Pune: Venture Center, a CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory–hosted technology business incubator, has been awarded the Best Assistive Technology Investor of the Year at the Assistive Technology Foundation – ATF Awards 2025.
Announced during the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2025, the recognition highlights the incubator’s pivotal role in enabling the growth of assistive technology (AT) innovation in India.
ATF Awards 2025: India’s Premier Platform for AT Innovation
Instituted by the AssisTech Foundation (ATF), the ATF Awards 2025 are India’s first and only national-level awards dedicated to celebrating achievements in accessibility, inclusion, and assistive technology.
The awards span ten categories across Emerging Startups, Established Startups, and Enablers, acknowledging organisations and innovators propelling the AT ecosystem forward.
ATF Awards 2025 Honour for Venture Center’s Impact
Venture Center received the ATF Awards 2025 recognition in the Enablers category for its long-term commitment to mentoring, nurturing, and funding startups focused on assistive technology solutions.
The incubator has supported more than 30 AT startups across diverse disability areas including neurological, cognitive/learning, visual, speech and hearing, locomotive, and appearance-related challenges.
The supported startups develop solutions across four major product segments: surgical rehabilitation, rehabilitation, assistive products, and disability prevention.
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Commenting on the recognition, Dr Premnath Venugopalan, Founder and Director of Venture Center, said that assistive technology innovators are among the most passionate changemakers, with their solutions creating life-changing impact.
He added that the ATF Awards 2025 honour reinforces the incubator’s commitment to providing ecosystem support, mentorship, and essential resources for advancing accessibility and inclusion.
Venture Center expressed gratitude to the AssisTech Foundation for the ATF Awards 2025 recognition, and to its government, foundation, and CSR partners whose support has strengthened the incubator’s mission of enabling inclusive and socially impactful technologies.
