Jakarta, Indonesia, April 29, 2026 — Seventeen disability-focused technology startups from India, Indonesia, Singapore, and Pakistan took the stage in Jakarta on April 29 for the SEED Inclusivity Cohort 2 Demo Day. The event closed out a multi-month accelerator program run by Seedstars and supported by Visa Foundation, built to back founders creating products and services for the 690 million people living with disabilities across Asia.
The day opened with three roundtable sessions led by SEED Inclusivity’s local partner organizations, Instellar and Kumpul, both based in Indonesia. Instellar facilitated a session on inclusive hiring programs and workplace practices. Kumpul led a parallel discussion on why disability-focused companies struggle to scale and what it takes to close that gap. A third roundtable brought together founders, investors, and industry leaders around a single question: what does it actually take to build an inclusive tech sector in Southeast Asia?
The afternoon shifted to the Founder Showcase. All 17 ventures pitched in three-minute slots, covering assistive technology, accessible employment platforms, mental health tools, Braille education devices, and more. Companies ranged from early revenue to scaling operations across multiple markets.
The presenting startups were:
- 1SpecialPlace (India): Integrated therapy platform for speech, occupational therapy, mental health, and special education.
- Bioniks (Pakistan): AI-powered, affordable prosthetic limbs closing the global access gap.
- Cognitii (India): AI and human infrastructure helping schools identify and support children with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
- DeepVisionTech (India): Real-time AI sign language translation for Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and speech-impaired users.
- Dextroware (India): Mouseware, a wearable head-tracking device for hands-free computer and phone control.
- I-Stem (India/USA): AI that unlocks access to information, careers, and digital tasks for people with disabilities.
- Inclus (Singapore): Training, job placements, and corporate partnerships putting persons with disabilities to work.
- Karla Bionics (Indonesia): Assistive and rehabilitation technology built through participatory research.
- PetaNetra (Indonesia): AR and AI navigation helping visually impaired people move through indoor spaces independently.
- Planet Abled (India): Making tourism accessible for travelers with disabilities and elderly people.
- Riliv (Indonesia): Indonesia’s leading organizational mental health platform.
- SaralX (India): Closing the digital accessibility gap for persons with disabilities.
- Silang.id (Indonesia): Connecting Indonesia’s Deaf community with qualified sign language interpreters.
- Suarise (Indonesia): Pioneering digital accessibility infrastructure and consultancy in Indonesia.
- Sunbots (India): SMARTON, AI-powered smart glasses for blind students and workers.
- Thinkerbell Labs (India): Annie, the world’s first self-learning Braille literacy device.
- Wundrsight Health (India): VR-based mental health and neurological rehabilitation, clinically validated.
Between the two rounds of pitches, SEED Inclusivity Cohort 1 alumni Rezki Achyana joined a fireside chat on the future of inclusive innovation in Asia. Achyana is the founder and CEO of Parakerja, Indonesia’s leading disability employment platform, and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2024. Since completing the first SEED Inclusivity cohort, Parakerja reported a 42% increase in annual revenue and grew from nine to 16 full-time employees.
The venue also housed a five-part gallery exhibition designed to give attendees a physical walk through the program’s story. Visitors moved from entry panels laying out the disability funding gap, past a portrait wall of founders from both Cohort 1 and Cohort 2, through individual boards profiling each of the 17 presenting companies, and ended at a pledge wall where attendees wrote their own commitments to action.
“What we saw in Jakarta confirmed something we’ve known since we started this program: when you remove the barriers between disabled founders and the support systems that exist for every other entrepreneur, the results speak for themselves. Fifteen ventures from our first cohort have gone on to impact nearly three million people and raise over $12 million. This second cohort is already on the same trajectory.”
Archie Moberly, Program Lead for SEED Inclusivity at Seedstars
The Demo Day was preceded by a full-day bootcamp on April 28, hosted at the offices of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in Jakarta. Sessions included peer-to-peer pitch practice, a fundraising workshop, and training on Seedstars’ SMART methodology for evidence-based decision-making. On-ground production for the Demo Day was managed by Menata.
SEED Inclusivity is a three-year initiative aiming to support 45 founders across Asia, with targets of 40% entrepreneurs with disabilities and 30% women-led ventures. The first cohort of 15 startups launched in Hyderabad in late 2024. The third cohort will shift focus to Vietnam in the coming months.
For more information about the program and the startups, visit seedinclusivity.com.
ABOUT SEEDSTARS
Seedstars is a Swiss-based company with a mission to impact people’s lives in emerging markets through technology and entrepreneurship. Seedstars works with the private and public sectors to implement entrepreneurial capacity-building programs in order to create jobs and fuel economic growth. Through these initiatives and partnerships, Seedstars is building a world-class community and network of changemakers in over 90 emerging ecosystems. For more information, visit seedstars.com.
ABOUT VISA FOUNDATION
Visa Foundation seeks to support inclusive economies where individuals, businesses, and communities can thrive. Through grantmaking and investing, Visa Foundation prioritizes the growth of gender-diverse and inclusive small and micro businesses. For more information, visit usa.visa.com.
CONTACTS
Program
Archie Moberly
Program Manager
archie@seedstars.com
Media
Michaela Villaroman
Media Relations
michaela.villaroman@seedstars.com
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