A Journey of Resilience

Arthur Sendas was born in Arapiraca, in rural Alagoas, with acromatopsia — a condition that means he cannot see colors, has low vision, and has migraine attacks. “I can’t see depth; it’s almost like everything is 2D. If there’s a hole in the street, I won’t see it,” Arthur explains.

The challenges were constant. In school, people thought he had a learning disability, but the letters were simply overlapping. Because of his migraines, he would go days without seeing anything, which made him want to build something you could use without vision — with voice commands or sound cues alone.

In college, Arthur built his capstone: a game for blind people. He could see game templates clearly, and the rhythm of playing with buttons planted the seed of what would become the See U App.

In 2013, with Google Glass, Arthur imagined VR glasses that would detect obstacles on the path. With college peer Sérgio Gomes Júnior and engineer Jaqueline Sendas (then his girlfriend, now his wife), he built a prototype and entered a startup competition in Portugal.

The acceptance was a surprise. “I never thought I’d get in. I came from rural Alagoas, from a very humble family — it felt out of reach.” They couldn’t afford to travel, so they didn’t attend, but the international validation pushed them to keep going.

The glasses evolved, but battery life was a problem. They tried necklaces, wristbands, until a badge connected to an app. They still didn’t see a business — it was a side project next to their day jobs.

Everything changed in 2019, when Arthur’s mother died of ALS. “I started reflecting more on what I was doing and why.” The pandemic became the moment to focus on the project full time.

In 2022, they joined Startup Nordeste (Sebrae), with mentoring and a six-month grant. All three quit their jobs to go all in, with cloud sponsorship from Google, Microsoft, and AWS.

But in October 2023, the team was hit hard: Sérgio Gomes Júnior passed away from Becker muscular dystrophy.

“It was very hard. He was more than a partner—he was a friend.” The project almost ended there. But Arthur and Jaqueline chose to honor Júnior’s memory by continuing the mission.

Two months later, in December 2023, Arthur had a hemorrhagic stroke at age 35. He was in a coma for 15 days. Doctors did not know if he would survive or have lasting damage.

“I almost died. And the company almost folded.” For six months, See U was on hold while Arthur recovered. But resilience won out.

In 2024, Arthur and Jaqueline rebuilt the company from zero. They pivoted from hardware (a badge) to pure software. The app now uses echolocation, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, and runs on any smartphone.

Echolocation turns obstacles into spatial sounds, like a synthetic sonar. AI reads the environment, signs and books, describes objects, and suggests personalized routes. Virtual reality lets people rehearse routes in simulation before walking them in the real world.

The first 50 users tested for free. The feedback was life-changing: people doing things they never thought possible.

In 2025, See U App was recognized with the NTT eAwards, validating our impact and innovation in assistive technology.

“The word that defines See U App is autonomy. And autonomy is not about not needing help—everyone needs help. It’s about the joy of doing something you never thought you could.”