Despite these staggering numbers, disability tech companies attracted only around $4 billion in early-stage investments in 2022 — a fraction compared to sectors like fintech or health tech. Adaptation Ventures aims to fill this gap by supporting early-stage founders who are building life-changing products to prevent or reduce the impact of disability and to empower individuals to live more independent and fulfilling lives.
Globally, over 1.7 billion people live with mobility impairments, 430 million experience disabling hearing loss, 285 million have visual impairments, and billions more face neurological or cognitive conditions. However, until now, no dedicated angel group has existed to support startups focused on disability and accessibility, starkly contrasting the growing investor interest in climate tech, femtech, and other mission-driven sectors.
A long-overlooked segment ripe for disruption
The assistive technology market is forecast to reach $31.22 billion by 2030, fueled by demographic shifts, advances in AI, and heightened consumer demand for inclusive solutions. Beyond impact, the economics are compelling: people with disabilities and their families represent a collective $18 trillion in disposable income, and assistive tech yields a 9x return for every dollar invested.
Adaptation Ventures aims to fill this gap. This makes Adaptation Ventures’ investment thesis as pragmatic as it is visionary: there’s immense opportunity at the intersection of social good and commercial viability. From smart mobility devices and hearing augmentation tools to adaptive communication software and AI-based accessibility platforms, the innovation pipeline is robust but historically underserved by capital.
Disability has historically been a powerful catalyst for technological advancement—many mainstream technologies, such as typewriters and touchscreens, originated as solutions for accessibility challenges. This “curb-cut effect” demonstrates how designing for disability can create solutions that benefit everyone.
Adaptation Ventures: a model built for active engagement and smart capital
Adaptation Ventures is not just a check-writing vehicle, but a community. Members will gain access to 16+ curated deals annually, particularly in pre-seed and seed rounds, across a sector-agnostic portfolio rooted in disability tech. The group leverages a collaborative model that emphasises rigorous diligence, quarterly investment meetings, and deep engagement through sourcing, mentorship, and strategic networking.
The organisation will host educational programming, a speaker series, and member office hours, ensuring that both investors and founders grow through meaningful connections and knowledge exchange.
The firm plans to invest at least $250,000 into each selected company, with opportunities for co-investing alongside other investors. Their investment process includes quarterly meetings featuring at least four startup pitches, followed by member voting to determine which companies advance to the due diligence stage.
Rich Palmer describes their investment thesis as “making the big stuff smaller and the expensive stuff cheaper,” focusing on innovations that can significantly improve accessibility while achieving scale and affordability.
Visionary leadership with experience behind Adaptation Ventures
What sets Adaptation Ventures apart is its leadership. Brittany Palmer, a congenital bilateral below-elbow amputee, is not only a disability advocate but also a proven founder and legal expert. She previously founded Beeyonder, a virtual travel platform offering immersive and accessible global experiences. She also serves on the Advisory Board at the Perkins School for the Blind’s Howe Innovation Center.
Her co-founder and husband, Rich Palmer, brings complementary strengths. A brain aneurysm survivor, Rich is a former Board Member of the Angel Capital Association and previously served as Managing Director at Launchpad Venture Group. He also co-founded Gravyty, a successful AI company for the social impact sector, which achieved a strategic exit.
Together, they offer a unique combination of lived disability experience, investing acumen, operational expertise, and a deep understanding of building and scaling impactful ventures.
Their authentic connection to the disability community positions Adaptation Ventures to understand nuances that conventional investors might miss. As Rich Palmer notes, “There’s no first money in that’s helping companies get from point A to point B and it’s crazy.”
A rallying call for investors and changemakers
Adaptation Ventures is extending an open invitation to angel investors, sponsors, and ecosystem partners who believe in investing with purpose. The group’s guiding principle is clear: achieve market-rate returns while transforming the lives of billions through inclusive technology.
The group joins a small but growing ecosystem of investors specialising in disability and accessibility solutions, such as Enable Ventures—an impact fund focused on closing the disability wealth gap — and Remarkable, an Australian accelerator that has helped over 120 startups raise more than $68 million since 2016.
As Brittany and Rich Palmer lead the charge, Adaptation Ventures is set to redefine who gets funded, what gets built, and how innovation can truly reflect the global population’s needs. In an age where impact and ROI no longer need to be at odds, this angel group is lighting the path forward for founders, for investors, and for the future of accessible innovation.
“Investing in accessible technology that supports people with disabilities, and other conditions which require adaptation, to live their best and most independent life is the next frontier for impact and returns,” said Brittany Palmer, co-founder of Adaptation Ventures. “We’re building a platform that funds innovation and fosters a community of leaders, founders, and investors committed to making the world more accessible for all.”
With the global need for assistive technologies growing rapidly and the market projected to reach tens of billions of dollars within the decade, the timing for Adaptation Ventures’ launch could not be more opportune. This initiative signals a recognition that disability tech is not merely a niche or impact-only sector, but a significant market opportunity with the potential to generate substantial returns while transforming billions of lives.
