Australian digital accessible wayfinding startup BindiMaps is helping pave the way for Guide Dogs Victoria to achieve its goal of building the world’s first fully accessible sensory campus, as the startup itself is in the throes of a $4 million capital raise to help it continue to grow.
Guide Dogs Victoria (GDV) is redeveloping its Kew Campus site in Victoria as part of the not-for-profit organisation’s ‘Future is in Sight’ project, and it has enlisted BindiMaps to help.
The Sydney-based startup, which was launched by its CEO and co-founder Dr Anna Wright, alongside CCO Mladen Jovanovic and CPO Tony Burrett in 2017, will help GDV enhance the accessibility of the campus by providing precise navigation for visitors, especially those with low vision, blindness or disabilities.
Wright developed the idea for the inclusive wayfinding mobile app following years of undergoing surgery to save her own eyesight.
BindiMaps uses navigation algorithms and a network of Bluetooth beacons and smartphone sensors to help users navigate indoor spaces, from university campuses, airports, shopping malls, office buildings to hospitals.
The GDV’s Kew Campus currently has 250 guide dogs actively assisting individuals in the community, enhancing their independence and mobility, and has been designed to welcome thousands of visitors with all abilities each year.
Wright told SmartCompany BindiMaps is thrilled to be part of GDV’s project, which she describes as setting a “gold standard for indoor accessibility, especially for people who are blind or have low vision, but they also say for everybody with a disability,” she says.
“But I’d actually like to extend it and say that it’s really for everybody. That good design helps everybody, no matter what that design is for.”
As individuals, we’re “all used to getting lost indoors”, says Wright.
“But [with] BindiMaps, we’re wanting to change that, so that people have the expectation that you can use a digital map, you can use an app and help you find your way around regardless of your level of ability or disability.”
Dr Wright also confirmed with SmartCompany that the startup, which has 19 team members spread around Australia, mainly in Victoria and New South Wales, is trying to raise $4 million in capital and is currently talking to all of the venture capital firms in Australia and sophisticated angel investors.
“One of the big things that is taking up my time at the moment is we’re actually in the process of raising capital,” she says.
“We’re raising capital so we can expand BindiMaps out even further into more places in Australia and then to down the track look at taking BindiMaps internationally because there’s a lot of people out there that are getting lost indoors and we want to be able to help everybody find their way.”
BindiMaps is already doing that on home soil, through a range of partnerships with airports and more.
Last year, the Sunshine Coast Airport became the first Australian airport to install BindiMaps, in a bid to become one of the country’s most accessible airports and make it easier for its 1.62 million annual passengers to navigate through the airport.
Then in February 2024, BindiMaps launched its navigation app and platform for attendees of the Westpac OpenAir cinema in Sydney to help moviegoers find their way around.
Speaking with SmartCompany, Guide Dogs Victoria CEO Nicky Long said the integration of BindiMaps’ technology will ensure the Kew campus can be navigated with ease and accuracy, using sophisticated navigation algorithms, Bluetooth beacons, and smartphone sensors.
“This step-by-step guidance, available in text, map view, or audio directions, contributes significantly to our goal of creating a world-leading, fully accessible sensory campus for all abilities,” she says.
“The gold standard for accessible buildings, as defined by GDV, starts with the adoption of universal design principles, a codesign process and involves implementing a holistic range of tools such as tactile surfaces, contrasting colours to define spaces, adaptive lighting, and advanced wayfinding systems like BindiMaps.
“This comprehensive approach supports inclusive and accessible employment features, ensuring that the environment is accommodating for everyone.”
Long believes BindiMaps will significantly enhance the visitor experience at GDV by offering precise and reliable navigation throughout the campus and its various facilities.
“Visitors with low vision, blindness, or other disabilities will be able to move around the campus independently, confidently, and efficiently,” she says.
In the future, Long says BindiMaps will continue to support an inclusive environment by adapting to new developments on the campus and ensuring all new spaces remain accessible.
“The ongoing partnership between BindiMaps and GDV will foster continuous improvement in accessibility, making the campus a model for other institutions aiming to enhance their own inclusivity and accessibility standards,” she says.
“We are extremely grateful for our collaboration with BindiMaps, which plays a crucial role in making our campus accessible to all.”
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