Nagaland Startup quietly builds India’s next disability tech innovation

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2025-07-17 | 09:22h
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2025-07-17 | 09:22h
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With roots in Dimapur, Zeliang Codetech’s motorized wheelchair add-on, ZOULES, is bringing mobility and dignity to users — proving that innovation doesn’t need a tech hub to thrive.

From a small home in Dimapur, Nagaland, a small team of innovators is changing how disability and mobility are imagined in India. Zeliang Codetech, a deep-tech startup founded by Duplikhum Langtithonger along with Kangzang Zeliang and his young son Zaiyigum, is building inclusive mobility devices — and their efforts have now received national recognition.

Kangzang Zeliang and Zaiyigum Zeliang work on the ZOULES prototype, a motorized wheelchair add-on for inclusive mobility (Photo: UNDP India)

Their innovation, a motorized wheelchair add-on named ZOULES, was recently among the winners of the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge 2024–25, co-led by UNDP India and Citi Foundation, in collaboration with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog, and implemented by AssisTech Foundation.

Developed in response to the daily struggles faced by wheelchair users, especially in regions with poor road infrastructure, ZOULES is designed to be compact, electric, and adaptable to rugged terrain. What began as a personal project between a father and son soon expanded into a full-fledged tech team, with engineers like Victor Chang and Mangyangtemba Longkumer joining the mission. Together, the group developed ZOULES — a modular, battery-powered attachment designed specifically to tackle the mobility challenges of users living in areas with rough roads, crowded markets, or hilly terrain.

Built from Nagaland, for India

“There was always a question in my mind — can an idea from Dimapur make a difference across India?” Duplikhum wrote in a first-person blog published on UNDP India’s website. “We may not have a big startup ecosystem, but we have determination and deep connection to our community’s needs.”

Currently, the ZOULES prototype is already being used by a few residents in Dimapur — including a vegetable vendor, a delivery worker, and a young entrepreneur. One of the early users said, “This has made a lot of difference. Now I feel I can move freely on my own, go to work, or visit friends without help.”

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The ZOULES prototype is already in use by several residents in Dimapur. (Photo: UNDP India)

“The impact is growing, and it motivates us to keep going. We have secured seed funding and are working with local partners to improve the product, with plans for wider testing, deployment, and ultimately greater mobility and dignity for users across the region,” wrote Langtithonger.

The innovation was recently showcased at the ViennaUP Startup Festival 2025 in Austria. Locally, the team has been working with community members for feedback, leading to constant improvements.

More than an award
Winning the Youth Co:Lab Challenge brought not just seed funding and a trophy, but mentorship, national exposure, and connections to potential partners. Zeliang Codetech is now exploring ways to scale, including partnering under the ADIP scheme (Assistance to Disabled Persons) and through CSR collaborations to subsidize cost for low-income users.

Duplikhum Langtithonger at the Youth Co:Lab National Innovation Challenge 2024–25 (Photo: UNDP India)

Three improved ZOULES units are currently in development — each tailored to different real-life use cases, from navigating crowded markets to long commutes. “We test, tweak, and learn — and every improvement begins with listening to the user,” Duplikhum shared.

The startup is a reminder that innovation can come from anywhere — and often comes closest to the problem it’s trying to solve. The founders are urging other young changemakers to look no further than their own towns and communities.

“You don’t need to be in a tech hub,” Duplikhum wrote. “Use what you have. Start where you are. Ideas rooted in purpose will be heard.”

(This report is based on a first-person blog authored by Duplikhum Langtithonger, co-founder of Zeliang Codetech, published on the official UNDP India website on July 15, 2025.)

MT

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