accessiBe is a technology company working to solve challenges of
web accessibility through AI.[1][2] The company has raised $58 million in two rounds of funding.[3][4][5][6][7]
accessiBe launched its flagship product, accessWidget, as a tool that scans and attempts to remediate websites in real-time, attempting to achieve ADA compliance through implementing WCAG 2.1 guidelines.[13][14] The product claims to make website publishers ADA compliant within hours of deploying accessiBe's code, so that people with disabilities can easily access and interact with these websites.[15][16] In 2021 accessiBe added to its ecosystem of tools, accessFlow,[17] a testing and remediation platform for developers on the source code level.
Fundraising
accessiBe first raised $500,000 from private investors including Nadav Dakner, Elad Mor, Itai Elizur, Oron Yaffe.[18] In May 2020, the company raised $12 million in
Series A funding from K1 Investment Management.[19][20][21][22] In February 2021, closed its series A funding with $28 million from K1 Investment Management, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm investing primarily in software and technology private companies across North America, took a minority stake in accessiBe Systems Ltd. with intentions to help accessiBe to expand in North America.[1][23][24][25]
By February 2021, accessiBe's annual recurring revenue has shown a growth of more than 3.5x in 12 months, which led to additional funding from K1, totaling $28 million.[26] Company leaders have announced that they are planning to use the funds to significantly expand its US presence, grow its R&D department and continue educating the market on the importance of web accessibility.[27][28]
In August 2022 accessiBe raised an additional $30 Million as an extension to its previous Series A[7][29] bringing its total funding to $58 Million.
Criticism and concerns
Many web accessibility experts agree that accessibility overlay software like AccessiBe can actually cause accessibility issues and create a false sense of accessibility for their clients.[30]
During their 2021 convention the
National Federation of the Blind made resolutions that condemned the use of accessibility overlays as an inadequate solution[31] and described accessiBe's marketing and business practices as "disrespectful and misleading".[32]
Steve Faulkner, member of the W3C Web Platforms Working Group,[33] says accessibility plugins can't fix fundamental issues or replicate existing browser functionality.[34]
Haben Girma, disability rights lawyer, author, and speaker, urges companies to stay away from accessiBe and other companies in the same space.[35]
Many industry professionals have criticized the entire product category.[36][37]
Lawsuits
There have been around 100 lawsuits against companies after they invested in a widget-based solution,[38] most prominently ADP,[39] and two have named accessiBe specifically: Thomas Klaus and Robert Jahoda v. Upright Technologies,[40] and Kolesar v. Bylt, LLC.[41]