Cohort 3 · Ho Chi Minh City · 14–16 October 2026
Building businesses for disability inclusion
In Ho Chi Minh City, Cohort 3 founders shared the experiences behind their ventures and worked on how to grow.
A taxi journey helped set Hear Me in motion. Athalia Mutiara Laksmi, the company’s co-founder, recalls meeting a Deaf driver whose daughter helped him communicate with passengers. The encounter stayed with her and her fellow co-founder, and became part of the reason they started building communication technology.
Athalia shared that account in an interview during SEED Inclusivity’s Cohort 3 bootcamp in Ho Chi Minh City. The cohort brings together 15 ventures from six Asia-Pacific countries, working on access to communication, learning, mobility and care.
The everyday needs behind the ventures
Hear Me develops Indonesian Sign Language translation and interpretation technology. In her interview, Athalia described greater independence in accessing services as central to the company’s purpose.
For Vince Rocha, Mylo Speech Buddy began with a tool he built for his son. It now supports speech practice that families can use at home. Vince describes it as a tool for home follow-through alongside therapy and teaching.
Vince also described the difficulty of seeking funding to grow the company while having its work categorised as charity.
Working on the business in Ho Chi Minh City
From 14 to 16 October 2026, the bootcamp combined venture presentations with pitching, PR and SMART planning sessions. Founders practised explaining their businesses to one another, with time to hear about the other ventures in the cohort.
Athalia said she joined SEED Inclusivity to learn more about expanding Hear Me and to meet others working on disability inclusion. She also spoke about the value of making goals more specific, recording progress and reviewing what the business achieves over the programme.
Vince said there is room for more ventures serving underserved communities, even when they work with similar technologies.
The week included a pottery workshop and Seedstars Villa Ho Chi Minh City on 16 October, bringing a different setting to the time spent together as a cohort.
Continuing the work
SEED Inclusivity is a Seedstars programme supported by Visa Foundation. Its six-month programme combines the in-person bootcamp with coaching and a Demo Day, followed by ongoing alumni support.
The coaching uses a SMART goals framework to help ventures set specific targets, test their approach and track progress.
Work with Cohort 3
Connect with SEED Inclusivity to discuss pilot opportunities, investment or mentoring for Cohort 3.