Chinmay Bidkar
14 November 2016, India :
Atulyakala, India’s first and only lifestyle brand managed by deaf artists and designers, wow the Vault Keepers with its socially-relevant approach. Rahul Singh, Founder & CEO – The Beer Café, expressed his interest in the business initiative which embraces the creative side of deaf artists and designers, investing Rs 30 lakh in exchange of 20% equity.
Atulyakala is a lifestyle brand and a design house run by deaf artists. A large part of the proceeds from sales go towards the education of deaf and mute students at our training centre. Atulyakala aims to empower the 18 million deaf and mute people of India by providing employment, educating deaf students and spreading awareness about Indian Sign Language.
Born in a family with two elder siblings with hearing impairment, Smriti Nagpal founded Atulyakala with an aim to empower deaf artisans across the country. The product portfolio of the brand currently comprises more than 70 items, available in India as well as in Europe.
Jatin Goel, Creator – The Vault, said, “It is interesting to see that more and more innovative business ideas catering to different sections of the society are being seen on the show. This episode, particularly, has also highlighted the difference a format such as The Vault can make to social business ventures. The team at The Vault is proud to be an enabler to such innovative social entrepreneurship initiatives, and will look forward to more such ideas making their presence felt on the show.”