By Zara Fulton, Head of Investment at Remarkable
A New Era For Disability Innovation
The Disability Tech market is growing—and fast. What was once a niche space is now brimming with opportunity, purpose, and real impact. From accessibility tools to inclusive services, technology is reshaping how people with disability navigate the world—and Remarkable is proud to be helping scale that innovation.
This momentum was on full display at our recent Remarkable x Alliance20 event hosted in The Precinct, which is Queensland’s leading startup hub. The evening brought together startups, investors, disability service providers, and leaders from across Brisbane’s economic development, product design, elite sports, media, higher education, government, insurance, and advocacy communities
The goal? To bring the ecosystem together with a shared belief that innovation should be co-designed with people with disability—and that the solutions being built in this space (particularly the rise of AI-powered solutions) are not only needed, but scalable and investable
Why This Event Mattered
Alliance20 members include the CEOs of 25 of Australia’s largest disability service providers, leaders with decades of experience and deep knowledge of the sector. This event offered a rare and valuable opportunity for these leaders to connect directly with some of the most exciting startups in Remarkable’s portfolio, alongside emerging AI innovators.
As service providers navigate increasingly complex and evolving needs, it’s clear they have a vital role to play in adopting technologies that genuinely work for their communities.
The evening was a powerful showcase of how AI is already transforming accessibility, inclusion, and independence with pitches from Remarkable’s Scaler portfolio founders and Accelerator startups including Hayylo, Medistays, Sociability, SpendAble, and Umps Health, alongside other AI-driven innovators.
These connections help grow a collaborative and supportive ecosystem—one where AI-powered solutions can be co-designed, tested, and scaled to deliver meaningful impact for people with disability and their families.
With the right partnerships and tools, service providers aren’t just adopters of innovation—they’re shaping its future.
Founders Leading The Way
Some of the startups who pitched on the night are already shaping the future of DisabilityTech. Here’s what they had to say:
Greg Satur, CEO and Co-Founder of Hayylo, who is part of Remarkable’s Scaler portfolio, highlighted the importance of lived experience and making genuine connections with providers.
“Creating impact in the disability sector is about earning trust, it's about establishing the trust of service providers and their clients.” Greg emphasised the importance of open and transparent conversations with providers and learning about what’s important to them and their clients."
Chris Gray, Chair of Medistays, who is part of Remarkable’s Accelerator portfolio, highlighted at the event:
“We put people living with disability right at the centre. We think about their unique needs to provide truly accessible accommodation. We also partner with a number of the Alliance 20 organisations in the room to deliver the right services to individuals living with disability.“
Matt Pierri, CEO and Founder of Sociability, who is part of Remarkable’s Scaler portfolio, highlighted what should be key considerations for decision makers across all industries and sectors, including those in economic development, city and event planning.
”Sociability organises accessibility information to give people with disability confidence to explore the world around them, whether that be visiting new cities or venues, or attending events like the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympics Games, and thereby helps to unlock $13 trillion USD in spending power.”
Josh Byron, CEO and Co-Founder of SpendAble, also part of Remarkable’s Accelerator portfolio, shared SpendAble’s perspective on the night.
“We believe that industry specific problems deserve industry specific solutions and that the disability sector is large enough to support that”. Josh reiterated to the service providers in the room, “You shouldn’t have to sticky tape solutions together that weren’t designed for your clients.”
Adam Jahnke, CEO and Co-Founder of Umps Health, who is part of both Remarkable’s Accelerator and Scaler portfolios, talked about how partnerships with larger disability service providers continually help shape their product. Adam encouraged the providers in the room to share the challenges they are facing that can be solved with technology.
“Bringing innovators and providers together - providers are truly the custodians of these challenges. We can’t just invent our way to these solutions. It really has to take a problem led approach, which creates so much more value”.
The insights from these founders made it clear: AI is not just a buzzword rather it’s now a tool that, when used effectively, can drive real, meaningful change.
A Shift In Mindset & A Ready Market
AI can feel overwhelming especially for organisations with limited time, resources, or confidence to explore new tech. But this event helped shift that mindset. It showed that AI isn’t just about the future because it’s already making a real impact and opening up big business opportunities. With the right support, Disability Tech startups are building solutions that are scalable, sustainable, and deeply needed.
Pete Horsley, Founder of Remarkable, shared his thoughts on the night
“Everyone in the room is passionate about seeing the disability sector work exceptionally well, and we’re excited about the role that AI can play in that. “
The DisabilityTech market, which spans disability, ageing, and health tech is large and growing. Through the Scaler Co-Investment Initiative, Remarkable is helping bring new solutions to market that serve not only people with disability but also enterprise customers and aged care providers. The opportunity for AI-driven startups in this space is immense, and events like this help bridge the gap between innovation and adoption.
Jordan O’Reily, Co-Founder of Hireup and co-host of the evening, emphasised the importance of these conversations:
“We saw in the last couple of years the emergence of this amazing AI technology and immediately became excited about the difference it’s going to make to people with disability and their families”.
As Jordan shares in his guest blog, we’re already seeing this tech make a real difference, from cutting down admin for support workers to making services more personal and easier to navigate. It’s well worth a read if you're curious about how AI is already transforming disability support.
What's Next
For those excited by the key message of this event, here are two ways to get involved:
- For Organisations & Investors:. Now is the time to back scalable solutions in the Disability Tech market. Whether you're a provider looking to adopt new tech or an investor ready to support inclusive innovation, your support matters. To start you can check out our Remarkable Startups we have supported throughout our range of programs!
- For Startups: If you’re building an AI-powered solution that could transform the lives of people with disability, we invite you to express your interest or apply for our Accelerator program or Scaler Co-investment initiative!
The energy at this event was a clear indicator of the momentum building in this space. AI is not something to be feared—it’s something to be harnessed for good. And as we saw from the incredible founders who pitched, the future of Disability Tech is here.
Stay connected, stay engaged, and let’s continue pushing the boundaries.
