RemarkableTM, the leading disability tech accelerator made possible by Cerebral Palsy Alliance, is excited to have played a crucial role in the first-ever report benchmarking and assessing the state of the global disability innovation ecosystem.
The new report, ‘Disability Innovation: empowering the entrepreneurs reimagining inclusion around the world’, was authored by Village Capital and SmartJob with the support of global investment bank JP Morgan Chase.
Twelve months ago, RemarkableTM joined forces with nine international disability tech accelerators to form the Moonshot Disability Accelerator Initiative – a global marketplace for innovators with disabilities, promoting technologies that enhance the human experience.
The report highlights both the accomplishments of the disability innovation ecosystem and also where there is room for improvement. The disability community accounts for nearly 1.3 billion people worldwide yet systemic exclusion remains rooted in societal structures. Only a fraction of people with disabilities have access to assistive technologies enabling societal and economic participation.
“As pioneers in the disability tech innovation space, we are honoured to be part of The Moonshot Initiative alongside SmartJob, Enable Ventures, and other esteemed partners. Together we are shaping the world’s best global disability innovation ecosystem,” said Pete Horsley, founder of RemarkableTM.
“Founded in 2016, RemarkableTM is the earliest known disability tech innovation program of its kind in the world. With nearly eight years’ experience in supporting early-stage disability tech start-ups, we are excited about supporting other entrepreneur support organisations around the world, in our role as global Peer Mentor Lead for the Moonshot Disability Accelerator.”
According to the Disability Innovation Report, there is a “colossal” market for user-centric assistive technology solutions for people with disabilities – the potential market gap in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stemming from this unmet need has been calculated at US $1.9 trillion, according to the World Bank.
“While throughout much of our collective history, becoming an innovator and starting a business has been largely out of reach to people with disabilities, this is changing rapidly. As the world awakens to the business necessity of products and services that originate with disability talent and design at its heart, the time has come for this powerful, talented, and rising group of entrepreneurs with disabilities across the world to take their rightful place in the capital markets and innovation economy,” said Regina Kline, SmartJob Founder and contributor to the report.
Working with global organisations demonstrates how great minds come together to think differently to deliver better outcomes for people with disability.
The report was officially launched this week at the second RemarkableTM Tech Summit in San Diego – a gathering of more than 100 of the global disability tech sector’s most forward-thinking leaders.
The summit, made possible by Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, will tackle key challenges around the disability tech sector and map out a future strategy for assistive technology innovation and investment.
Download the report
Explore the disability tech sector, and discover more about the Moonshot Initiative.
