Social Entrepreneurship Program

IDFC FIRST Bank in partnership with Social Alpha, a technology business incubator supports women-led social enterprise - Tactopus Learning Solution Private Limited that develops tactile kits and interaction tools for students with visual impairment. The support is currently being used to develop proprietary interaction content that would be worth five years of curriculum and will be deployed in at least 180 blind schools, while making 3900 Schools inclusive.

Our Impact

Tactopus, makes audio-tactile learning resources primarily designed for children with visual impairment. These product ranges from books to cards which are supported by an app that explains what the child is exploring in the tactile book with his/her fingers through appropriate sound labels. We are also working closely with the Tactopus team to guide their go-to market strategy, brand building and developing their theory of change.

The support is currently being used to develop proprietary interaction content that would be worth five years of curriculum and will be deployed in at least 180 blind schools, while making 3900 Schools inclusive.

Tactopus uses Augmented Reality Technology to create audio-tactile learning experiences. The Smartphone camera detects which page is open, tracks a reader’s finger position provides contextual audio information- sound effects, labels, explanations. The product has made its mark in Mumbai with XRCVC, Kamala Mehta Dadar School for the Blind, Victoria Memorial School for the Blind and Hellen Keller Institute. Over the course of the year, the Tactopus product range has gone from 2 books to over 15 varying learning aids, with its users spread across 32 schools and resource centres, and general users over 8 states in India and 5 countries across the globe. They have also moved from sole English instruction to 5 Indian regional language options and are working on more for the upcoming academic year.

Voice of Impact

"At Tactopus we have spent the past two years working closely with a wide community of teachers and parents of children with vision loss and learning disabilities. The funding support from IDFC FIRST Bank, has helped us refine the prototypes and produce the first batch of books for launch. With continued support, we're now able to focus on creating more of the content that the community has expressed need for. The faith and confidence of IDFC First Bank team has helped us turn a promising idea into the fully functional product that many blind and sighted children actively use today."

Chandni Rajendran,
Co-Founder, Tactopus Learning Solution Private Limited