Thiruvananthapuram: The crowd roared as Theertha's name was called out. But she did not know what was happening. However, within a moment, she sensed the victory as colleague Kingsley, sitting next to her, and husband Sanu, were beaming with excitement.
The emotional moments were witnessed at the concluding session of the two-day 'Huddle Kerala' conclave organized by the state Startup Mission and the Internet and Mobile Association of India, IAMAI.
Sign Next, a venture for the hearing impaired, set up by India's first such Startup entrepreneur Theertha Nirmala of Kozhikode at Technopark, won the third prize at the Huddle Pitching contest.
“I have a dream,” she communicated with the audience in sign language. “My technology can provide strength to the hearing impaired, especially women,” Theertha added. The crowd reacted strongly, applauding her powerful words, with many of them praising her for the successful venture.
Theertha was working as a lab assistant after completing her B.Sc. in Computer Science at the National Institute of Speech and Hearing in the state capital when she launched Sign Next along with Kingsley and Praveej. She wants to provide education in sign language to those affected by a hearing problem. A mobile app will also be brought out for it soon.
Eight of the colleagues who worked with Kingsley, all hearing impaired, faced hardship at workplaces. This was one of the reasons for Kinglsey to join Sign Next and help those in need of their service.
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