The 2024 Exceptional Accelerator International Cohort took the stage on the Salesforce Tower Auditorium lately, showcasing their groundbreaking improvements to a packed viewers of traders, companions, and business leaders.
The Demo Day highlighted 5 unbelievable startups, targeted on harnessing the ability of know-how to take away obstacles and amplify the lives of individuals with incapacity.
Exceptional is a tech accelerator targeted on empowering incapacity tech innovators, backed by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and Cerebral Palsy Alliance Analysis FoundationRemarkable is .
After the 16-week accelerator program, led by Emma Earley, the worldwide cohort offered their concepts and likewise outlined what they’re looking for subsequent – from funding to partnerships, or referrals – to take their startups to the subsequent degree.
Right here there the 5 and what they’re looking for
CareWindow
Based: Australia, 2021
CareWindow founder Zac Bailey. Photograph: Hazen Company
One-liner: CareWindow is the world’s easiest videophone, empowering individuals with dementia or shaky fingers to attach with their family members. Our resolution works for anyone who can’t use a smartphone, stopping loneliness and isolation on an enormous scale.
Their story: CareWindow has developed a video cellphone so easy that even somebody with dementia can use it. The corporate goals to handle the issue of know-how exclusion for people with cognitive or dexterity impairments, a demographic that contains over 1% of the worldwide inhabitants. Many individuals in these circumstances face disconnection, isolation, and loneliness.
Zac’s father, Martin, who skilled cognitive challenges after a stroke, impressed the creation of CareWindow. The out there know-how had too many steps and choices for him to make use of. Recognising a big unmet want, Zac assembled a staff of consultants from aged care, engineering, and healthcare to design an answer.
CareWindow’s product is a purpose-built video cellphone with options that make it accessible and straightforward to make use of for people with impairments. It has high-end audio capabilities, giant non-slip rubber toes, drop resistance, splash resistance, and a privateness swivel digital camera. It additionally options automated answering, making it easy for customers to attach with out urgent buttons. Co-designed with care employees, it’s universally accepted in aged care and related environments. Study extra about CareWindow right here.
The ask: Introductions to Nurses or Occupational Therapists in management, care organisation CEOs, strategic traders, and tech journalists. E book a Demo
Their plan: They intention to achieve 500,000 customers inside three years throughout Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK. Lively trials are operating in seven care amenities, with bulk offers within the pipeline. CareWindow plans to generate recurring income by leasing and subscription fashions, providing premium companies for care organizations and households. The product is uniquely positioned to cater to house care suppliers and the Nationwide Incapacity Insurance coverage Scheme (NDIS) in Australia.
Communicate to: Zac Bailey, CEO zac@carewindow.com.au
Peak Medical
Based: Australia, 2020
Peak Medical founder Hayley Saddington Photograph: Hazen Company
One-liner: Digital Remedy for Mobility. Delivering dwell workouts, steerage and suggestions for these needing to remain properly, to organize for surgical procedure, or recuperate from house.
Their story: Peak Medical was impressed by a private story of founder Hayley Saddington, whose father suffered a life-changing amputation in a distant space of Western Australia. His rehabilitation concerned lengthy, arduous journeys to hospitals 500km away. This expertise ignited Hayley’s ardour for bettering healthcare entry.
Peak Medical addresses the issue of insufficient, inaccessible care in a world the place 800 million individuals are getting older. Their medtech product, BIBO, is a scalable, AI-powered digital platform that gives personalised look after sufferers from pre-operative to post-operative phases, and for individuals with mobility points. BIBO’s AI tracks physique landmarks to supply tailor-made workouts, scientific assessments, and ache administration, serving to sufferers keep engaged of their rehabilitation.
The platform additionally delivers important knowledge to hospitals and well being insurers, enabling them to scale back readmissions, inpatient prices, and enhance affected person outcomes. Obtainable throughout private and non-private healthcare programs, BIBO is 20 occasions extra inexpensive than conventional care. Study extra about Peak Medical right here.
The ask: Searching for a well being funding accomplice able to ship affected person satisfaction and save prices, in addition to aligned traders who wish to promote world healthcare equality.
Their Plan: Peak Medical might be in market in Australia in January 2025, launching with a Complete Knee Alternative program in Australia. The platform’s scalability permits it to quickly develop by turning on extra modules for osteoarthritis, incapacity, falls, aged care, spinal points, and extra. With 1.4 billion potential customers throughout numerous market segments, Peak Medical goals for world scale. A hospital trial is ready to start, backed by validated know-how from Australian Catholic College, and a channel to market by world medical insurance.
Communicate to: Hayley Saddington, CEO and founder, hayley@peak-med.com
SpendAble
Based: Australia, 2021
SpendAble founderReece Miller Photograph: Hazen Company
One-liner: SpendAble is making funds and monetary independence accessible to everybody no matter age, potential or background.
Their story:SpendAble was created to unravel a important drawback for people with disabilities who usually expertise monetary vulnerability, abuse, fraud, or theft. They face challenges accessing their very own funds, as their cash is commonly managed by dad and mom and help employees. The method is gradual, dangerous, and lacks accessibility, as they should depend on others for each buy.
SpendAble gives an answer—a safe cost system and debit card that permits individuals with incapacity to purchase what they want, love, and need, with out the dangers related to sharing checking account particulars. The platform empowers caregivers by giving them entry to funds with out direct connection to the person’s checking account, permitting them to trace spending and submit receipts. Care managers also can monitor transactions, offering an extra layer of economic oversight.
SpendAble is designed to make cash accessible 24/7 with the help of caregivers, household, or independently, offering monetary autonomy to people with disabilities. Study extra about SpendAble right here.
The ask: SpendAble is at the moment elevating funding to achieve 2 million customers rapidly. Finds will prioritise advertising, gross sales and reaching the precise individuals for product-led development. E book a Demo
Their Plan: SpendAble has over 1700 wallets on its platform, processing greater than $250,000 in transactions every month, with a CSAT rating of 80+. The corporate plans to develop by partnering with main service suppliers and launching daring advertising initiatives, together with a $10,000 giveaway to draw future prospects.
SpendAble’s resolution is not only restricted to Australia or the NDIS. The challenges confronted by people with disabilities relating to monetary autonomy are world, and the corporate goals to develop internationally.
Contact: Reece Miller, CEO and cofounder, reece@spendable.com.au
Capella Design
Based: Canada, 2022
Capella Design cofounder Kaly Ryan. Photograph: Hazen Company
One-liner: Capella Design reimagines house security and assistive merchandise as lovely furnishings and equipment.
Their Story: Capella Design was born from private experiences that highlighted a big hole within the house mobility market. Kaly’s grandfather struggled with mobility points, and the household couldn’t discover merchandise that preserved his dignity and matched the aesthetic of his house. Patrick confronted an identical problem after his father was identified with Parkinson’s, the place no accessible merchandise met the usual of design his dad and mom needed of their fastidiously curated house.
Capella Design recognises that older adults right this moment are redefining what it means to age, valuing merchandise that mirror their private model, houses, and vibrant lives. But, the house well being business continues to supply scientific, stigmatizing merchandise. This disconnect represents an enormous alternative, as the worldwide assistive know-how market is anticipated to achieve A$49 billion by 2030. Nevertheless, over half of beneficial house mobility modifications are ignored, partly because of stigma and poor design.
Capella Design is the primary way of life model to reimagine house mobility merchandise as lovely, purposeful furnishings and equipment. Their merchandise, like seize bars and bathe chairs, are reworked into objects that individuals are proud to personal. Study extra about Capella Design right here.
The Ask: Join Kaly with business companions in retirement communities and hospitality manufacturers. In addition they invite everybody to discover their merchandise and share their mission of displaying the world that accessible design could be lovely.
Their Plan: Capella Design identifies merchandise already in demand and redesigns them in collaboration with older adults and occupational therapists, balancing model and performance. They then validate their designs with consultants within the discipline to construct delight of their prospects’ decisions. Their latest product, the Selora Seize Bar surpassed expectations with a waitlist at 160% capability. The product has gone viral, reaching over 500,000 views globally.
Capella’s will develop into new areas just like the bed room with a recent set of merchandise in 2025, constructing a future the place each room has lovely, purposeful merchandise that help model and security.
Communicate to: Kaly Ryan, CEO and founder, kaly@designbycapella.com
Clu
Based: United Kingdom, 2021
Clu founder Cayelan Mendoza Photograph: Hazen Company
One-liner: Meet Clu, your TalentGPS. Clu is an AI plug-in that improves the accuracy, inclusion, and ROI of any HR course of or product.
Their story: Clu has created a expertise GPS to handle the £11 trillion GBP world expertise disaster. Yearly, 750 million good high quality job functions are rejected, equal to the inhabitants of Europe. Many individuals battle to grasp what makes them helpful of their roles, resulting in ineffective hiring processes. Because of this, 45% of the UK labor market faces obstacles to financial mobility, and FTSE 100 corporations lose £23 million monthly because of archaic hiring programs.
Clu’s proprietary AI gives an answer, serving to employers perceive the true necessities for jobs. The platform integrates with any hiring course of or platform, bettering accuracy, inclusiveness, ROI, and authorized compliance. Since launching in March 2023 after two years of R&D, Clu has grown to £95K ARR, achieved 214% retention on renewals, and recorded a mean account well being rating of 86%. Quite than competing in a crowded market, Clu acts as a accomplice to enhance hiring platforms, making them cheaper and equitable. Study extra about Clu right here.
The ask: Elevating £500,000 for key staff hires and advertising prices, with a pre-money valuation of £2.5 million (at the moment 35% dedicated). E book a Demo.
Their Plan: Clu goals to disrupt a £500 billion market, rising its enterprise by direct gross sales and channel partnerships. Funding will allow staff enlargement and market penetration. With its scalable AI, Clu is on monitor to realize profitability inside two and a half years.
Communicate to: Joseph Williams, cofounder, Joseph.williams@getaclu.io
