I-Cane Foundation

The I-Cane Foundation is operating since 2004 and has as its most important goal:

“To develop and offer an affordable, intelligent guidance system for the blind and visually impaired, in which modern ICT applications provide a high added value. Also blind and visually impaired children shall benefit from the system. Through this, the participation of the blind and visually impaired in society will be increased as well as their mobility. In addition, the project creates spin-off possibilities for other user groups as well as knowledge transfer for faster innovations in the field of mobility aids for the blind and visually impaired.”

The I-Cane Foundation focuses on maintaining the contacts with its target group of the blind and visually impaired people and their representatives. Other tasks of the Foundation are obtaining funding, donations and financial means for realizing its targets. These means will be used by the Foundation for research and developments of the system of the Intelligent Cane.

Through the I-Cane Foundation, substantial amounts have been made available for the development of the Intelligent Cane in the recent years.

Currently the board of the I-Cane foundation has the following members:

From the early days the I-Cane initiative has been driven by social entrepreneurship. Combining business values with civil courage and a caring for society attitude has and is characteristic for the I-Cane approach. In the I-Cane management and current shareholders many years of experience in the fields of micro electronics, business development, innovation, finance, management and delivery have been combined. The I-Cane initiative is furthermore supported by both the I-Cane foundation which continues to support the initiative and the I-Cane advisory council.

Within the structure of the I-Cane organization two legal entities are relevant:

I-Cane social technology BV

I-Cane Foundation

I-Cane’s organizational structure was established with the support of financial and juridical experts to realize the corporate social responsibility and to optimally realize the socially driven goals for the target group of blind and visually impaired people.

The I-Cane initiative is furthermore supported by an outstanding advisory council chaired by professor Emile Aarts, vice president research Royal Philips NV.