Giving voice a driving force
Swapnil Gadgil was an aspiring engineer, a qualified chef, a history graduate and a business professional, before he decided to chase a tech career.
“It was 1999, and you would hear a lot of technology buzzwords, and as a 21-year-old I didn’t know what they meant – but I figured not many other people knew either, and that motivated me to do my Master of Information Systems at CQUniversity,” he laughs.
The programming and problem-solving skills he learned at CQU Sydney – and then meeting the love of his life in Melbourne - gave the award-winning entrepreneur a perfect platform to change lives.
Co-founder of UK-based health technology business Therapy Box Ltd, Mr Gadgil has spent 15 years developing digital solutions for healthcare, alongside his wife and experienced speech therapist Rebecca Bright MBE.
Now, CQUniversity has recognised his unique contribution, naming the Indian-born entrepreneur 2024 Alumnus of the Year for Social Impact.
Therapy Box began in 2009, as Mr Gadgil and Ms Bright developed Predictable, a communication app giving voice to people who have lost the ability to speak.
Launched in 2011, Predictable is available in 10 languages, soon to be 43, and has helped more than 50,000 users communicate more effectively.
“It wasn’t until we started Therapy Box that I brought in my skills from CQU, and applied them,” Mr Gadgil explained.
Therapy Box now works with academic and industry partners to develop and commercialise technical products that tackle healthcare challenges.
Mr Gadgil said the CQUniversity recognition was a reminder of the long journey to grow inclusion and support for people with different abilities.
“It’s one of those things that gets you the energy to say, what I am doing is worthy and I should keep doing it!” he said.
In 2019, Therapy Box earned a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation – and he said all support inspired him and the growing Therapy Box team.
“Meeting the Queen was just one of those awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping moments – I thought, this is a true inspiration,” he said.
“That’s the driving force that you need – and I appreciated the Queen, I appreciate CQU, and any other pats on the back that we receive!”
Now juggling their innovative work with parenting two young boys, Mr Gadgil said he’s passionate about supporting new generations to problem-solve with new technologies, entrepreneurship, and empathy.
“If you feel like you are coasting along without too many knocks along the away, that tells me - you are either incredibly lucky, or you’re not taking enough risks!” he said.
“You need to stretch yourself further to experience failures, because then you know how far you can go.”
Mr Gadgil graduated from CQUniversity in 2001, with his Master of Information Systems.
The Alumni Award recognises Mr Gadgil for significant contributions to research and specialist healthcare resources that support people with speech and language, and for creating and enhancing communication options for people in need, their carers, and health professionals.
Learn more about CQUniversity's 2024 Alumni Award recipients here.
