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Key Takeaways Treating accessibility as a core product requirement, not a compliance checkbox, is a competitive advantage that most of your competitors are overlooking.
Building it in from day one costs 90% less than retrofitting and opens doors to enterprise deals, 70 million users and better product quality.
Accessible websites also outperform in search rankings. Furthermore, websites with accessibility scores 75/100 consistently outperformed their peers in revenue.
Last month, I spoke with a SaaS founder who was six months from Series A. Her product was elegant, her traction was solid, and her pitch deck was polished. But during due diligence, a potential lead investor asked a single question that derailed conversations: “Is your platform accessible to users with disabilities?”
She didn’t have an answer. The deal didn’t happen.
This scenario plays out more often than most founders realize. While established companies treat ADA compliance as a retrofitting exercise, often prompted by lawsuits or explicit requirements, startups have a different opportunity. Building accessibility into your product and website from day one isn’t just about risk mitigation. It’s a genuine competitive advantage that most of your competitors are overlooking.
Related: 5 Steps to Make Sure Your Website Is ADA-Compliant
The market reality: Size matters
Let’s talk numbers. More than 70 million U.S. adults, 28.7% of the population, have some type of disability. That’s not a niche demographic. That’s roughly one in four potential customers, users and advocates for your product.
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