Why You Should Apply
Unique programming tailored for accessibility startups
Ever been told your product is not scalable, or won’t have a large enough market? So have we. We understand the unique problems you face, so we created sessions specifically tailored for accessibility startups, such as inclusive design, inclusive marketing, co-creation, and more.
Learn from those who have been there, done that
We hate bad advice as much as you do. That’s why you will learn directly from founders of later-stage accessibility startups, world-renowned inclusive design practitioners, experienced accessibility innovators, healthtech specialists, and successful investors.
Expand your reach to new markets and customers
Some of the most successful accessibility innovations became popular because they were adopted by the mass market. The answer lies in inclusive design - learn how to apply these principles to expand your market and reach new customers. After all, it’s hard to change the world without achieving scale.
Join a global community of accessibility startup founders
We’re bringing together founders of accessibility startups from all over the world. Learn from their journeys and experiences, wins and roadblocks, and share your own stories.
Program Highlights
3-Month Program
September – November
Weekly virtual sessions over ~3 months
Masterclasses
Short sessions by experts
Tailored sessions by leading accessibility innovators
Workshops
Hands-on sessions
Apply new learnings to your own startups
Mentorship
1:1 insights
Extensive mentor network of accessibility innovators
Global Community
Join a community
Connect with accessibility founders around the world
Sample Sessions
Inclusive Design
Co-Creation
Inclusive Marketing
Customer Acquisition in the Disability Space
Pilots and Partnerships
Fundraising
Pitch Practice
Leadership in Inclusion
Speakers, Mentors & Advisors
Jayiesh Singh
CEO
Able Innovations
Jennison Asuncion
Head of Accessibility Evangelism
LinkedIn
Teresa Lee
Sr. Service Designer
Govt. of British Columbia
Ian Lowe
CMO
eSSENTIAL Accessibility
Matthew Literovich
Partner
Dentons
Andrea Palmer
CEO
Awake Labs
Samuel Proulx
Accessibility Evangelist
Fable
Idan Meir
Co-founder & CEO
RightHear
Tamar Schapira
Co-founder & CEO
SenseIT
Emile Mammary
Co-founder & CMO
Steadiwear
Tim Rose
Senior Accessibility Consultant
CIBC
Frank Erschen
Startup Coach
Artful Science of Pitching ©
...and many more!
Our Alumni
ATS Labs is a trailblazer. It’s breaking down barriers by bringing the needs of people with disabilities to the forefront.
Matthew Rosato
Having participated in ATS labs has enabled Accessibrand to reach more potential opportunities and partnerships globally than we could have ever imagined. Not only did I learn so much more about start up industries, disability and accessibility but I found the community I’ve been looking for.
Jolene MacDonald
ATS Labs gave us the opportunity to collaborate with many brilliant accessibility leaders from all parts of world. Our team benefitted greatly by learning from their impactful stories that related closely to our personal entrepreneurial milestones. We feel both inspired and privileged for such an experience, and we highly recommend this program to all aspiring accessibility leaders.
Robert Ingino
The Access to Success Bootcamp connected Steadiwear to key opinion leaders across Canada’s assistive device and living aids market. Thanks to their connections, Steadiwear was able to secure a meeting with a marketing guru that really helped take our company to the next level. Steadiwear’s team was also able to improve their pitch presentation skills and material with the pitch competition.
Emile Maamary
Eligibility Criteria
Disability or Aging
The product or service must address a disability (physical, mental health, cognitive, developmental) or aging.
Co-creation
Must demonstrate that you worked closely with the disability or ageing community to create creating the MVP/product.
MVP
Can be pre-revenue or post-revenue but must have at least an MVP.
Registered Startup
Must be a for-profit startup that is incorporated or otherwise legally registered.
Located Anywhere
The accelerator is 100% virtual and startups across the globe are welcome to participate.
Applications are currently closed.
Watch our 2023 Demo Day
Video description:
The video opens with upbeat music and an animation of the ATS Labs logo. This is followed by pages with the text, “Canada’s first accelerator for accessibility, mental health and aging tech startups invites you to our demo day (on) November 10, 10 am EST”. Next are video snippets of founders of the 8 startups who will pitch, namely, ImaginAble Solutions Inc, Accessibrand, Parrots Inc, Lisnen, SenseTech Solutions Inc, Cortree, Rekammend and Innerva Virtual Inc. Above the video snippets is text that says, “8 startups, $7,500 prize money, see you there”. The video closes with a page saying “Visit atslabs.ca” in bold, all caps font.
Get Involved
Contact us using the buttons below or email us at [email protected]
Mentors
If you’d like to mentor our teams in the areas of startups, disability inclusion or inclusive design, let us know through the button below.
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to help expand our efforts! Our leadership team are all volunteers – apply to join them through the button below.
FAQ's
We mean accessibility startups to include those that provide products or services for people with disabilities or the ageing community.
- B2B startups are also welcome to apply if the end product is meant to benefit people with disabilities or the ageing community.
- Disability includes all physical, mental health, cognitive, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Products can be hardware, software, apps, services, or a combination of these.
- If you’re still unsure, please reach out to us and we’ll be happy to chat!
The 2024 cohort will run from August/September to November 2024. The cohort’s programming will be highly customized to the participants, so the exact duration is slightly flexible.
Most sessions will be on Thursdays and Friday mornings (EST), with 2-4 sessions per week on average. All sessions will be virtual.
Absolutely! As a not-for-profit working towards disability inclusion, we are committed to creating an accessible experience for everyone. All sessions will have automatic live captioning. Sessions will either be short, or will have plenty of breaks in between. Zoom fatigue is real, so most weeks will have no more than four sessions. Since all programming is virtual, you can attend everything from the comfort of your own home or workplace.
If there is anything else we can do to make the accelerator more accessible for you, we encourage you to let us know!
We do not expect the time commitment to exceed 5 hours per week on average. Sessions will take place once or twice a week, primarily on Thursdays and Fridays. We know how much founders work, so we have tried to manage the time commitment accordingly.
Not at all! The benefit of doing a virtual accelerator is that any startup anywhere in the world can participate. The sessions will however take place during EST daytime hours.
While the ATS Labs accelerator is intended to be for for-profit startups, we review each application on a case by case basis. If you are a not-for-profit, please reach out to us with a description of your organization before applying.
No, we do not charge anything.
You must submit your application no later than June 23, 2024 (11:59 pm EST, to be precise).
We’re glad you’re thinking seriously about ATS Labs! Please reach out to us at [email protected] with your questions and we’ll be happy to help.
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