September 2025 Newsletter

As autumn arrives, we reflect on another remarkable quarter driving progress in disability and accessibility technology. Adaptation Ventures continues to champion a more inclusive world by connecting bold founders, strategic investors, and community leaders to unlock opportunity in the world's largest overlooked market.

Our Value Proposition

Adaptation Ventures is a pioneering pre-seed fund dedicated to fueling tech innovation in disability and accessible technology. We're tapping a massive, underserved market and catalyzing venture-scale returns in an $18 trillion market that touches nearly everyone:

• 2 billion people live with disabilities globally, and nearly everyone will use adaptive technology at some point in their lives
• $18 trillion+ in disposable income is controlled by people with disabilities and their supporters, who have a much higher customer lifetime value and brand loyalty than average
• For every $1 spent on assistive tech, there is a 9x ROI as people engage in activities, go to and excel at work, raise families, and more. The assistive tech industry alone is projected to be $112B by 2034.

Notable Acquisitions

This quarter saw several high-profile acquisitions transforming the accessibility landscape, with leading firms expanding their digital health, assistive technology, and consulting capabilities through strategic deals.

• RethinkFirst Acquires Joshin. RethinkFirst, a company providing neurodiversity solutions in the workplace, acquired Joshin to create the first fully integrated neurodiversity and disability support platform. This deal aims to deliver AI-driven, clinically validated support for employees and families, combining navigation, coaching, and accommodations in one experience.
• Mynd.ai Acquires Merlyn Mind. Mynd.ai completed the acquisition of Merlyn Mind, an award-winning AI voice and remote control technology company. This expands Mynd's portfolio in accessible technologies that leverage AI to support neurodiverse and disabled users.
• Point Designs Acquired by Hanger. Point Designs, which produces finger and partial hand prostheses for individuals with partial hand loss, was acquired by Hanger.

Industry News & Policy

Regulatory changes, corporate initiatives, and emerging market trends continue to accelerate progress in digital accessibility and disability inclusion across public and private sectors, setting new benchmarks for innovation and compliance.

• Forbes Accessibility 100. Inaugural "Accessibility 100" list, spotlighting leaders in technology, entertainment, and entrepreneurship who drive real-world impact in accessibility. Many incredible organizations and leaders are listed, with a special shout out to Sandy Lacey at Perkins School for the Blind's Howe Innovation Center (Brittany is on their advisory board).
• Supreme Court Decision. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in A.J.T. v. Osseo Area Schools, which significantly lowered the legal barriers for students with disabilities to seek justice under ADA and Section 504. Discrimination claims in education now require only "deliberate indifference," ensuring better access to accommodations for families nationwide.
• DOT Wheelchair Rule. The Department of Transportation's "Wheelchair Rule" became fully enforceable this quarter. Airlines must now expedite repairs and handle mobility devices at the gate, greatly improving travel dignity for wheelchair users.

Adaptation in the Wild

While we are largely heads-down, working hard in the background, we want to highlight two events that were of particular importance to our ability to share the mission and engage with the community.

Disability:IN Conference

Adaptation Ventures was honored to attend the 2025 Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo, where we connected directly with Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 executives committed to advancing disability inclusion and accessible innovation. The event provided an outstanding platform to exchange ideas with business leaders and dive into groundbreaking trends in human-centered design, the future of work, and market-driven solutions for the disability community. We are grateful that the Disability:IN leadership team invited us to share our perspective on early-stage investing on stage and explore high-impact collaboration.

Museum of Science x Perkins

Brittany was a featured speaker at the "DisabilityTech: Innovation for an Accessible Future" event hosted by the Museum of Science and Perkins School for the Blind. The evening brought together leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and community stakeholders to showcase both the rapidly growing DisabilityTech market and the transformative impact of new products and services designed for accessibility. Following the talk, we met attendees in the expo hall and we were literally kicked out of the museum for staying well past closing time, engaging with a huge number of innovators and investors who convened at our table.

Crumbling Barriers: Graham Crackers and Growth Mindsets

"To be an investor you must be a believer in a better tomorrow." – Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor

"Live in the future, then build what's missing." – Paul Graham, YCombinator

Benjamin Graham, known as the "father of value investing," shaped the modern investment landscape through his pioneering approach to financial analysis and emphasis on independent thinking. His work, especially The Intelligent Investor, remains a foundation for investors worldwide, and his lessons have influenced luminaries like Warren Buffett and countless others who believe in not just seeking returns but creating a better tomorrow for all.

Paul Graham (no relation, but the title pun is intended), a leading technologist and founder of the pioneering startup accelerator YCombinator, urges founders to "Live in the future, then build what's missing." For those supporting disability and accessibility tech, these philosophies converge: entrepreneurial minds imagine a world with fewer barriers and actively create solutions to make it real. By investing in these visionaries, you can help build the future – championing innovation and opportunity where it is needed most.

Our Upcoming Events

If you will be at any of these events, or would like to suggest an event we should attend or speak at, drop us a line.

• Neurotech Frontiers Summit | October 10-12 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN | Brittany and Rich will be keynote speakers
• SOCAP 2025 | October 27-29 in San Francisco

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Thank you for being part of the Adaptation Ventures journey.

Best, The Adaptation Ventures Team

This journal is for informational purposes only, is not a prospectus, may not be relied on as legal, tax, securities or investment advice and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell interests in Adaptation Ventures Fund I (the "Fund").