Vivian Manohar is the Co-Founder and CEO of Grailmaker Innovations, a startup based in India with a global mission to redefine assistive technology through appropriateness and affordability. His journey, shaped by a decade of volunteering in the disability sector, gained new focus during his tenure as a Social Innovation Fellow under the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC). Fieldwork amid the COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in rural early intervention services, fueling his mission to ensure equitable rehabilitation for children with visual and developmental disabilities, especially in developing countries.

Drawing on international startup and corporate experience, Vivian brings a global perspective to product design and management. His expertise in technological domains such as Building Information Modelling and IoT has been crucial in developing user-centric solutions applying principles of interconnected systems to create intuitive assistive devices. This diverse background is complemented by his research in Cerebral Visual Impairment (CVI), with a proficiency certification from the Perkins School for the Blind. Under his leadership, Grailmaker Innovations received the Global Social Shifters’ Healthcare Equity Award 2022, and advocated for visually impaired concerns at the Y20 Summit 2023. Holding a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in Energy Systems Engineering from Germany’s Aachen University of Applied Sciences, Vivian is committed to simplifying complex engineering for real-world applications that are accessible across geographical and economic barriers. Embracing generalist and minimalist principles, his approach to innovation draws from a broad spectrum of disciplines like brain science, ethics, and art to create holistic solutions.