Many businesses supplying goods and services to 450 million consumers in the EU must meet new accessibility standards which entered into force in June. Similar to GDPR before it, this new law forced companies to adapt their web sites, e-commerce platforms and banking applications. However, despite similar standards existing in the US, many still have a great distance to go.
“One thing that surprised us was the companies, even huge ones, that approached us two weeks earlier [the deadline] saying, ‘Oh, we didn’t know anything about this,'” said Irish entrepreneur Cormac Chisholm.
His startup, DevAllyis one of the first to use technology to help companies detect accessibility issues. It also helps them comply with regulations reminiscent of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which imposes high penalties for non-compliance with new products and services. (Existing ones have a grace period to comply until 2030.)
Launched in 2024, DevAlly audits accessibility barriers reminiscent of videos without subtitles on corporate web sites. It also tracks issues reported by customers and helps companies create remediation plans and generate accessibility reports.
While consultants also can perform audits, Chisholm, CEO of DevAlly, believes this approach cannot scale to meet demand or adapt to the realities of delivering digital products and features. DevAlly also has accessibility experts, but uses AI and LLM accessibility tools to automate testing and issue tracking. Chisholm believes this helps integrate accessibility into the product lifecycle.
This technology-driven approach reflects the path taken by cybersecurity compliance company Vanta, now valued at $2.45 billion.
Regulatory changes and growing awareness about accessibility helped DevAlly secure €2 million (about $2.3 million) in pre-seed funding, TechCrunch has learned exclusively.
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Thanks to the new capital, the company plans to expand its team from 5 to 15 people by the end of the 12 months – mainly in Dublin, where it participated in NDRC acceleration program operated by Dogpatch Labs on behalf of the state authority Enterprise Ireland.
NDRC and Enterprise Ireland took part in the round, but its leader was a Belgian fund Capital miles aheadwith the participation of European angels. According to the founders of DevAlly, this is partly due to the Slush technology conference, where they attended placed in the top three startup competition and related to their future lead investor.
“Traditionally in Ireland the approach is to use an Irish VC fund, but we have chosen Europe and one of the things that we are very excited about is exploring what that does for the investor,” Chisholm said.
DevAlly will profit from Miles Ahead support because it launches its US operations, starting with sales in San Francisco. The city proved useful in connecting with accessibility leaders at large B2B software companies after DevAlly participated in TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield 2024. “Many of our customers are currently on the West Coast,” co-founder and chief revenue officer Patrick Guiney told TechCrunch.
The startup gained popularity in Europe thanks to the entry into force of the EAA. Similarly, other players, e.g QualiBooth based in Barcelonawhich we recently reviewed state of accessibility of European e-commerce — retail is one of EAA’s areas of interest. However, each startups also see opportunities in the US, where DevAlly is betting on public procurement as a key demand driver.
With estimates that represent disabled consumers and their households 8 trillion dollars a 12 months in terms of disposable income, Chisholm is adamant that “good design is accessible design.” One in five people has a disability, and the disability can be situational – because strong glare makes it unattainable to read the screen in sunlight, or you are holding a baby in your arms and don’t have access to the controls, he said. “So you want to try to make the design as universal as possible.”
Actions a company can take to address this issue, from screen reader support to higher contrast and gradients that are suitable for colorblind people. However, a recent evaluation by UX/UI design agency Tenscope found that 94% of the top 1,000 web sites in the US do not meet basic accessibility standards.
The travel industry fared the worst, stopping many users from completing basic functions reminiscent of contact forms, creating an account and shopping online. Even before EAA, the Spanish airline Vueling was fined for not providing access to their website.
Because the EU-wide EAA now covers multiple jurisdictions, each imposing its own penalties, Big Tech companies operating in multiple countries may find help. “That’s why we’re positioning ourselves as a bridge to Europe for American companies,” Chisholm said.
If that happens, it can be excellent news for DevAlly and its investors, and perhaps all of us, Chisholm said. “Accessibility improvements like subtitles on Netflix are becoming a huge leap forward in the way we all use technology. It’s a much better form of design.”