Accessible Street-Crossing App Oko Gets Acquired

It isn’t often I cover M&A news, but today happens to be one of those rare times.

Texas-based transportation safety company Synapse on Tuesday announced its plan to acquire Oko. Oko, an Apple Design Award winner and last year’s App of the Year, is an iPhone app which uses the device’s camera(s) and artificial intelligence to help Blind and low vision people accessibly (and safely!) cross streets. In its announcement, Synapse describes Oko as developed by “a team of accessibility and mobility experts” and which technical attributes include “[harnessing] location data, audio cues, and accessible interface design to help guide users through the most dangerous aspects of crossing intersections.” Oko collaborated with the Blind community to build its app.

Once the deal is officially completed, Oko will become a free app in an effort to “make its services accessible to as many pedestrians as possible,” according to Synapse.

Synapse is owner of Polara, which specializes in building accessible pedestrian signal (APS) technology. The deal with Oko enables Synapse to integrate Oko’s technologies with the existing APS infrastructure by way of its consumer-oriented PedApp in an effort to make street-crossing more accessible to the Blind and low vision community.

“This acquisition is a natural extension of our mission to increase roadway safety, accessibility, and efficiency with state-of-the-art software,” Josh LittleSun, Synapse’s chief technology officer, said in a statement included in the company’s press release. “The fusion of Oko’s smart navigation technology with Polara’s trusted PedApp moves us closer to a future where pedestrian equity and safety are built into every crosswalk.”

Synapse’s vice president of intersection sales, Matthew Baker, agrees with LittleSun.

“This is the kind of life-changing innovation we’re proud to bring into the Polara family,” Baker said. “By eliminating subscription fees, we’re making Oko accessible to all and speeding up adoption in communities that need it the most.”

In an email to me, Oko founder Willem Van de Mierop said he believes the acquisition “can be seen as one of the most exciting deals for the accessibility space.” He also noted Oko recently hit a milestone, as it has helped people navigate 10 million streets.