- The awards, presented by the Honourable Minister for IT, BT, and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development of Karnataka, Priyank Kharge, honored pioneering startups, corporates, non-profits, educational institutions, investors and government bodies that have changed the lives of persons with disabilities with Assistive Technology
- The awards are an emphatic recognition and acknowledgement of the innovations developed to promote inclusivity and independence of life among persons with disabilities
Bengaluru, November 26, 2024: At the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2024, AssisTech Foundation (ATF) – India’s pioneering Assistive Technology (AT) ecosystem dedicated to empowering persons with disabilities – recognized cutting-edge accessibility solutions developed by enterprises and start-ups as well as significant assistive technology initiatives spearheaded by government bodies, non-profits, investors and educational institutes. The ATF Awards are India’s foremost and only awards that recognize outstanding contributions in the Assistive Technology space.
AssisTech Foundation played a pivotal leadership role in the Assistive Technology track at the Bengaluru Tech Summit (BTS) 2024. Building upon the success of the 2023 AT track, this year’s edition aimed to further cement Bengaluru Tech Summit’s status as a global hub for innovation, awareness, and collaboration in the Assistive Technology space. The objective of the awards is to raise awareness, celebrate technology innovations and enable efforts that empower people with disabilities, promoting inclusivity and independence. Legendary cricketer Rahul Dravid, a long-time supporter of AssisTech Foundation, launched the inaugural ATF Awards in 2022.
The AssisTech Foundation presented ten awards in three categories to recognize innovative start-ups as well as corporates, non-profits, government bodies, educational institutions and investors who have leveraged the power of assistive technology to transform the lives of people with disabilities.
The awards were presented by Priyank Kharge – Hon’ble Minister for IT & BT and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Govt. of Karnataka, Dr. Ekroop Caur – IAS, Secretary to Government, Department of Electronics, IT, BT, and Science & Technology, Prashanth Prakash – Founding Partner, Accel Partners India, Surendra S – Managing Director – Infrastructure Services for APAC, Accenture, and IAS Darshan HV – Managing Director, Department of IT BT and KITS, Govt. of Karnataka.
The ATF Awards have been supported by Accenture, Microsoft, Shell & ThoughtWorks. In line with its commitment to disability inclusion, entrepreneurship, and fostering women-led innovation in Assistive Technology, Accenture will present a grant to the winner of the ‘Women Ahead – Best Assistive Technology Women-Led Startup’ award.
The award winners in their respective categories include –
| Category | Award Title | Startup Name |
| Emerging Startups | Best Assistive Technology (AT) Start up for Innovation (Product Technology) | Sparshmind Innovations |
| Established Startups | Most impactful Assistive Technology (AT) start up | Access for All |
| Women Ahead: Best Woman-led Assistive Technology (AT) start up | XL Cinema | |
| Jury’s Choice for Best Assistive Technology (AT) Start up | SHG Technologies | |
| Best Assistive Technology (AT) Start Up: People’s Choice | InfiHeal HealthTech | |
| Enablers | Best Assistive Technology (AT) Initiative among Educational Institutes | VIT – Technology Business Incubator |
| Best Assistive Technology (AT) CSR initiative of the year | Cognizant Foundation | |
| Best Assistive Technology (AT) initiative among NGOs | National Association for the Blind Delhi | |
| Best Assistive Technology (AT) Investor of the Year | Global Innovation Hub | |
| Best Government Assistive Technology (AT) Initiative | The State Commission for Persons with disability Goa |
Prateek Madhav, CEO & Co-Founder of AssisTech Foundation, commented on the occasion, “Building on the impressive success of the Assistive Technology track at the Bengaluru Tech Summit in 2023, we are proud to honour the winners of the ATF awards, whose contribution to the realm of assistive technology has enabled many people with disabilities to gain a new outlook on life. We remain deeply committed to extending the reach of AT to underserved communities across the country.”
AssisTech Foundation also hosted a panel discussion on the topic – ‘India’s AT Evolution: What Will Define Innovation, Policy, and Impact in the Coming Decade?’. The session hosted a panel of industry leaders including Rumi Mallick Mitra, Global Head, Director, Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, EY GDS, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, Secretary of the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Surendra S Managing Director – Managing Director- Infrastructure Services for APAC , Accenture, Deepak Padaki, President of Catamaran, Akashdeep Bansal, Founder of Saralx and Dr. Ananthalakshmi Venkitaraman, Founder of Equibeing Foundation. The panel was moderated by Prateek Madhav, CEO & Co-founder of ATF.
