A11YVERSE Meetup
Funded: How Accessibility Founders Raise Money
Two founders. One funder. One honest conversation about money.
After you register, you'll get a confirmation email with the event details. A QR code to enter the building will be emailed to you 24 hours before the event.
About this event
Every accessibility business reaches the same moment. The product works, the need is real, and growth now depends on funding. Should you raise from investors, take a loan, apply to a program, or keep building on revenue?
On November 10, we put that question to three people who see it from different sides of the table. Toan Dinh, CEO of Fable, brings the founder's view. Varun Chandak of Access to Success brings the view from the wider ecosystem. A financing expert from BDC brings the lender's view. Juan Olarte moderates, and you bring your questions.
It is an evening, not a conference. A short panel, plenty of time for your questions, and good conversation over food with people building the accessibility economy in Canada.
What we will talk about
- How do you know you are ready to raise money, and how do you know you are not?
- Investors, loans, accelerators, corporate programs or your own revenue: what does each one ask of you in return?
- What does a lender look for in an accessibility business, and what does a founder wish they had known before the first meeting?
- Where do founders lose the most time, and how do you avoid it?
- Your questions, answered live.
Agenda
- 5:30 p.m. Doors open and networking
- 6:00 p.m. Food and opening remarks
- 6:15 p.m. The conversation: founder and funder
- 6:55 p.m. Your questions
- 7:05 p.m. A special A11YVERSE announcement
- 7:15 p.m. Networking
- 8:00 p.m. Close
Who should come
Founders and people thinking about starting a business, accessibility and inclusion leaders inside organizations, funders and partners, and the disability community and allies.
Details
- When: Tuesday, November 10, 2026, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
- Where: BDC Square Toronto, 81 Bay Street, 37th Floor, Toronto, ON.
- Registration is required and space is limited.
- You can request accommodations when you register.
- Your building entry QR code arrives by email 24 hours before the event.
- Hosted by A11YVERSE, with support from BDC.
Supported by BDC
BDC, the Business Development Bank of Canada, is the bank for Canadian entrepreneurs. It supports businesses with financing, advisory services and capital, and is hosting this evening at BDC Square Toronto.
Speakers
Toan Dinh
Panelist
CEO, Fable
Toan Dinh is the CEO of Fable, a global accessibility research platform. Fable also employs people with disabilities as testers and panel experts, helping organizations bring real-world evidence and lived experience into the way they design, build, and improve digital products. Toan brings a people-first lens shaped by years of leading growth, customer, and revenue teams at companies including Boast, Quantum Workplace, Patsnap, and Touchbistro.
Varun Chandak
Panelist. The ecosystem view: what it takes to build and grow disability-led businesses.
Founder and Executive Director, Access to Success
Varun Chandak is the Founder and Executive Director of Access to Success, a Toronto-based non-profit on a mission to Enable Everyone. Driven by his own lived experiences with disabilities, Varun grew ATS to be a leading global innovation hub for accessibility startups. Under his leadership, ATS has expanded its reach to 41 countries and its startups have benefited over 2.5 million people with disabilities worldwide. As a leader in accessibility innovation, disability inclusion and inclusive design, Varun has been invited to speak on 5 continents. He has been recognized as a Top 50 Changemaker in Canada and was awarded the inaugural Tom Wilson Leadership in Disability Award. Varun has a professional background in financial services, holds an MBA from the University of Toronto, and is a Chartered Accountant.
Financing expert
Panelist
BDC
Name announced soon. The lender's view: how BDC looks at a business, and the options open to Canadian entrepreneurs.
Juan Olarte
Moderator
Founder and CEO, A11YVERSE and Digita11y Accessible
Juan Olarte is a technology entrepreneur and digital accessibility leader with more than 25 years of experience advancing inclusive digital experiences. His work is shaped by both deep technical expertise and lived experience with visual impairment, giving him a practical and personal understanding of what accessibility truly means.
As Founder and CEO of Digita11y Accessible, Juan leads a company focused on helping organizations embed accessibility into the core of their digital products and operations. Through a combination of expert services and AI-driven solutions, the company enables teams to move beyond compliance and build accessibility into their workflows in a sustainable, scalable way.
Juan is also the founder of A11YVERSE, a growing initiative focused on connecting the accessibility ecosystem through knowledge, stories, and innovation. A11YVERSE brings together organizations, professionals, and communities to make accessibility easier to understand, implement, and scale, while creating space for collaboration and real-world impact.
Throughout his career, Juan has worked across sectors including finance, education, and government, helping organizations translate accessibility standards into practical strategies that improve user experience and drive business outcomes. Beyond his companies, he is deeply involved in the accessibility community, organizing events, contributing to industry conversations, and supporting initiatives that empower people with disabilities to participate in and shape the future of technology.
Juan's work sits at the intersection of accessibility, AI, and innovation, with a clear focus on one outcome: making accessibility a natural and essential part of how technology is built.
Join us on November 10, 2026
Reserve your place at this event.
After you register, you'll get a confirmation email with the event details. A QR code to enter the building will be emailed to you 24 hours before the event.