Southeast Asia gains ground in Seedstars’s disability inclusion accelerator

Seedstars has unveiled the 15 startups chosen for the third cohort of SEED Inclusivity, an accelerator focused on developing products and services for people with disabilities in the Asia Pacific region. Hosted by Visa Foundation, this six-month program unites companies from India, Indonesia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam.

The ventures address a wide array of needs including sign-language communication, speech therapy, developmental support for children, mobility, rehabilitation, learning tools, and access to care. The third cohort highlights a growing Southeast Asian emphasis, with ventures from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam signaling a broader regional push.

Despite policies discussing disability inclusion, scalable, affordable technology remains limited in this market. Over the next six months, the startups will receive coaching, attend expert-led sessions, and participate in in-person bootcamps in Vietnam. This accelerator follows Seedstars' strategy of helping early-stage companies refine their business models, connect with mentors and investors, and demonstrate that impact-led ventures can also be commercially viable.

Asia Pacific's disability community is vast and diverse, yet often underserved. Challenges include uneven access to diagnosis, therapy, assistive devices, and inclusive education, particularly outside major cities. Families frequently face long waitlists, high private-care costs, and a shortage of trained specialists. These barriers affect schooling, work, communication, and independence for individuals with hearing loss, mobility impairments, or developmental needs.

The selected startups tackle these challenges through various approaches, such as building assistive hardware, using artificial intelligence for screening and communication, focusing on therapy delivery, rehabilitation, and home-based care. In Southeast Asia, these gaps are particularly significant. While public health systems in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam are expanding, access to specialist disability services remains inconsistent.

Families often turn to a mix of hospitals, schools, therapists, non-profits, and informal support networks. Startups that can lower therapy costs, extend care beyond clinics, or simplify communication could significantly impact lives, provided they offer quality, trust, and affordability. The Southeast Asian cohort features several startups.

Indonesia's Hear Me is developing technology for Indonesian Sign Language translation and interpretation, addressing the limited access to sign-language support in various public and private settings. Another Indonesian startup, Birru, offers speech therapy and language-learning support for home and school use, reflecting a broader trend in pediatric care where parents and teachers need tools to extend support beyond occasional clinical sessions.

The Philippines is represented by Mylo Speech Buddy, which assists children with speech delays through speech therapy and at-home practice, highlighting the challenge of early intervention being out of reach due to cost, distance, and availability. Vietnam's Ba Bánh Nam Hà is innovating with adapted three-wheel vehicles and wheelchair attachments, addressing the practical barrier of mobility in both dense cities and rural provinces.

Mobility systems rarely cater to wheelchair users, and locally adapted vehicles can be more relevant than imported devices. Singapore is represented by GenElek Technologies, an India-Singapore-linked venture working on robotic exoskeletons for rehabilitation and personal mobility, representing advanced hardware solutions that could move into wider rehabilitation settings over time.

Other notable Southeast Asian startups include Pakistan's ConnectHear, which provides AI-powered sign-language communication and accessibility services; India's FyndHealth, offering developmental assessments and multidisciplinary therapy for children; and India's Gabify, building AI screening and practice-management tools for developmental care.

Indian ventures also focus on children's developmental and learning needs, with HireForCare providing assessment and therapy, Kidaura Innovations developing digital therapy tools, and Giftolexia using AI for early screening and learning support. Lastly, Vietnam's Lifespark Technologies creates wearable devices and digital care for neurological conditions, and BeAble Health develops game-based rehabilitation devices.