Behind Avoza stands one of Uzbekistan’s new-generation innovators — Marifat Jamal. Originally an educator, she founded Marstiff SAT Academy, a learning platform that has helped hundreds of students prepare for international exams and now serves over 1,000 learners.
Through her experience in education, Marifat realized one crucial truth — people with limited communication abilities, especially young people with hearing impairments, often remain invisible in both education and society. That realization led her to ask a powerful question:
“If technology can create equality in education, why can’t it also ensure equality in communication?”
From this question, the idea for Avoza was born — smart glasses that convert speech into text in real time, empowering people with hearing impairments to engage in seamless communication. “Equality isn’t measured only by access to education or employment,” says Marifat. “Equality must also exist in voice — in being heard.”
Communication as a human right
Communication is one of the most fundamental human rights. Yet for millions of people with hearing impairments, even a simple conversation or classroom discussion remains a challenge. Avoza aims to bridge this gap through technology: it converts spoken words into text in real time and displays them as subtitles on the glasses’ screen. In Uzbekistan alone, this could transform communication for more than 22,000 deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, as well as around 8,000 children and young people living with hearing loss.
The scale of the problem: global figures
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 430 million people currently live with “disabling” hearing loss, and by 2050, that number could exceed 700 million — roughly 1 in every 10 people.
Moreover, the lack of prevention, early detection, and rehabilitation of hearing loss costs the global economy nearly $980 billion each year — due to reduced productivity, educational barriers, and social expenses (The ENT Center of Central Georgia).
Perhaps most concerning is the inequality in access to assistive technologies: in some low-income countries, only 3% of those in need have access (compared to up to 90% in high-income countries, per WHO data).
Avoza’s solution
The Avoza smart glasses recognize speech almost instantly, transcribe it, and display the text right before the user’s eyes. They function seamlessly across environments — classrooms, meetings, cafés, or homes — while remaining lightweight, compact, and comfortable to wear.
The concept was developed based on interviews and trials with 41 people with hearing impairments. Results showed that 98% of participants wanted to use Avoza regularly to communicate more freely. Regardless of the degree of hearing loss, Avoza provides a universal solution — and compared to existing products, it’s significantly more affordable. Most importantly, it also supports users’ literacy and educational engagement.
In the early stages, Avoza allows users to adapt gradually by displaying text at a slower speed. Over time, users’ vocabulary and reading comprehension improve — benefitting both the user and the product’s long-term development.
Why now?
The global assistive technology market is rapidly expanding: valued at around $23 billion in 2023, it is projected to surpass $32 billion by 2030 (BioSpace report). Existing solutions — such as XRAI Glass and TranscribeGlass — already offer features like real-time subtitles, translations, and even speaker identification in AR glasses. This shows that Avoza’s concept is in harmony with global innovation trends.
Social impact for Uzbekistan
Avoza is more than just a gadget — it’s “human technology.” It enhances communication, strengthens children’s participation in education, and ensures equal dialogue among colleagues in the workplace. This represents an essential step toward an inclusive Uzbekistan — a society where people can learn, work, and live equally.
Locally, Avoza can quickly reach real user groups by collaborating with schools, employers, and NGOs. Such partnerships can reduce social isolation, boost productivity, and improve educational outcomes.
Hardware + AI Platform
Avoza is built on a dual model: smart glasses hardware + an AI-powered software platform. This architecture delivers the main value through the device itself while creating recurring revenue streams through software subscriptions (for transcription, translation, speaker identification, usage history, and more).
Bridging the gap
Today, one in ten people worldwide experiences hearing difficulties — yet only a fraction can access effective technological solutions. Avoza fills this gap as one of the first startups in Uzbekistan to implement inclusive technology in practice. It restores human dignity, enables equal communication, and carries the potential to reach global markets.
Avoza — more than glasses. It’s a movement that turns voice into equality.
