Atypical Advantage

Vineet Saraiwala suffers from a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, wherein vision reduces progressively with age. At the time of the pitch he had 10 percent vision in his right eye and zero percent in his left eye. His brother has the same condition. Despite this, both brothers cracked the CAT examination with the support of three dedicated teachers and joined IIM Bangalore one of India's most competitive postgraduate institutions. He pointed out that there is a 7 crore population of disabled in India but the employment rate is a meager 0.4%. After IIM Bangalore, Vineet worked in the corporate sector for six years and during that time helped over 500 persons with disabilities find employment through individual advocacy. During the pandemic, when many people were laid off, he received a flood of queries from disabled individuals asking for jobs. He recognised that no organised platform existed to systematically connect persons with disabilities to meaningful, dignified employment

Atypical Advantage is India's largest inclusive employment and livelihood platform for persons with disabilities, operating across performing arts bookings, artwork sales, and inclusive corporate hiring. The platform has a pool of 15,000 plus talents with disabilities and has worked with 250 plus corporate clients within three years of operation. The platform addresses both sides of the market: on the supply side it helps persons with disabilities create profiles, develop skills, and access opportunities. On the demand side it helps corporations build inclusive workforces, meet CSR and ESG targets, run sensitisation workshops, and comply with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.