Hable takes over app helping the visually impaired
With the acquisition of Speechlabel, Hable is adding an accessible app to its range of products for blind and visually impaired people.
Published on August 26, 2025
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Hable, the Dutch company that focuses on innovative solutions for smartphone use by blind and visually impaired people, today announced the acquisition of Speechlabel. With this step, Hable is adding an app to its product range for the first time.
Speechlabel is an accessible app that helps blind and visually impaired people to better organize their environment and navigate independently. From labeling spice jars to recognizing devices or documents, Speechlabel offers practical solutions for everyday life.
The Speechlabel app has been around since 2020 and is widely used by blind and visually impaired people in the Netherlands. The acquisition includes the app, the underlying technology, and the brand. The app will remain available under the name Speechlabel, but will be offered through Hable's global distribution network and further developed. The app will also remain free, and users will be able to purchase the labels directly from Hable.
In the coming period, Hable will invest in improving the user experience and making the app available in more languages and countries. “Speechlabel was created after talking to over a hundred blind and visually impaired users as part of my master's thesis,” says Jan Jaap de Groot, co-founder of Speechlabel. “Those conversations clearly showed that there was a need for a simple way to make their own environment more accessible. I am grateful that Hable will continue the app so that this target group can continue to use this handy tool.”
Hable is a former winner of the Gerard & Anton Awards: the annual competition for the most promising startups in the Brainport Eindhoven region.
