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Disability Tech Founders Face Resource Constraints. That’s Changing
More than a quarter of Americans have a disability — and the disability consumer market itself is worth an estimated $675 billion, representing a staggering revenue opportunity.
A guide to incubators, startup accelerators, and VC firms focused on disabled founders and assistive tech.
Electric toothbrushes, audiobooks, and text-to-speech tools are just a few of the innovations designed for individuals with disabilities that went on to become successful mainstream products.
More than a quarter of Americans have a disability. And the disability consumer market itself is worth an estimated $675 billion, representing “a staggering revenue opportunity,” according to research by Disability:IN, a nonprofit that works with businesses to advance disability inclusion.
“There are valuable dollars on the table,” Jill Houghton, Disability:IN’s president and CEO, told us, “and if you’re investing in founders with disabilities who are developing products for all, then you’re not leaving money on the table.”
Yet founders with disabilities are 400 times less likely to secure VC funding than their non-disabled counterparts, by some estimates, and receive almost no VC funding despite 1.8 million Americans with disabilities owning small businesses, according to 2Gether-International (2GI).
A growing cohort of business incubators, startup accelerators, and VC firms are working to bridge this gap.
