Teen Lands Venture Capital For Accessibility Device

By Heather Somerville, San Jose Mercury News/MCT

November 14, 2014


Shubham Banerjee poses with the Braille printer he built out of Legos and a prototype of a Braille printer, left, that he hopes to get manufactured. (Patrick Tehan/Bay Area News Group/MCT)

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Last December, seventh-grader Shubham Banerjee asked his parents how people who are blind read.

A Silicon Valley tech professional, dad Neil Banerjee told his son to “Google it.”

So Shubham did, and with a few Internet searches he learned about Braille, the tactile writing system used by those who are blind, and Braille printers, which, to the 12-year-old’s shock, cost thousands of dollars. One school science fair victory, a few national accolades, $35,000 of his parents’ savings and a visit to the White House later, Shubham today is the founder of Palo Alto startup Braigo Labs, which aims to become the first purveyor of low-cost, compact Braille printers.

And last week, Intel Capital, the company’s global investment arm, announced it has invested in the teenager’s company, making Shubham the world’s youngest tech entrepreneur to receive venture capital funding.

in full: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/11/14/teen-venture-capital/19847/