Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
SmartAIs: Blind people face many challenges every day when they’re out and about. The biggest problem? Objects on sidewalks that you constantly bump into with your cane or body. It’s frustrating and exhausting.
We solve this problem with an easy-to-use smartphone app that analyzes the environment in real-time using smartphone cameras and artificial intelligence, warning users of objects. This way, users always know exactly whether there are objects in front of them – and can avoid them in time. When using the app, the smartphone is simply stored in a specially developed chest pocket. What sounds simple is a real technical innovation: we’re the first company to bring an advanced computer vision system to the smartphone.
Our long-term vision? A multifunctional AI assistant that supports users in various everyday situations – enabling more freedom and independence in daily life.
Support for walking with a cane
Munich Startup: But that already exists!
SmartAIs: Actually, it doesn’t! White canes only detect objects at ground level, and you have to constantly concentrate. Guide dogs cost 40,000 euros and are hardly available. Conventional detection systems based on lasers or ultrasound produce many false alarms and are more unsettling than helpful. Other AI solutions use specialized hardware that is expensive, heavy, and impractical. We’re the first company to bring an assistant to the smartphone that supports walking with a cane.
Munich Startup: What’s your founding story?
SmartAIs: Yamen and Said asked themselves in 2023 – with their background in AI, robotics, and computer vision – whether such technologies could be used to help disadvantaged groups. The idea: if you can teach robots to see, then you can also develop helpful support for blind people.
Sascha joined the project after the two had advanced it for a few months alongside their jobs and studies, bringing extensive know-how in building startups. In early 2024, Anika joined the team with her important skills in user-centered development through the Digital Product School at UnternehmerTUM.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
SmartAIs: The biggest challenge has been and continues to be balancing precision and user-friendliness – creating a solution that truly helps. Developing an app for people who can’t see requires completely different UX principles.
Our approach: develop extremely closely with those affected, have conversations, take walks together, test a lot and early. And: continuous exchange with blind organizations – because they know best what’s really needed. Developing close to users and getting direct feedback – whether positive or critical – is exactly what motivates us every day.
Pioneers in AI-based everyday assistance
Munich Startup: Where do you want to be in one year, and where in five years?
SmartAIs: In one year, we’ve successfully started selling our solution – and the blind community sees us as one of the pioneers in developing AI-based everyday assistance. In five years, many affected people worldwide are using our multifunctional assistant, which supports them with various everyday challenges.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
SmartAIs: Munich offers a strong founding network, access to funding, and a high density of tech talent. Particularly in the AI space, there are many points of connection. If you want to found a startup in Germany, then it’s in Munich! At the same time, we’d like to see more visibility and exchange between startups with social impact – there’s still room for improvement here.
Munich Startup: Outsource or do it yourself?
SmartAIs: Both! Our goal is to cover strategically important areas with our team – particularly UX, AI development, and connection to the community. For technical or legal specializations, we deliberately rely on external partners. The key for us is clear focus: everything that affects users and our core technology, we do ourselves.
