Driven by a team with lived and professional experience of visual impairment, WeWALK is on a mission to enhance the mobility of visually impaired people. Its novel WeWALK smart cane and smartphone app provide users with obstacle detection and accessible multimodal navigation, improving users’ safety and independence. WeWALK has already impacted lives in over 60 countries and has been recognised as a TIME Best Invention, Amazon’s Startup of the Year, and an Edison Gold Award.
Germany as a Strategic Hub for Expansion
There are over 2.7 million visually impaired people in Germany, where health insurance is both a necessity and a legal requirement. Given a mature insurance market, it was clear that Germany, and Cologne specifically, would be pivotal in WeWALK’s European expansion. This had a strong start when WeWALK presented at the InsureNXT conference in Cologne in 2023, attended by 3,000 participants while featuring 165 exhibitors.
Support from KölnBusiness and Local Networks
KölnBusiness, the city’s official Economic Development Agency, was a key supporter, helping WeWALK navigate a comprehensive network of insurers, startups, tech innovators, and investors, creating numerous collaborative opportunities. Moreover, Cologne’s strategic location in the heart of Europe made it an ideal base for further continental expansion. As a result, WeWALK established a GmbH in Germany, a significant step forward, reiterating Germany as a gateway into the broader European market.
Introducing the WeWALK Smart Cane 2
Building on this foundation, WeWALK has continued its momentum with the development of the WeWALK Smart Cane 2. This ground-breaking device is the first smart cane in the world to look and feel like a standard white cane while packing AI-powered voice assistance. WeWALK Smart Cane 2 offers real-time obstacle detection, navigation, and environmental awareness, enhancing safe and independent mobility for visually impaired users. Launching in October 2024, Smart Cane 2 was developed following extensive user feedback from Germany and across the globe, ensuring that it meets the broadest set of user requirements. This made a strong impact at Sight City in Frankfurt where Smart Cane 2 was presented to the German public for the first time, engaging with over 120 new leads and further exciting the German community.
Key Milestones: Sight City and Regulatory Progress
In its pursuit to make the WeWALK Smart Cane 2 accessible to more users in Germany, WeWALK has achieved significant regulatory progress. The company is now listed in the EUDAMED database, an essential step in complying with European medical device regulations. Furthermore, WeWALK is actively working towards registering with the GKV (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung), a list of medical aids covered by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds which would greatly enhance the attainability of WeWALK’s smart cane for visually impaired people across Germany.
WeASSIST: Expanding Beyond the Smart Cane
In addition to its smart cane innovations, WeWALK is also introducing WeASSIST, a new service that connects professionally trained sighted guides to visually impaired users through their smartphone camera. This service guides users through voice in various environments, such as airports and shopping centres, offering them a new level of autonomy. WeWALK is looking to expand WeASSIST globally, including in Germany, with support from KölnBusiness.
Recognition and Awards
As a result of these efforts, WeWALK recently received the UK King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation and was honoured to be hosted at Windsor Castle by His Majesty, the King of the United Kingdom.
