WHAT IS YOUR STARTUP AND WHO IS THE TARGET MARKET?
Indii is on a mission to enable greater independence for people with disabilities.
We’re initially focusing on helping the more than 17 million people worldwide with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and others who have limited mobility and fine motor control.
We’ve developed an adaptive switch, called Sofii, built on the latest smart home standards, designed to open up the many benefits of using this technology to new users.
How have you engaged end-users in the development of indii?
Building solutions with and alongside our community is deeply embedded in the way we work. But it’s not always been that way.
The initial inspiration for the work we’re doing was seeing the needs of my youngest sister, Sophie. Sophie has CP and had formed the basis of much of the design work we did, but I hadn’t gone out to speak to other users.
Once we started talking to our users that’s when the project really began to take shape. It is out of these conversations that many of the most innovative features grew.
What sets your startup apart from competitors?
We’re positioning ourselves in an interesting place.
What we’re developing is at the nexus of assistive and smart home technologies.
The user-centred design that we’re bringing to the smart home space deeply considers user-need, particularly for people with a variety of disabilities.
Our focus on delivering a high-quality, attractive product that is at-odds with existing assistive technology that can cost as much as 5x what we’re charging, and lacks that focus on aesthetic design.
We want our approach to accessibility to be replicated by our competitors; the prospect of us achieving a cross-over success in AT and smart home is getting people in both industries excited.
What advice would you give to aspiring disability tech entrepreneurs?
Get out there.
Share your idea.
Speak to people.
It’s too easy to hide away developing in isolation. This is problematic for a number of reasons.
Firstly, you’ll build the wrong thing. Getting feedback from people on what you’re doing is important.
And more importantly, you need people. Telling people what you’re working on will greatly improve your chances of taking your business to the next level.
What does it mean to you to be part of the Remarkable community?
Remarkable is an incredibly nurturing community. Being supported and challenged by the team and the wider community has enhanced our entrepreneurial journey immeasurably.
WHERE DO YOU WANT YOUR STARTUP TO BE IN 1 MONTH, 1 YEAR, 10 YEARS?
This time next year Sofii will be available via our website in Australia and the UK and through a network of NDIS and charity suppliers in both regions.
In ten years we have aspirations around providing products and services that enable people not only at home, but in public spaces, hotels and beyond.
The care space is full of innovative businesses vying for relevance and market share, and we believe our value will lie in enabling these companies to better create and manage their solutions by handling connectivity of these services with physical places and devices.
