Zuby Onwuta

Zuby Onwuta is an innovator, disability advocate, and global thought leader in assistive technology and neurotechnology. After joining the U.S. Army to help fund his medical education, Onwuta began to experience vision loss and was diagnosed as legally blind due to Stargardt's macular dystrophy, leading to a medical discharge from the Army. Drawing on a passion for problem solving, Onwuta transitioned to computer engineering.

With nearly 25 years of experience in the technology industry, Onwuta has led major projects for Fortune 500 companies such as Goldman Sachs, Lucent (Nokia), and IBM, serving clients including The White House, NASA, and Bloomberg.

The challenges of losing careers in medicine, the U.S. Army, and engineering to legal blindness motivated Onwuta to invent "Think and Zoom," a solution that uses brain wave technology to provide vision augmentation and reading assistance. As the founder of Think and Zoom, a biotech startup pioneering brain control for blind assistive technology, Onwuta holds patents for "Think and Zoom," "Think and Read," and "Think Game." These inventions have contributed to advancements in assistive neurotechnology, supporting greater independence for visually impaired individuals.

Think and Zoom has received recognition from Apple, with Onwuta's brain-controlled game Kenti featured at the Apple WWDC Developer Conference, as well as from innovation platforms such as MassChallenge and Singularity University. The startup has also earned accolades including Austin Inno Top 50 and winner recognition at the Pitch Black, Pitch-a-Kid, and Health Cell competitions.

Onwuta is a recipient of the Volunteer Service Award from President Barack Obama. He holds a bachelor's degree in computer engineering from the University of Illinois, Chicago, and business certificates from MIT Sloan and Harvard Business School. As a disabled astronaut-in-training, accessible space travel innovator, and ambassador with AstroAccess, Onwuta develops inclusive space travel technologies and advocates for the participation of disabled individuals in space exploration. He has been named a Top 50 Innovator by the United States Disability Chamber of Commerce and has shared his work with leaders in science and culture.

A four-time TEDx speaker and keynote presenter, Onwuta's international influence includes speaking engagements in Canada, Romania, Switzerland, Kenya, and South Africa, as well as appearances at TEDx, SXSW, the United Nations, NASA, and the U.S. Congress. He remains committed to empowering individuals with disabilities through advocacy on Capitol Hill, in the Texas Governor's office, and the Austin Mayor's office, and by mentoring students with disabilities at Lime Connect and Next Billion. Onwuta coined the term "disabled user innovator" and highlights these individuals on his Future of Disability Global blog. His career reflects ongoing contributions at the intersection of technology, disability advocacy, and innovation.