Meet GES Delegate: Francisco Pérez

Twitter handle: @blubraille

Country of origin: Costa Rica

Organization Name: Blubraille

Website: www.blubraille.com

Description of Organization: Blubraille, a Costa Rican company, has developed new technology for printing books and materials in braille. Our system has the following advantages in comparison with the traditional methods for producing braille books (i.e. embossing):

· We can produce a braille book or a hybrid book (native language on one page, braille on facing page) in many languages.

· We print faster (50+ pages per minute) We print on both sides of a page.

· The final product is sturdy (our dots will not shrink or disappear in time).

· Dots are smoother on readers’ fingertips.

· We add color to the dots which helps reading braille visually.

· Our books are thinner and lighter in weight.

· Our books are more affordable.

· We offer free braille reading courses to the public.

What inspired you to start this organization? Our motivation is to help people with visual disabilities to have access to everything to which they are rightfully entitled, that is, a life of true inclusion in a diverse society. That’s the reason we have developed and produced a better technology for braille products. Our books are designed to facilitate early reading and literacy processes. We believe that through literacy, and education, this population can improve its chances to live a more inclusive and independent life.

What is the next big step you hope to help your organization reach? We have come a long way in validating our technology, exploring our business model, and interacting with local users. Our next step is to go global. Our plan is to introduce our technology, products and social programs to as many countries as possible.

What has been your biggest obstacle as an entrepreneur? Getting traction. The whole creative and implementing process takes time, effort, evaluation, self-analysis, doubts, etc. Once you’ve overcome this part, you have to face the market, and start informing, explaining, and convincing people that your product is the answer to the problem. However, this process isn’t always easy, and sales can be delayed more than your company needs them to.

What advice would you give other emerging entrepreneurs?

Dream, Think, Plan, Execute and Persevere!