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Submit your application to the Acceleration and Pre-Acceleration programs.
Applications are open to anyone (it is not necessary to be a Bocconi student or alumnus/a) anywhere.
Deadline: January 8th, 2025.
Play is an important part of childhood. It is a time for exploration, laughter and social connection. But for visually impaired children, these experiences are often limited. 22 million children worldwide between the ages of 4 and 11 who are blind or visually impaired often struggle to explore, develop awareness and engage socially. Lack of access to inclusive, engaging play experiences can leave lasting gaps in their social and motor development, affecting their self-esteem and sense of belonging.
Motivated to change this reality, SoBu was created by a dedicated team of researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology. The project, which is still in its early stages, is based on years of clinical research and technological innovation. Led by Walter Setti (CEO, bioengineer, PhD), with Davide Esposito (COO, bionic engineer, PhD) and Nicolò Balzarotti (CTO, psychologist, PhD), the team has developed an app that uses sound and vibration. SoBu offers classic group games such as Red Light, Green Light and Hide and Seek, redesigned to encourage movement, social interaction and independence in a way that no other technology has achieved.
Right now, SoBu is at a crucial juncture: it is about to transition from a research project to a full-fledged social impact venture. Their participation in batch VIII of B4i's Pre-Acceleration Program has equipped them with the entrepreneurial tools they need to make this transformation. Just recently, the team won the StartCup Lombardia award for the best social impact startup, a milestone that confirms the project's potential. The award not only validated their efforts but also marked an exciting beginning. As they prepare to launch their MVP and seek funding, we sat down with Walter to understand the way forward and the lessons learned from this transformative journey.
SoBu’s purpose is to create an engaging, interactive, and inclusive environment for visually impaired children to experience the joy of gaming while developing sensory, cognitive, and social skills. Our motivation stems from ABBI, a device developed by our research group, U-VIP, at the Italian Institute of Technology. ABBI links sounds to body movements and has shown, through clinical trials of three months with over 40 visually impaired children, significant improvements in motor, spatial, and social abilities. However, to overcome ABBI’s scalability limitations, we transformed its features into an app, leveraging advancements in smartphone and smartwatch technology. This adaptation broadens access, making interactive play and skill development available to visually impaired children worldwide.
SoBu means "Sound and Buzz"What the market currently offers are so-called 'do-it-yourself' solutions, like wooden boards, which are very old-fashioned compared to what typically developing children have at their disposal. Then there are many apps and videogames, where, however, the visually impaired child remains stationary, perhaps in front of a joystick or a screen. SoBu, instead, is the first solution that supports both motor and social development for visually impaired children through the medium of play and interaction with others.
The pre-acceleration program was essential in helping us lay the foundation for our startup. As founders coming from a research background, we had little to no experience in areas critical to launching a business, such as testing the first product version with target users, defining and validating the business model, and handling legal and marketing aspects. B4i, along with the support from the IIT’s TTO, was very important in introducing us to the entrepreneurial world. It provided training, allowed us to establish an extensive network, and opened the door to the StartCup Lombardia competition, where we won the award for the best social impact startup project. We are pleased and grateful for this journey, and we highly recommend it to all emerging startups and projects taking their first steps in the business world.
We are currently validating our MVP with families from clinical centers we collaborated with during our research. These centers, along with associations working with families of children with visual impairments, serve as our initial channel for reaching users. At this stage, our go-to-market strategy focuses solely on validation. Moving forward, the support we seek is primarily in identifying and implementing an optimal strategy for the startup’s national and international launch via the Play Store. Additionally, we will need guidance on the processes involved in entering the clinical market. In the second phase of the project, we aim to certify SoBu as a medical device, allowing it to be used not only for play but also as a tool for rehabilitating these children and monitoring their developmental skills over time.
We have come to understand the challenges that many visually impaired children face in their daily lives. Our dream is that, through SoBu, in moments of play — which are so essential for growth — visual impairment no longer poses a barrier to get together and socialize. We are dedicating ourselves fully so that these children can experience the happiest childhood possible.