A voice for people who can no longer speak

Of Alphabet developed university lecturer Julia Berezutskaya together with professor Nick Ramsey and colleagues a digital solution for patients with locked-in syndrome (IF, CVA, MS, brain trauma People with this neurological condition are often completely paralyzed, but they do have consciousness. They communicate, for example, through eye movements. People who are not completely locked-in, but have very limited communication, also benefit from this.

Spin-off established

Alphabet has since been given a new name: UCANACT. “As catchy as the name Alphabet is, we couldn’t register our company under it,” explains Julia. “We wanted the new name to accurately reflect what we stand for: empowering our end users to regain their autonomy and the ability to express themselves, through their own efforts. It is simple and clear: you can take action yourself. You can act.”

“UCANACT is a spin-off of UMC Utrecht, which we founded to bring the technology on which Alphabet is based to market,” says Julia. “We look forward to further developing our innovative communication solution and bringing it to market. This way, it will become available to everyone who needs it.”

Many practical steps

Starting a company involves more than just developing the technology. That is why Julia and Nick’s team has not been sitting still over the past year. “Our first patent application has been filed, and that is how we found out that our idea was considered highly innovative by the EU Patent Office,” she says.

The team also obtained an exclusive intellectual property license from UMC Utrecht, registered a trademark, hired their first employees, and completed the pre-seed funding round with LUMO Labs and the Utrecht Holdings Seed Fund. “And then we also won the Academic Startup Competition and received the MIT Feasibility grant!”

A year full of milestones

It was a special year for Julia, not only professionally. Amidst all the developments, she also became a mother. “The to-do list sometimes seems endless, but we are incredibly grateful for all the happiness we have had during our Ureka journey,” she says.

Special thanks to our team members and advisors, the Utrecht-BCI-lab that supported us every step of the way, and everyone involved in the validation: patients, their families, clinicians, partners, and many others.”

At the moment, Julia and her colleagues are fully focused on the hard work ahead of them. “Building and testing the first complete version of the system that we can bring to market.”

Prize money well spent

“Thanks to the Ureka Mega Challenge, we gained quite a bit of exposure: various interviews and an easy conversation starter in the entrepreneurial world,” says Julia. With the money, her team was able to apply for the patent, continue development work, and cover the costs of incorporation and advisory services. “That is a really big boost when your company is still at such an early stage.”

The final of the twelfth Ureka Mega Challenge takes place on October 16. As a previous winner, Julia has one last message for the four finalists: “Keep going, be brave, you can do it!”