Unlocking Investment in Assistive Technology: Blended Finance and the Path to Market Scale

Assistive technology (AT) includes products such as wheelchairs, hearing devices, glasses, and communication tools that enable persons with disabilities, older adults, and other people with additional support needs to participate fully in society. Today, more than 2.5 billion people worldwide need at least one assistive product, yet fewer than one in seven can access it. In some low- and middle-income countries, access falls as low as 3%. By 2050, global need is projected to reach 3.5 billion people. Innovators across the world are already building effective assistive technologies. The challenge is not a lack of solutions or demand,
but the absence of the financial structures needed to bring these solutions to scale.

This report makes four core arguments:

• The scale of unmet AT need represents a major market failure. Billions of people lack access to technologies that enable education, employment, independence, and participation.
• Capital has not flowed to the sector because of structural barriers. AT sits between investment categories, financing instruments, and stages of venture support.
• Blended finance provides a viable solution. Combining philanthropic, public, and private capital can reduce risk for investors while supporting ventures to scale.
• The timing is right. A pipeline of growth-ready ventures now exists, regulatory momentum around accessibility is increasing, and technological advances are improving the economics of AT solutions.

This report draws on ten years of research by the GDI Hub and engagement with AT ventures worldwide, including direct support to more than 150 ventures and an in-depth assessment of more than 50 growthstage enterprises. It presents practical recommendations for philanthropic funders, impact investors, development finance institutions, governments, and ecosystem builders seeking to expand access to AT globally.

The pipeline exists, the mechanisms are available, and the opportunity to build a functioning global market for AT is within reach.