Toyota Mobility Foundation Announces Nine Startups Selected for Mobility Unlimited Hub Acceleration Program
AUGUST 17, 2026
Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), a non-profit organization dedicated to developing mobility solutions, in collaboration with ONOVOLAB, announced today the nine startups selected for the Mobility Unlimited Hub (MUH), São Carlos, Brazil. MUH São Carlos is an initiative focused on developing assistive technologies and active mobility in Latin America.
The cohort of selected startups bring solutions at an advanced stage of technological maturity (TRL 6 to 9) and a primary focus on products capable of enhancing autonomy, accessibility, and inclusion for people with disabilities and reduced mobility. To accelerate maturation of these novel mobility solutions, the program offers specialized mentorship, strategic connections, and support for market expansion.
As the second hub established, the initiative establishes a bridge between innovation communities in North and South America: MUH São Carlos, hosted at ONOVOLAB, and MUH Toronto, located at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Canada. This newest collaboration creates opportunities for startups to validate their solutions in Brazil while gaining access to international market intelligence, as well as connections with universities, experts, and partner organizations such as Associação de Assistência à Criança Deficiente (AACD).
The selected companies are:
Solution: Helping people with hand tremors from Parkinson's Disease and/or Essential Tremor who struggle to perform daily tasks like eating, drinking, and writing due to uncontrollable hand tremors. Their solution is the Steadi-3 Plus, a battery-free wearable tremor stabilization device powered by a passive magnet.
Agora Eu Consigo Tecnologias de Inclusão Social Ltda (Livox)
Solution: For people facing barriers to communicate, learn, express needs, make choices, interact with others, and participate in daily life independently, Livox transforms Android tablets into accessible interfaces for alternative communication.
Solution: Visually impaired people (blindness and low vision) lack autonomy to move through, navigate, and safely access environmental information, creating daily dependence on third parties. To help increase autonomy, the See U app, featuring AI, echolocation, and 3D spatial audio, describes environments, identifies obstacles, objects, and people, and guides the user in indoor and outdoor spaces.
Solution: The m-FLEX, a portable upper limb robotic exoskeleton that enables robotic rehabilitation sessions by assisting arm movements and tracking performance data, allowing treatment customization according to each patient's needs.
Solution: Smart mobility and standing devices designed around user experience, combining technology, design, and innovation to integrate naturally into daily life, prioritizing autonomy, enjoyment, and inclusion.
Solution: Functional and personalized upper limb prostheses produced with 3D printing and electronics to assist individuals with upper limb amputations or malformations, as well as clinics, hospitals, and rehabilitation centers.
ABG Soluções Digitais (Cuide Me)
Solution: A remote monitoring platform that integrates smartwatches, smart medical devices, and data analytics to continuously monitor health, mobility, and safety indicators, issuing alerts and supporting decision-making.
Solution: Smart platform combining AI, data analytics, incident monitoring, and indicator generation for safety management with a gender perspective. Super Nina addresses difficulties in identifying, monitoring, and preventing cases of gender-based violence due to underreporting, lack of structured data, and absence of specialized tools.
EXPLORER TECNOLOGIA LTDA (Therafy)
Solution: Therafy, a health platform based on Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence certified for clinical use, seeking to scale the effectiveness of neuropsychological and motor treatments, focusing on the functional rehabilitation of patients with disabilities.
“The selection process sought startups with mature, applicable solutions that genuinely have the potential to transform people’s mobility and daily independence. We evaluated not only the level of technological innovation, but especially the ability of these companies to deliver concrete, scalable social impact for Latin America,” says Leandro Palmieri, CEO and co-founder of ONOVOLAB.
According to William Chernicoff PhD, Program Manager, Mobility Unlimited Hubs, Toyota Mobility Foundation, the participation of the selected startups marks a significant step toward building a stronger ecosystem for assistive technology and active mobility in Brazil. “The chosen startups enter the program at the pre-growth stage and will now gain access to a strategic network of experts, collaborators, and international connections that can significantly accelerate their growth to scaled innovation over the planned two-year cohort. The breadth of the startups selected demonstrates the complexity and broad need to bring genuine inclusive mobility for all. Our goal is to help them turn great solutions into accessible, sustainable technologies with global reach,” adds Chernicoff.
Each of the selected startups fits within the “active mobility” profile, offering solutions that range from prosthetics, rehabilitative, and assistive technologies to urban improvements focused on accessibility, safety, and sustainable travel in cities. The concept of active mobility encompasses initiatives that promote more human, inclusive, and efficient modes of transport, enhancing quality of life, independence, and overall well-being for urban populations.
“Active mobility goes far beyond transportation. It is directly tied to inclusion, accessibility, and how people experience cities, community, and work every day. Supporting startups with this vision means fostering solutions capable of delivering real social impact, making urban environments smarter, more sustainable, and human-centered,” concludes Chernicoff.
About Toyota Mobility Foundation
Toyota Mobility Foundation (Chair Akio Toyoda) was established in August 2014 by Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) to support the development of a more mobile society in which everyone can move freely. The Foundation underscores Toyota’s ongoing commitment to continuous improvement and respect for people. It utilizes Toyota’s expertise and technologies to support strong mobility systems while eliminating disparities in mobility. TMF works in partnership with universities, governments, non-profits, research institutions and other organizations, creating programs that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to address mobility issues around the world.
“TMF aims to create a truly mobile society that will help people live better lives no matter where they are,” said Chair Akio Toyoda.
The foundation formally initiated its presence in Brazil in January 2017 by deploying capital and technical teams through strategic partnerships with Toyota do Brasil and WRI Brasil, rather than establishing a separate local legal entity. This presence was consolidated through successful initiatives such as the InoveMob Challenge launched in 2018, which supported urban transport solutions across Brazilian cities. While the national Fundação Toyota do Brasil focuses on local environmental preservation and social sustainability, TMF operates as a distinct global entity dedicated to urban mobility, sustainable transport, and accessibility.
Building on this established regional track record, TMF is now expanding its footprint through strategic initiatives like the Mobility Unlimited Hub, which was first launched in partnership with MaRS in Toronto and is now expanding to Brazil with ONOVOLAB to foster ecosystems in active mobility and drive high-impact solutions across Latin America.