Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF) announces the launch of Remarkable US, a nonprofit-funded disability technology start-up accelerator supporting technology for people with cerebral palsy (CP) and other disabilities in the United States.
Remarkable US works in partnership with Remarkable — a transformative Australia-based start-up accelerator made possible by Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Since 2016, nearly 50 start-ups have come through the Remarkable accelerator and raised more than $28 million to power up the potential of people with disabilities around the world.
“We are excited to be partnering with CPARF to launch the first US-based Remarkable program! The disability market is growing rapidly across the world and this partnership supports our vision of a world that harnesses the potential of technological innovation to remove barriers to participation for people with disabilities and truly amplify human potential,” said Pete Horsley, Founder of Remarkable.
Remarkable’s 2022 global cohort features eight start-ups, including three soon-to-be-revealed US-based companies.
Remarkable US has appointed two US-based Co-Directors — Molly Levitt, a Boston-based start-up entrepreneur, Y Combinator Alumni, marketer, teacher, and disability advocate; and Sam Lazarus, a seasoned Silicon Valley executive with extensive experience scaling start-ups.
“I am so excited to combine my passion for disability advocacy and social impact start-ups to help support the next generation of disability tech start-ups in the US,” said Levitt, who is also Founder and CEO of BrightLoop, an educational tech platform.
Remarkable’s 16-week accelerator equips early-stage start-ups with seed funding and the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to become commercially viable businesses making a positive social impact. Through masterclasses, sprints, and deep dives, start-ups hone their work with personal start-up coaches — from market fit and business models to strategy and sustainability. It all culminates in pitches to more than 500 international investors, partners, and industry connections at Demo Day.
Remarkable also embraces the crucial disability-rights concept of “nothing about us without us” through its partnership with Open Inclusion, a global organization that provides user-testing experiences with people with disabilities to identify practical innovations that improve user experiences, runs accessibility audits of products and digital services, and hosts educational workshops to help educate start-ups about best practices.
With this launch, CPARF is expanding its work to approach cerebral palsy from all angles. CPARF finds, funds, and supports cutting-edge US-based research and affordable technological innovations that will improve accessibility and inclusion for people with CP. With broader support of the scientific process and an expanded focus on real-world implementation, CPARF will bring science to life to change what’s possible for people with cerebral palsy at every age and stage.
[Source(s): Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation, PRWeb]