RIGHT-HEAR
ABOUT RIGHT-HEAR
Right-Hear is an advanced accessibility solution that allows people who are blind or visually impaired to acquire better orientation in public spaces (mostly indoor). Our popular, innovative solution has turned over 300 venues into accessible zones in Israel alone. This includes market leaders such as Weizmann Institute of science and Azrieli Group (valued at $2.5B) and many more. With our free app on iOS and Android, over 1500 Accessible Spots installed worldwide, and an ever-growing user base, our vision of making the world more accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired is becoming more of a reality every day.
ABOUT IDAN MEIR
Idan Meir is a co-founder and CEO at Right-Hear. Previously, Idan founded Hubanana – the first Israeli hub for startups outside of Tel Aviv as well as the StartupCalendar – an Israeli startup ecosystem shared calendar. Idan holds a BA in Psychology and Business Management from the Open University and believes that everyone has some sort of disability but not everyone has found it yet.
CAMELTARY (Camel Commentary)
Right-Hear. Right Now.
Most entrepreneurs will talk about their darkest hour being seeking funding for their bright idea that will change the world. They envisage a dream that will propel the world into a better place through honest and altruistic products.
Right-Hear has never sought a shekel of funding, but Idan Meir still intends to change the way people see change. Figuratively and literally.
The service provides as much independence as possible, in private, for those who are visually impaired or blind. Using three primary verticals, a mobile app, smart sensors, and an online Dashboard, its users are offered live assistance, GPS navigation, and safety alerts throughout their everyday lives. Today, the app has over 200,000 venues stored in the system.
“It’s in everyone’s interest to have everything accessible to everyone,” Meir explains. “For the visually impaired, going to a Mall is a challenge, and now we can address that challenge. 2017 has offered us the opportunity.”
He credits the technology available to developers and entrepreneurs who can help the 300 million worldwide visually impaired members of society integrate better and gain independence. The service generates its revenue from subscriptions or one-off payments by the venues/locations. With 8 million blind people in the USA alone, communities the size of New Jersey can benefit from RightHear.
Bootstrapping an entire business is not easy nor desirable. “As long as we reach our milestones in an honest and organic way, then it’s worth it. However, it means we always work with limited resources.” His altruism is not inspired by anything other than wanting to help others. No personal experience, no family members or loved ones, just a drive to improve the world.
Offering ‘a ramp for the blind’ will open many opportunities for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. “We’re not altruistic heroes… but we’ve been falling in love with this concept.” He may not see it, but Idan Meir is changing the world for those who certainly can’t.
James Spiro