MotionSavvy

MotionSavvy was a deaf-owned and operated company that emerged from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in 2012. The founding team, composed of students Ryan Hait-Campbell, Alex Opalka, Wade Kellard, and Jordan Stemper, aimed to bridge the communication gap between the deaf and hearing communities. Their personal experiences with the daily challenges of communication and the high cost of interpreters fueled their ambition. The venture began after winning the Next Big Idea competition at RIT's National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID).

The company's core product was UNI, a two-way communication tool designed to interpret American Sign Language (ASL) into spoken English and transcribe spoken words into text. The technology utilized a tablet, initially a Dell Venue 8 Pro, combined with a specialized case embedding a Leap Motion sensor to capture and analyze hand gestures in real-time. This system was intended to function offline, providing a portable solution for everyday interactions where hiring a human interpreter would be impractical or too expensive. MotionSavvy's business model included selling the hardware and charging a monthly subscription fee for the software and access to an expanding sign language database. The company targeted both individual consumers and enterprise clients, such as banks, airports, and retailers, aiming to help them comply with accessibility laws and better serve deaf customers.

MotionSavvy gained significant early attention, including being named one of Time Magazine's Top 25 Inventions of 2014. The company raised approximately $700,000 from investors like SOSV, Wells Fargo, and the RIT Venture Fund. They also launched a successful Indiegogo campaign, raising over $45,000 to validate the market. Despite these achievements, the company ultimately ceased operations. According to co-founder Ryan Hait-Campbell, challenges arose after an investment from RIT led to the appointment of a hearing CEO who, in his view, failed to secure further funding or effectively lead the company. Subsequent attempts by another co-founder to generate revenue through a separate cryptocurrency mining venture led to legal and financial complications that further strained the company. Hait-Campbell has since launched GoSign.AI, described as a successor to MotionSavvy's original mission.

Keywords: sign language translation, deaf technology, gesture recognition, Leap Motion, accessibility tech, ASL to speech, assistive technology, communication aid, deaf entrepreneurship, Rochester Institute of Technology, NTID, UNI device, Ryan Hait-Campbell, Alex Opalka, two-way communication, hardware startup, SaaS, speech to text, audiology tech, communication accessibility