Cohort 4

SATHI: Sustainable & Affordable Technological Healthcare Integration

SATHI is a proposed open-source digital health platform designed to unify fragmented tools used by over 1 million Community Health Workers (CHWs) in India. Despite growing digitization in healthcare, most existing health apps remain siloed, hard to use, and focused on reporting rather than real-time service delivery. SATHI aims to change this by offering a unified, modular solution tailored for frontline community workers such as ASHAs, ANMs, and CHOs aligned with national health policies like the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission. Planned features include offline functionality, voice-assisted inputs, multilingual support, and streamlined workflows that reduce data burden while improving patient care. SATHI will cover key areas such as maternal and child health, non-communicable diseases NCDs, mental health, and elderly care, enabling Community Health Workers (CHWs) to offer more timely, personalized services. With a flexible monetization model that blends public funding, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and premium customizations, SATHI is designed to scale as a digital public good platform across low- and middle-income countries, such as Nepal, with similar health delivery systems. The concept has been shaped through consultations with CHWs, public health experts, and non-profit organizations, bridging the last-mile gaps in health delivery. The team is now actively seeking technology partners, funders, and institutional collaborators to support the platform’s current stage of development as well as pilot implementation and broader adoption.

Project Team:

Asmita Naik Africawala, Sr Manager, Program Research and Monitoring, Ambuja Foundation
Project Role: Knowledge and Implementation partner
Email: Asmita.naik.ext@ambujafoundation.com

Pragya Jain, Independent Consultant, Research and MEL
Project Role: Research, Analysis & MEL Expert
Email: pragya_mbe2009@yahoo.com

Bhavisha Prakashbhai Sheth, Chief Operating Officer, Technology Enabling Centre, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani 
Project Role: Technology development advice, networking, stakeholder engagement, and partnerships
Email: bhavisha.sheth@gmail.com

Mio Kitajima, Medical doctor, Lieutenant, Self Defense Forces, Sapporo Hospital
Project Role: Advisor
Email: miokitaji@yahoo.co.jp

Yoshifumi Nin, President, ASHA, Japan
Project Role: Knowledge and Implementation partner
Email: yoshifumi.nin@asha-np.org

Misake Murase, Member, Yokohama Hub, The Global Shapers
Project Role: Advisor
Email: misakimurase.jaz@gmail.com

For more information, please email Pragya Jain

Additional Resources:

SATHI_presentation

WakuWaku

WakuWaku is an AI-powered real-time sign language translation tool designed to give Deaf and hard-of-hearing children (ages 0–7) access to language and emotional connection from the earliest stages of life. Today, only 2% of 34 million deaf children worldwide are exposed to sign language early on—a critical window for brain and language development. WakuWaku bridges this gap by using computer vision and AI to instantly translate spoken words into animated sign language, making communication accessible in homes, schools, and care settings where sign language is not yet widely known. The product can be used on screens or smart devices, creating an interactive, inclusive environment for young children to experience language in real time. Currently in the prototyping stage, WakuWaku is building its AI model, refining its user experience, and seeking collaborators to scale its impact globally.

Project Team:

Arwa Borsadwala, Industrial Designer, JVCKENWOOD Design Corporation
Project Role: Content Strategist / Presentation Designer
Email: arwa.borsadwala@gmail.com

Ai Grant, Teacher and Event planner, Tosa Juku
Project Role: Educational and Medical Research Analyst
Email: aigrant@icloud.com

Junichi Kanebako, Associate Professor, Kobe Design University
Project Role: Content Strategist / Presentation Designer
Email: kanejun@gmail.com

Dinesh Rathod, Electrical Design Engineer, EBARA Corporation
Project Role: Technical adviser and presenter
Email: dineshbramharathod@gmail.com

Mai Tomabechi, Director, Mirairo Inc.
Project Role: Content Strategist / Presentation Designer
Email: t6bee.dk@gmail.com

Rie Toyomoto, Program-Specific Assistant Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University
Project Role: Educational and Medical Research Analyst
Email: toyomoto.rie.5r@kyoto-u.ac.jp

Tuba Ali, Senior Product Manager, Rakuten Payment Inc.
Project Role: Technical adviser
Email: tuba.ali1998@gmail.com

Shingo Takemoto, Board Chairman, SOCIAL DESIGNERS FOR D.
Project Role: Project Lead
Email: shingo.takemoto@gmail.com

For more information, please email Shingo Takemoto

Additional Resources:

WakuWaku _ Presentation

KrishiSakura

KrishiSakura is a tech-enabled data platform that empowers small and marginalized farmers to generate income by collecting and selling verified agricultural data directly to companies seeking high-quality insights. Addressing the challenges of low income, middlemen dependency, and lack of access to market information, the platform ensures that farmers can complete simple, guided data tasks (e.g., uploading crop photos) via a user-friendly mobile app in their local language and get paid for each contribution. For enterprises, KrishiSakura offers reliable, raw, and customized datasets for agriculture-related decision-making across India, Japan, and select African countries. Through secure data practices, training partnerships, and a farmer-first design, KrishiSakura turns data into a new income stream while creating an inclusive feedback loop for sustainable agricultural innovation. The team is currently preparing its proof of concept and seeking partners, funding, and client introductions to scale this vision.

Project Team:

Nidhi Basin, CEO, Digital Green Trust
Project Role: Project Partner
Email: nidhibhasin76@gmail.com

Ryo Toyoda, Data Scientist, AKKODiS Consulting Ltd.
Project Role: Project Partner
Email: ryo.toyoda0330@gmail.com

Juhi Jain, Associate Director, Busara
Project Role: Project Partner
Email: juhijain044@gmail.com

Meghana Rao Pahlajan, Technical Lead, 2030 Water Resources Group, World Bank
Project Role: Project Partner
Email: meghanamrao@gmail.com

Kenji Narushima, Senior Director, Ridecell
Project Role: Project Partner
Email: kenjidavidnarushima@gmail.com

Ayako Fujiwara, Lead Service Designer and Design Researcher, EPAM Systems
Project Role: Project Partner
Email: ayako.jpn@gmail.com

For more information, please email Ayako Fujiwara

Additional Resources:

KrishiSakura _ Presentation

SURAKSHA

SURAKSHA, Women’s Safety Route App is a context-aware, AI-powered mobile solution designed to make urban mobility safer and more psychologically secure for women. Built on a foundation of environmental, socio-cultural, and behavioral data, the app suggests optimized, safer travel routes by identifying risk zones based on factors like lighting, natural surveillance, land use, and nearby negative attributors (e.g., liquor shops or abandoned areas). Using large language models (LLMs), the app offers smart safety alerts, real-time route updates, and natural language emergency interaction, enabling users to communicate via voice or text with connected apps or wearables. Validated through participatory mapping and long-term resident feedback, the app also integrates multilingual support and sign language accessibility. It aligns with government safety and gender equity policies, aiming to empower women to not just be safe, but feel safe when navigating cities. The team is currently focused on building partnerships and securing funding to move from prototype to implementation.

Project Team:

Swagatika Mishra, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Architecture, Sri Sri University
Project Role: Principal Contributor towards conceptualisation, research, data collection, and execution
Email: swagatika.m@srisriuniversity.edu.in

For more information, please email Swagatika Mishra

Additional Resources:

Suraksha _ Presentation

tSUNAGO

tSUNAGO is a trusted digital platform designed to connect persons with disabilities (PwDs) and their caregivers in India and Japan to verified support services, products, and community resources. Facing overwhelming fragmentation, lack of accessible information, and increasing caregiver burden, tSUNAGO responds by centralizing reliable data and services across domains like assistive tech, accessible travel, education, healthcare, and legal support. Through a verified provider directory, multilingual interface, live support, and peer community forums, the platform ensures transparency, dignity, and inclusion. Whether seeking a hearing aid for a child or planning an accessible trip, users can navigate tailored pathways based on their unique needs. Built on a scalable model and supported by cross-sector partnerships, tSUNAGO aims to become the go-to ecosystem for disability inclusion—empowering users, reducing isolation, and streamlining access in an often chaotic service landscape. Now advancing its strategy, design, and funding efforts, the team welcomes collaborators to help realize this vision.

Project Team:

Avinash Sosale, Director, Communicaids / ComDEALL
Project Role: Team Member
Email: Avinash.sosale@gmail.com

Sayomdeb Mukherjee (Den), Lead International Projects, EnAble India
Project Role: Specialist, Disability Affairs
Email: sayomdeb@enableindia.org

Archana Pandey, Founder Director, AARYAVART CENTRE FOR AUTISM AND SPECIAL NEEDS FOUNDATION 
Project Role: Team Member
Email: Admin@aaryavart.org

Neha Soneji, Program Director - Child Development, Tech Mahindra Foundation 
Project Role: Team Member
Email: nehasoneji@gmail.com

Abir Bhakta, Specialist - Assistive Solutions (IT & AT), EnAble India
Project Role: Team Member
Email: abir@enableindia.org

Tomofumi Fukamiya, CEO, The Elements Inc.
Project Role: Team Member
Email: fukamiya@the-elements.jp

For more information, please email Avinash Sosale

Additional Resources:

tSUNAGO _ Presentation

LiveTech Highway

LiveTech Highway is a cross-border pilot testing platform designed to accelerate the growth of early-stage tech-for-good startups in India and Japan by providing structured, affordable, and transparent real-world validation. Too often, promising innovations in health, education, climate, and livelihoods fail to scale due to high pilot costs, fragmented testing opportunities, and lack of global exposure. LiveTech Highway bridges this gap by connecting startups with corporates, MSMEs, policymakers, and civic bodies to co-create low-risk, high-impact pilot projects. Through curated solution pipelines, transparent feedback loops, and cross-cultural user adaptation, the platform enhances adoption rates and increases startups’ chances of attracting investment and scaling their impact. By delivering investor-ready case studies and capacity-building support, LiveTech Highway redefines how tech-for-good ventures validate, iterate, and grow, while creating an inclusive innovation ecosystem that benefits communities across borders. The team is now onboarding partners and startups to launch the next phase of this transformative platform.

Project Team:

Makoto Matsuura, Director, G-experience LLC
Project Role: Project Leader, Japan
Email: matsuura@g-experience.org

Tuba Ali, Senior Product Manager, Rakuten Payment Inc.
Project Role: Support Team Member, Japan
Email: tuba.ali1998@gmail.com

Neha Malhotra, Founder and Managing Partner, MeritX Ventures
Project Role: Project Leader, India
Email: neha@meritxventures.com

Jennifer Pandiyan, Founder and CEO, Thales Cleantech
Project Role: Support Team Member, India
Email: mailme.jenny@gmail.com

Masayuki Kubota, Director, Lean on Me Inc.
Project Role: Strategic Advisor / Connector
Email: kubota@leanonme.co.jp

For more information, please email Makoto Matsuura

Additional Resources:

LiveTech Highway _ Presentation

Talent Align

Talent Align is an inclusive job-matching platform designed to support persons with disabilities (PwDs) by aligning individual needs and strengths with the right workplace environments. In Japan, nearly 50% of employees with mental health disabilities leave their jobs within the first year, often due to invisible needs being overlooked and a lack of reasonable accommodations. Talent Align addresses this challenge by using a personalized questionnaire and visualization interface that captures each candidate’s specific access needs, communication preferences, and sensitivity traits. This information is then matched with employers who can provide suitable working conditions, such as quiet environments, accessible facilities, or alternative communication methods. The platform aims to create sustainable employment by bridging the gap between PwDs and companies through mutual understanding, sensitivity, and tailored support. Now moving toward service development and beta testing, the team is refining its prototype and actively seeking collaborators, advisors, and supporters to build a more inclusive workforce.

Project Team:

Eri Yamamoto, Director, The Nippon Foundation Parasports Support Center
Project Role: Sales
Email: e_yamamoto@parasapo.tokyo

Yusuke Yasuda, CEO, Kizuki Co., Ltd.
Project Role: Project Leader
Email: yusuke.yasuda@kizuki.or.jp

Asami Okada, Master’s Student, University of Tsukuba / Founder, Welsib
Project Role: Product Planner
Email: asami.okada25@gmail.com

For more information, please email Asami Okada

Additional Resources:

Talent Align _ Presentation
 

Driving Change, Together

Driving Change, together is a collaborative impact initiative focused on empowering women caregivers and persons with disabilities through mobility access and economic opportunity. Recognizing the critical link between mobility and livelihood, the project provides assistive technologies—such as adaptive bikes and wheelchairs—while also creating job pathways in sectors like delivery services, postal networks, and retail. By partnering with CXOs and DEI leaders in South and Southeast Asia, the initiative aims to integrate marginalized individuals into the workforce with dignity and visibility. The model combines community-driven lead generation, post-mobility training, and financing solutions to ensure long-term sustainability. AtmaNirbhar & NeoMotion not only addresses systemic barriers to employment but also redefines inclusion by linking mobility to empowerment at scale. Currently focused on expanding partnerships and funding, the project invites collaborators to join in driving change—together.

Project Team:

Siddarth Daga, Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer, NeoMotion Assistive Solutions
Project Role: Team member
Email: sdaga@neomotion.co.in

Pawani Khandelwal, Founder, Aatm Nirbhar Learning Private Limited
Project Role: Team Member
Email: pawani.khandelwal@gmail.com

For more information, please email Siddarth Daga

Additional Resources:

Driving Change, Together _ Presentation

DigiMura

DigiMura: Rural Futures is a digital solution aimed at revitalizing rural livelihoods in India and Japan by bridging the gap between traditional producers and high-potential markets. Facing declining populations, shrinking income opportunities, and limited digital access, rural artisans and farmers often struggle to reach customers despite producing authentic, high-quality goods. DigiMura addresses this disconnect through a "Culture Market Hotspot Finder"—a geo-intelligence platform that identifies optimal locations and channels for selling traditional products. By combining market intelligence, producer onboarding, and sales simulation tools, the platform empowers rural entrepreneurs to access new customer bases, increase repeat buyers, and sustain their cultural heritage. With a strong focus on user validation, strategic partnerships, and lean operations, DigiMura creates a pathway from isolation to economic integration, turning untapped rural creativity into resilient, future-ready livelihoods. The team is currently focused on prototyping, ecosystem mapping, and seeking partners to help bring this platform to life.

Project Team:

Takeshi Hidaka, Director, Obuse Town Innovation HUB Association Inc.
Project Role: Team member
Email: takeshi.hidaka1994@gmail.com

Tomokazu Iwabuchi, CEO, Urbanix Co., Ltd.
Project Role: Team member
Email: iwabuchi@urbanix-japan.com

Anish Michael, Lead, Centre for Future Mobility, OMI Foundation
Project Role: Team member
Email: anishmichael99@gmail.com

Bhargav Padhiyar, Founder and Design Lead, Studio IF
Project Role: Team member
Email: bhargav.p@live.com

Ashish Pandya, Lead Consultant, Ideaship Inc.
Project Role: Team member
Email: ashishpandya221@gmail.com

Dhiraj Santdasani, Technical Advisor, C40 Cities
Project Role: Team member
Email: santdasanidhiraj@gmail.com

Yuki Takishima, Vice President of Social Impact Design, READYFOR
Project Role: Team member
Email: yuki.takishima@readyfor.jp

Nikita Tiwari, Senior Research Manager, Sambodhi Research and Communication
Project Role: Team member
Email: nikitatiwari91@gmail.com

Philip Varghese, Assistant Professor, Christ University
Project Role: Team member
Email: post2philip@gmail.com

For more information, please email Nikita Tiwari

Additional Resources:

DigiMura _ Presentation