Hear more on the challenges, learnings & mechanisms used in the AT Impact Fund Playbook - a window in to the venture experiences and a unique view into the fund itself.
The market for Assistive Tech (AT) is significant, the numbers speak for themselves. For every $1 sent on AT there is a $9 return to families and society.
The Assistive Tech Impact Fund was the first of it's kind - an accelerator that brought together catalytic capital with expert-led venture-building to propel some of the most promising AT ventures in Africa.
The innovation journey of these ventures has provided a view into the scale of opportunity, the challenges for entrepreneurs and the importance of ecosystem development in Africa. By testing by testing innovative product, service and business models, the AT Impact Fund has been able to unlock new understanding.
This playbook offers a unique window into the learnings and experience of the fund itself and the experiences of individual ventures entering ecosystems and navigating new markets.
AT Impact Fund Playbook is a tool to dive into. A resource for innovators, for start-up and ventures looking to scale. It provides practical insights from our ventures, teams & experts on the ground.
Assistive Technology Investment (2-3.30pm on Tuesday 23.11.2021)
Now complete - recording available
The AT Impact Fund (ATIF), mobilised by £2M from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office through the AT2030 programme, and led by GDI Hub, has spent the last 16 months testing 'what works' to increase access to AT through investment. By addressing the critical needs of the most promising AT entrepreneurs, we have demonstrated the value of investment in meeting the needs of low and middle income markets in Africa.
The ATIF partnership of experts, academics and venture builders alongside catalytic grant capital, have accelerated 5 pioneering AT ventures in Africa. In this session we explore the foundations of this ground-breaking approach, key learnings from each venture, the market opportunity and the future scope of AT in the impact investing landscape.
Disability Lens Investment - mapping the sector (2pm-3.00 GMT on Wednesday 08.12.2021)
Now complete - recording available
The potential for disability innovation as an investment opportunity, and disability inclusion as a lens on investment at large, is vast and yet globally it remains a significantly under-filled gap. During this session we'll explore the evidence behind this emerging sector - identifying opportunities for growth in disability inclusion innovation.
We will be launching and sharing the work that Briter Bridges, with GDI Hub, has undertaken to map disability innovation (assistive tech and inclusive tech) across emerging markets, sharing insights on the assistive and inclusive tech ecosystems and how these intersect with other tech sectors. We will also share highlights from our work building the case for the Disability Lens Investing opportunity and new resources and tools for philanthropic funders and investors.
About
There are 1.2 billion disabled people on the planet and 90% do not have access to the assistive technology (AT) they need. That’s 900 million people globally with an unmet need, unable to reach their full potential. This staggering figure is due to double by 2050 to over 2 billion people as the worlds population ages.
In order to address this untapped market potential, key barriers such as access to, and affordability of assistive products needs to be addressed - this is particularly true in the global south where 80% of disabled people are located. These barriers often stem from the sector's inability to support the scaling of homegrown innovations, stopping AT reaching local populations at an affordable cost. The lack of AT products reaching in-need populations can often lead to further exclusion, compounding stigma and reducing demand.
The AT Impact Fund (ATIF), mobilised by £2M from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office through the AT2030 programme, has tested 'what works' to increase access to AT through investment. ATIF, through addressing the critical needs of the most promising AT entrepreneurs, has gathered evidence that shows that enabling low- and middle-income AT start-ups to bridge the 'valley of death' and increase their chances to scale, is possible and potentially profitable, should the right investors come forward.
The ATIF partnership of AT experts, academics and venture builders alongside catalytic grant capital, has successfully supported 5 initial pioneering AT ventures in Africa. The impact funds current success has without doubt, demonstrated the value of investment in meeting the needs of low and middle income markets.
the playbook
Hear more on the challenges, learnings & mechanisms used in the AT Impact Fund Playbook - a window in to the venture experiences and a unique view into the fund itself.