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Toyota Mobility Foundation is starting a program to help accessible-technology startups bridge the gap from prototype to sustainable business model, and is accepting applications from promising candidates until April 18.
TMF will launch the first Mobility Unlimited Hub in Toronto, in collaboration with local universities, tech firms, nonprofits and others, to provide guidance to early-stage mobility- and disability-related companies.
The MUH will provide its first group of 5-7 companies with between $35,000 and $50,000 each, as well as a range of business resources to help vault them into the commercial market. Services include support for marketing and public relations, and opportunities to work with and learn from MUH partners for planning, technology, skilled staffing and other business needs. It’s a model that TMF plans to replicate in other cities around the globe.
As TMF’s head of research and innovation, William Chernicoff is leading the MUH. He says he’s excited to launch in the Toronto area because it is rich with resources in technology, higher education, medical research and finance. The Toronto-based innovation hub, MaRS Discovery District, which supports local companies in a wide range of industries, will also be a key partner. “[We’re] focusing on human-centered, people-oriented solutions first, and then creating the right collaborative ecosystems that will overcome … complex barriers [to access] and enable people to achieve what they are capable of,” Chernicoff says.
The disability-focused areas that TMF seeks to promote include advanced prosthetic limbs, exoskeletons, robotics, motion- or eye-tracking technology, telerehabilitation, voice assistants, wearables and more. TMF cites studies showing that over 30% of Canadians with disabilities report having unmet needs for assistive devices, and that improvements in these technologies could add more than US$10 trillion to the global economy in the next 55 years.
An informational webinar will be offered on April 4. Find applications and more info at the Mobility Unlimited Hub website.
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