Investing in Innovation - a reception on the margins of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group in Washington

Last week on the margins of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group in Washington, alongside SEAF & FCDO, the Global Disability Innovation Hub co-hosted a reception - Investing in Innovation - at the British Embassy to exploring catalytic blended finance solutions for Assistive Technology and new innovative pathways to inclusive impact in lower-and-middle-income-countries. 

From premier scaling pathways and investment vehicles in transformative technologies speakers shared the commercial viability for investing in assistive technology to meet the needs of 1.85 billion people with disabilities worldwide and by 2050, the 2.5 billion people who will need AT. 

Counsellor Jon Worgan from the Embassy of the United Kingdom welcomed guests, as our host Cara Yar Khan and speakers Naomi Thompson and Paul Sheehan shared more on the AT Growth Fund - the world’s most ambitious scaling pathway for high-potential growth stage accessible and assistive technology ventures. 

Conceptualised by the GDI Hub, and managed by SEAF with the UK Govt as the general partner, the fund aims to foster innovation and expanding access to life-changing technologies for millions of persons with disabilities in lower-and-middle-income countries.