Emma Earley, Global Head of Programs at Remarkable, reflects on the incredible journey of the Global Cohort from our 2024 Accelerator program, highlighting the growth and achievements of the startups leading up to Demo Day.
This milestone marks a significant moment for each founder, as they showcase their innovations to the world. Emma shares her thoughts on the key moments, the impact of Remarkable’s support, and what lies ahead for these Disability Tech innovators.
How did the startups grow and change during the accelerator, and what kind of progress did you notice by Demo Day?
The most transformative part of the program for a lot of the startups was focus and clarity. Like most driven entrepreneurs, they come with lofty, bluesky ambitions but with the support of their incredible one-on-one startup Coach and their mindset and leadership Coach, most of the teams had their ‘a-ha’ moment when they realised they were trying to do too much all at once.
For some, this was modifying their product roadmap to co-design and test a new feature with users. For others it was narrowing their business model for launch, and taking the time, many months in advance, to focus on a strategic sales campaign that launches later in the year.
The mindset challenge that this sometimes uncovered was that even in an Accelerator program that is fast-paced and high-intensity over 16 weeks, sometimes the most effective action to take is conscious deceleration for a short period of time.
“Capella is so much further, and so much more confident, because of this experience. I'm so thankful and appreciative that we had the opportunity to participate!” - Patrick Glinski, Capella
“It was such an open space I felt comfortable in. Loved being on the journey with other founders as well.” - Hayley Saddington, Peak Medical
What were the standout moments from Demo Day, and how do you think they made a difference for the startups?
It was so inspiring to witness how the startups’ pitches and businesses have evolved in a matter of months, and the confidence and passion with which they shared their stories with the Disability Tech ecosystem.
Demo Day is the formal finale of most Accelerator programs, including Remarkable’s, and is often considered the pinnacle moment of the program. However, it really is the starting point for future opportunities and continuing support and connection. The in-person event vibe was so warm, welcoming and supportive, which was an absolute highlight, but importantly, it was the first of many conversations.
With so many other startup events that week of SXSW Sydney, a sold-out carefully curated audience of 138 guests showed up to support our cohort through their next stage of growth. The standout moment was actually the feeling of being in the room with a diverse group of our Remarkable community, from investors to people across the disability sector, media, Alumni, partners and other supporters.
What kind of feedback did you hear from investors, mentors, or the community about the startups and their pitches?
Everyone was impressed by the diversity of Disability Tech innovations on the night. A common thread, even for an audience that is already familiar with Remarkable, was a shift in perception that Disability Tech is only relevant or critical for people with disability, and the significant market sizes that are all under-served for each of the five pitching startups.
Another common theme was a notable connection with the problem space and deeply resonating with the origin stories that the founders shared, either being directly affected or supporting a family member through a traumatic life event. Combined with a stellar team and domain expertise, the audience was impressed by the passion and lived experience that brought their innovations to market.
How did the Accelerator program help the startups achieve their big milestones, and how did Remarkable’s network and resources make a difference?
Supporting them to accelerate and work towards their OKRs was a generous community of Coaches, Mentors, partners and supporters, who generously shared their time and expertise.
“My experience with the Remarkable Accelerator 2024 was fantastic. We were challenged to focus our strategy and achieve our goals quickly while feeling extremely well supported through the entire 16 weeks. It was the perfect mix of programming, coaching, and 1:1 mentor support.” - Kaly Ryan, Capella Design
“Mentors were the lifeblood (of the program)”- Cayelan Mendoza, Clu
As a result of in-program and Demo Day connections, some of the startups are having conversations with investors and potential strategic partners, others have made sales, and all are in conversations with journalists who want to share their incredible stories and innovations.
What’s next for the startups after Demo Day, and how do you think their journeys will unfold from here?
Remarkable Accelerator is just the beginning of the startups’ journey with us. Capella Design has launched its viral Selora Grab Bar Frame, Clu’s updated skills-based Talent GPS is in market and available to demo and they are looking to close their investment round (35% committed), SpendAble is raising investment to reach 2 million users quickly and is available to demo, CareWindow is available to purchase to stay connected with your loved ones and is gearing up to launch a big BFCM campaign, and Peak Medical is on track to conduct clinical trials in a hospital and launching their Total Knee Replacement program in January 2025.
Most importantly, they are all on track to make huge impact in the lives of people with disability and their families.
