred to us by his O.T. and based on his unique independence goals, we are able to design a solution with Jacob that allows him to open his blinds and unlock the front door using just his voice. And now, when Jacob hears the doorbell, he can use his phone to see and talk to whoever is there. Now we offer Jacob installation and educate him on how to get the most out of the technology. But the relationship doesn’t end there. We offer ongoing support through an annual subscription that is funded by Jacob’s NDIS plan. Now in the last two months, Homeable secured six wholesale agreements with technology suppliers and smashed our target with over 100 people formally registering interest in our service, including 25 OTs, wanting to know if their clients were interested in us. We also launched our pilot program and are working with Guide Dogs Australia to design and install solutions for their community. We are going to market with our service in September and launching our installer program in 2023, allowing us to truly scale. We have a passionate and diverse team driven by people with lived experience and have backgrounds covering product management, allied health user experience and technology sales. We are determined to become the smart home experts for disability and aged care by the end of 2023. But we can’t do this alone. Firstly, we are looking to raise funds mid-next year and would love to start conversations with passionate investors who share our vision. And secondly, if you know any occupational therapists or end users, who would benefit from learning about Homeable, please scan the QR code so that together we can make everyone feel safe, independent and comfortable where it matters most. The home.
[39:15 – 40:12] Alan Jones
Hi, I’m Alan Jones, a tech investor, founder, coach and CEO of Aussie Tech Startup Community Fish Burners. As I’ve been an angel investor in tech for about 15 years, a very long time, but the technology we’re going to hear about next goes way back even further than that. It’s 1968. For years I’ve been hearing and dismissing talk of a real viable commercial application having been found in this area. Virtual Reality or VR. But over the course of the past three months, as I’ve come to get to know our next startup RecoveryVR, I think I’ve begun to see what may very well be a very important commercial application for VR. And along the way I’ve also come to believe in the future of RecoveryVR’s founder and CEO Christian Doran. His background as a producer in film and television means is a skilled communicator, negotiator and team manager. He’s come a long way during the remarkable program and recovery VR is making great progress on the sales front. Here to tell you more, is RecoveryVR’s founder and CEO Christian Doran.
[40:38 – 43:28] Christian Doran
Have you ever had a physio injury? You know how rehab exercise is boring and you really do it. What about if you had a stroke or chronic pain or an injury at work? You had to do 3 hours per day, potentially four years to get back the life that you have right now. 65% of people give up on their rehab and often get worse, or develop other conditions because of it. And I understand why they give up. It’s not just the monotony. There’s travel time, out-of -pocket expense, physical pain, loss of income, anxiety and depression. Hi my name Christian Doran and at RecoveryVR we help you never give up. RecoveryVR uses virtual reality to deliver gamified rehabilitation that is portable, low cost and always available. But most importantly, it’s fun and rewarding and motivates more reps and time in training that are the key metrics for effective rehabilitation. We’ve built over 80 therapy apps so far, but from listening to our clients, we’ve unlocked something much bigger. Our remote patient management system allows a clinician to prescribe and track a patient’s exercise from anywhere in the world, plus deliver telehealth sessions, do measured assessments and monitor the improvement or decline of the patient. Our clients love it, but it has also opened up much larger market opportunities than just motivating rehab. Since launching in early 2022, we’ve sold multi-year licenses in some of Australia’s leading rehab facilities, international universities, clinics and patients homes reaching a revenue of over $100,000. We’ve recently partnered with a provider who is developing a VR telehealth business to service the mining and manufacturing industries using our software. We are now in talks with a metaverse company in the US to roll out RecoveryVR with insurers in that territory. VR therapy has been shown to deliver up to 20% improvement in motor function compared with conventional therapy. But I think that’s just the beginning. We’re covering VR and working with prominent universities and clinicians to Increase that rate. While our team is full of film producers and game developers that make that therapy addictive and not feel like therapy at all. The Future of RecoveryVR is not only based on physical rehab. Version two of the product will be a VR health platform for a range of conditions, increasing our market potential, but also delivering on our mission of providing low cost access to health care for everyone. We’re currently raising our seed round of 1.2 million and we already have 250,000. Subscribed will be using the investment to scale marketing, sales and research while also starting a telehealth delivery service of our own. If you are interested in investing or know anyone who might be, I’d love to have a chat. Let’s help people never give up. Thanks.
[43:51 – 44:44] Laura Andersen
I’m Laura Andersen, and I’ve been supporting Participant as they democratize access to assistive products around the globe. The problem they’re trying to solve is complex, and yet the products they’ve created are beautiful and they meet the moment and the need of the market they’re seeking to serve. What I’m most excited about most though, is the team. This team brings the combined expertise and experience required to deliver on the critical mission that they’ve set out.
[44:44 – 47:57] Keoke King
So at Participant, we’re democratizing quality assistive products, starting with an all-terrain wheelchair for children. Meet Karim from Guaymas, Mexico. Until recently, the best mobility that Karim’s family could access was a common baby stroller. It was causing problems in his arms and his posture. Now Karim is user number one for Cub, our award winning tilt and fold all terrain wheelchair. It snuggles into a small car. It loves unpaved roads and it leads the industry in Expandability. So as Karim grows, Cub grows with him. Aline, Karim’s mom, reports he’s more present in their family’s daily life. At school, he can be more together with his classmates. He joins them at the table. And because he can sit up longer, he’s more integrated into family meals and daily activities. She says everything has changed a lot. Karim represents the 40 million people in middle income countries who are stuck at home just because they need a wheelchair and don’t have one. The World Bank projects that this massive group will double over the next 20 years, and rigorous research shows that $1 invested returns nine to society. Without mobility, there is little access to education, work and friendships. The raw power of this need makes me ask why are they left behind? The industry offers few mid-price options. Manufacturers opt for cheap, low quality products, or they make sophisticated high margin products for markets with deep insurance funding for the 40 million people in the middle, no products that fit their needs or wallets. Hi, I’m Keoke. CEO of Participant. In my last job, I founded a global wheelchair distributor company and I saw this product gap. To learn more, I called my friend Dave, an occupational therapist and wheelchair user who has trained providers in 20 countries. And I talked with Ryota, who’s the CEO of a wheelchair company in California. He has hundreds of designs and a half million people use his chairs today. Our combined skills and networks were fit for the challenge. And we saw a wave building. New government buyers and expanding NGO procurement. So we set out as co-founders. Fast forward to today. Our global team is eight people, four who use wheelchairs and together we have 115 years of industry experience and we speak ten languages. We offer four wheelchair models and a cushion. Our products are good on rough terrain, transportable, durable and clinically sound.We price attractively and sustainably with a gross margin to fuel growth. Our production capacity is 100,000 units per year and we intend to serve a million users by 2030. That wave that I mentioned is here just as our products are shipping, we may have that rarest of things, timing. Large NGOs are jumping in from the sidelines and several established buyers are switching. We have strong forecasts in all five of our products with reputable customers and distributors on both the global and national levels. We’re driven by these market signals and the incredible impacts. If you share our vision and values, we’re preparing a Round and I would love to meet you. Help us help Kerim and his 40 million friends who deserve mobility, inclusion and participation.
[48:12 – 49:21] Pete Horsley
What a spectacular group of startups we had. I’m sure you’ll agree they did an incredible job and are having a massive impact on our world. And this is not just about passively watching. We can all support and amplify the work of these entrepreneurs. So here’s a reminder of the QR codes to reach out directly to the founders. You’ve heard from. Before we wrap things up, a number of you watching may have your own start up idea brewing. If you’re ready to take the next step in solving a problem in the disability and ageing space, we’d love to support your journey. More information on this will be shared with you tomorrow. Make sure you check your inbox. Finally, on behalf of Remarkable, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, I’d like to thank our incredible partners, icare, Telstra, Microsoft, VivCourt, Smart Job and TPG Foundation for making this event possible.
