National Federation of the Blind
200 East Wells Street at Jernigan Place, Baltimore, MD, 21230, United States
Overview
National Federation of the Blind is an organization of blind people in the United States. The organization’s mission is to serve as a means for blind people to come together to work collectively to improve their lives. By providing public education about blindness, information and referral services, scholarships, literature and materials about blindness, specialized aids and appliances, adaptive equipment, and support for blind people and their families, the members of the National Federation of the Blind strive to spread the word that the blind are normal individuals who can compete on equal terms with their sighted peers. National Federation of the Blind was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Total investments
- 1
- Lead investments
- 0
- Investments · 12mo
- 0
- Active investors
- 0
Sector focus
- Association
- Information Services
Investment portfolio
- Aira
Participated · Series B · May 2017
Aira is a San Diego-based developer of smart products and services for blind and low vision (BVI) people. The company’s technology service combines smart glasses, dedicated AT&T bandwidth, and AI-enabled remote human agents to provide contextual information and assistance. Aira recently concluded its beta-testing phase and is now available to new users in the United States. Remote Aira agents undergo extensive professional training and are supported by an AI-powered dashboard that continuously learns user preferences. The company intends to use the Series B proceeds to expand its service offerings. Aira is led by CEO Suman Kanuganti. Aira is a San Diego–based developer of remote assistance technology that connects blind and low-vision users wearing smart glasses with a network of certified Agents through a real-time, cloud-based "Mission Control" dashboard. The platform processes live camera, GPS, and sensor streams and integrates with assistive tools and online services (transportation, menus, barcode lookups, store layouts, image detection) to support navigation and daily activities. Aira is using AI to automate standard tasks by combining human agent insights with machine learning, and leveraging AR and improved smart-glasses hardware to enhance video streaming and sensor capability. The company completed multi-phase beta trials, hired and certified a dedicated cadre of Agents, and completed key refinements to its technology. Aira was preparing for an Aira Explorer launch in late 2016 and emphasizes partnerships with major U.S. network providers and inclusion of blind users throughout design and testing. Aira.IO is a technology-enabled service that provides live visual interpretation and assistance to blind and low-vision users through certified agents who view live camera and sensor streams. Agents use a cloud-based "Mission control" dashboard to process video, GPS, and other sensor data from wearable platforms such as Google Glass and Vuzix. The company completed multi-phase beta trials with more than 100 blind and low-vision participants at sites across Southern California, measuring task completion times and user success, difficulty, and confidence both with and without Aira assistance. Participant feedback was strongly positive, with many calling the service life-changing and expressing greater confidence in daily tasks. Aira closed a $790K seed financing to advance development and expects to make its services available to the general public in mid-2016. Founded by UC San Diego graduates, the company aims to expand its personalized assistive offerings and certified-agent network.
Team
No current team members are available.