Hackney-based app for blind people wins start-up award and £35k in funding

The Hackney team behind a smartphone app for visually impaired people will take home £35,000 in funding after winning an award for socially minded start-ups.

Wayfindr, a non-profit founded in the borough four years ago, says it has created “the world’s first internationally-approved standard for accessible audio navigation”.

The organisation’s goal of helping millions of people across the planet travel independently indoors could be a step closer to being achieved after it was revealed as one of the victors at the inaugural Vodafone Techstarter Awards.

Techstarter, a partnership between the mobile phone giant and charity Social Tech Trust, was created to support socially motivated start-ups.

Along with Wayfindr, winners in the non-profit category included anti-fake news tool Full Fact, a coding course for ex-offenders, and a programme created by the Children’s Society which uses immersive virtual reality to help kids overcome anxiety.

In addition to a slice of the £300,000 prize pool, the winners will have access to advice from industry experts, which Vodafone says will enable them to take their innovations from prototype to market readiness.

Yannis Psomadakis, head of technology at Wayfindr, said the team is “delighted” with the win and looking forward to “achieving our goal of helping vision impaired people travel independently using smartphone technology”.

Ed Evans, CEO of Social Tech Trust, said: “Vodafone Techstarter is a hugely powerful platform that showcases the potential of partnership and demonstrates how cross-sector organisations can work together to create something truly inspiring.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how these start-ups grow and thrive with the resources and support provided.”