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Wheelstair – Start-Up Profile – Wheelchair Add-On Overcomes Operational Barriers

Worldwide, over 10M people require a wheelchair, but these individuals often run up against barriers to their use. Wheelstair’s solution, a wheelchair add-on technology, can overcome many of these obstacles.

Wheelstair – Start-Up Profile – Wheelchair Add-On Overcomes Operational Barriers

By RBR Staff | 



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Wheelstair – Company Profile








City:
Lublin
State:


Lubelskie




Country:
Poland
# of Employees: 


4




URL:
www.wheelstair.com
Founded:


2018








Management – Jacek Stefan Kuhnl Kinel (CEO), Michal Zdziarski (CTO)


Funding Status – Wheelstair has raised a total of $2.1M from NCRD (National Centre for Research and Development) and private investors. The company is open to investment for industrialization / market launch of the product.




According to the Wheelchair Foundation, approximately 13M people require a wheelchair.




Wheelstair – Offerings Profile




Primary Target Markets – 1) Healthcare / Medical, 2) Retail


Technology / Product / Service(s) – To reduce levels of social exclusion on the part of wheelchair users, the Wheelstair engineering team incorporated robotics, mechatronics, mechanics and electronics to produce a wheelchair add-on that enables wheelchair users to independently traverse stairs and take longer excursions by themselves. As such, the solution supports two driving modes – one for stairs and a second for operation on flat terrain as an aid for people with weak arm strength.


The Wheelstair technology fits the majority of wheelchair models, and can be disconnected when not needed. It is operated directly by the individual in the wheelchair, and does not require the assistance of another person.


Value Proposition – Wheelstair value proposition is multivariate and includes the following:


    

  • Price – According to Wheelstair representatives, the cost of the production version of the Wheelstair is 2x less than competitive solutions.
    • 

  • Quick Installation – The Wheelstair technology requires only minor adaptations to be able to connect to a wheelchair quickly and easily.
    • 

  • Community Building – Wheelstair works to activate socially excluded groups.
    • 

  • Independence – Wheelstair has specialists from different fields on their team. This allows them to respond to new or unique requirements.
    • 



Demand Drivers – According to the Wheelchair Foundation, approximately 13M people require a wheelchair. Unfortunately, across the world many architectural barriers exist for wheelchair users. Wheelstair has produced a easily installed extension to wheelchairs that can overcome many of these these barriers.


The Wheelstair solution is suitable for single wheelchair bound individuals, but companies that recognize the value of diverse teams, including people with physical disabilities, are also potential customers. The Wheelstair solution can also be included within the framework of overall government policy (city, regional, national), as it is a is a more economical and practical solution than investing in the piecemeal adaptation of multiple, or site specific, wheelchair enabling technologies.




Wheelstair’s solution is unique in that it is an extension to existing manual wheelchair models that substantially increases their functionality and capabilities.




Wheelstair – Business Model(s) and Competition




Business Model – Wheelstair sells directly to individuals, companies and groups. The company also offers leasing terms, and distributor partnerships. Special research and development opportunities are also available.


Competitors – Wheelstair considers Scewo as the company’s primary competitor. They note that Scewo’s soluton is a different type of device as it imposes its own single type of seat. Wheelstair’s solution is unique in that it is an extension to existing manual wheelchair models that substantially increases their functionality and capabilities.




Wheelstair – Recent News





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