Update: Link to Webinar (Goes live at 10am GMT)

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Assistive Technology Impact Fund: Global Open Call

1 billion people globally live with disability, but 90% of these people lack access to affordable assistive technology (AT) innovations which would drastically improve their quality of life.

This failure is not due to a lack of products, the AT sector is steeped in innovation and creativity, but those products are not getting to the people who need them. The Assistive Technology Impact Fund (ATIF) exists to change the prospects of the innovators in this space by supporting the growth of the sector in Africa.

The AT sector is a sector of sectors - eye glasses, educational aids, prosthetic limbs, hearing aids, each with their own market dynamics. That’s why the fund supports AT innovators as well as those in other sectors, key to unlocking sustainable scale e.g. manufacturing, distribution, finance and more.

Selected grantees will receive:

• Up to £200k of grant funding
• Tailored Venture Building support and coaching from world-leading experts
• Brokering and matchmaking to partners, investors and experts
• Access to a growing global network of disability pioneers

Event agenda:

Hear about the opportunity for AT innovation in the African market, from world-leading experts, meet and mingle with other potential applicants and learn more about the AT Impact Fund, and how you can apply to be a part of our next cohort.

• Welcome from Cathy Holloway, Professor of Interaction Design & Innovation at UCL’s Interaction Centre and Academic Director of the Global Disability Innovation Hub
• Special words from Chapal Khasnabis, World Health Organisation and Magda Banasiak, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
• Introduction to the fund and how it works
• Words from our launch grantees hearX and Wazi Vision
• Q & As

Who should attend:

• Assistive Technology companies looking to become ATIF grantees
• Innovators working in other sectors that could be key to unlocking scale including distribution (e.g. pharmacies, clinics, last mile distributors), financing (e.g. customer or distributor financing, insurance), manufacturing (e.g. digital fabrication, distributed manufacturers).
• Funders and investors interested in this emerging technology sector
• Companies looking for partnership opportunities in Africa (i.e. manufacturing, distribution, financial services)

Investment timeline:

• 10th February - Launch event and call officially opens for applications
• 11th February - 19th February - Support clinics to assist with proposals
• 21st February - Call deadline
• 1st March - Shortlisted applicants notified
• 8th March - Prep calls for Pitch day
• w/c 15th March - Pitch day
• 29th March - Successful applicants notified

Any enquiries, please email us: ATIF@hellobrink.co

ATIF has been launched out of the UK Aid-funded AT2030 programme, led by the Global Disability Innovation (GDI) Hub. It is a collaboration between GDI Hub, Brink, Tamara Giltsoff and Catalyst Fund. The partnership combines deep expertise in AT, innovation and venture building in Africa, respectively.