accessiBe

accessiBe was founded in 2018 by Dekel Skoop, Gal Vizel and Shir Ekerling.{{cite web |title=Israeli Startup accessiBe Secures $12M Investment from K1 Finance Magnates |url=https://www.financemagnates.com/fintech/news/israeli-startup-accessibe-secures-12m-investment-from-k1/ |website=Finance Magnates |accessdate=23 May 2020 |language=en |date=13 May 2020}}{{cite web |title=Web accessibility platform accessiBe secures $12 million to make the entire web accessible |url=https://betanews.com/2020/05/15/accessibe-secures-12-million-funding/ |website=BetaNews |accessdate=23 May 2020 |language=en |date=15 May 2020}} The founders worked on developing proprietary software in order to make websites accessible for people with disabilities.{{cite news |last1=Elizur |first1=Itai |title=How to Make Your Website ADA Compliant, Avoid Accessibility Lawsuits |url=https://smallbiztrends.com/2019/08/make-your-website-ada-compliant.html |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=Small Business Trends |date=20 August 2019}}{{cite news |title=How eCommerce Store Owners Can Help Persons with Disabilities During the COVID-19 Crisis |url=https://www.business2community.com/ecommerce/how-ecommerce-store-owners-can-help-persons-with-disabilities-during-the-covid-19-crisis-02304237 |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=Business 2 Community}}{{Cite web|last=Abo|first=Jessica|date=2020-09-04|title=How One Company is Working to Solve Web Accessibility|url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/video/355687|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Entrepreneur|language=en}}

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.{{cite news|title=Why Your Website Might Not Be Welcoming for People With Disabilities|language=en|work=Fortune|url=https://fortune.com/2019/09/21/beyonce-lawsuit-website-ada-compliant/|accessdate=23 May 2020}}{{cite news|date=18 May 2020|title=How Ecommerce Stores Can Care About Customers During the Pandemic|language=en|work=Search Engine Journal|url=https://www.searchenginejournal.com/ecommerce-stores-customer-card/365174/#close|accessdate=23 May 2020}} 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.{{cite news|date=21 January 2020|title=accessiBe aims to make the Internet accessible by 2025|language=en|work=Information Age|url=https://www.information-age.com/accessibe-internet-accessible-2025-123487156/|accessdate=23 May 2020}}{{Cite web|last=Moed|first=Jonathan|title=This Startup Aims To Make E-Commerce Accessible For Everyone|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanmoed/2020/08/03/this-startup-aims-to-make-ecommerce-accessible-for-everyone/|access-date=2020-09-19|website=Forbes|language=en}} In 2021 accessiBe added to its ecosystem of tools, accessFlow,{{Cite press release |last=accessiBe |title=accessiBe Releases New Accessibility Testing and Remediation Platform, Alongside a Learning Hub For Developers, Designers, and Product Managers |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/accessibe-releases-new-accessibility-testing-and-remediation-platform-alongside-a-learning-hub-for-developers-designers-and-product-managers-301351101.html |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}} a testing and remediation platform for developers on the source code level.

accessiBe first raised $500,000 from private investors including Nadav Dakner, Elad Mor, Itai Elizur, Oron Yaffe.{{cite news |last1=אורבך |first1=מאיר |title=חברת אקססיבי גייסה 12 מיליון דולר לנגישות של אתרי אינטרנט |url=https://www.calcalist.co.il/internet/articles/0,7340,L-3822050,00.html |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=Calcalist |date=13 May 2020}} In May 2020, the company raised $12 million in Series A funding from K1 Investment Management.{{cite news |title=אקססיבי הישראלית מגייסת כסף, כי אתרים לא מונגשים מפסידים כניסות וחשופים לתביעות |url=https://www.geektime.co.il/accessibe-raises-12m/ |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=Geektime |date=13 May 2020 |language=he-IL}}{{cite news |title=accessiBe Raises $12M in Funding |url=https://www.finsmes.com/2020/05/accessibe-raises-12m-in-funding.html |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=FinSMEs |date=13 May 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Dorbian |first1=Iris |title=K1 invests $12m in AccessiBe |url=https://www.pehub.com/k1-invests-12m-in-accessibe/ |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=PE Hub |date=13 May 2020}}{{cite news |title=3 Reputation Management Tasks You've Never Considered - but Should Be Doing |url=https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/3-reputation-management-tasks-youve-never-considered-but-should-be-doing/561993/ |accessdate=23 May 2020 |work=Social Media Today}} 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.{{cite news|date=13 May 2020|title=Israeli AI-Powered Web Accessibility Company AccessiBe Raises $12m|language=en|website=No Camels|url=https://nocamels.com/2020/05/israeli-ai-web-accessibility-accessib-12m/|accessdate=13 May 2021}}{{cite news|date=13 May 2020|title=AI web accessibility co accessiBe raises $12m|language=en|website=Globes|url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-ai-web-accessibility-co-accessibe-raises-12m-1001328482|accessdate=11 May 2021}}{{Cite web|title=Accessibility overlay startup accessiBe closes $28M Series A|url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/02/10/accessibility-overlay-startup-accessibe-closes-28m-series-a/|access-date=2021-02-15|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US}}

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.{{cite news|date=10 February 2021|title=accessiBe Secures $28 Million in Series A Funding Following a Successful 2020|language=en|website=Venture Beat|url=https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/10/accessibe-secures-28-million-in-series-a-funding-following-a-successful-2020/|accessdate=12 May 2021}} 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.{{cite news|date=10 February 2021|title=accessiBe Secures $28 Million in Series A Funding Following a Successful 2020|language=en|website=Business Wire|url=https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/10/accessibe-secures-28-million-in-series-a-funding-following-a-successful-2020/|accessdate=12 May 2021}}{{cite news|date=10 February 2021|title=Israeli AI Web Accessibility Startup acceisBe closes $28M Series A Round|language=en|website=nocamels|url=https://venturebeat.com/2021/02/10/accessibe-secures-28-million-in-series-a-funding-following-a-successful-2020/|accessdate=12 May 2021}}

In August 2022 accessiBe raised an additional $30 Million as an extension to its previous Series A{{cite news |title=Website accessibility start-up accessiBe raises $58m. in Series A funding |url=https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-715349 |access-date=7 November 2022 |publisher=Jerusalem Post}} bringing its total funding to $58 Million.

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.{{Cite web|title=Overlay Fact Sheet|url=https://overlayfactsheet.com/}}

• During their 2021 convention the National Federation of the Blind made resolutions that condemned the use of accessibility overlays as an inadequate solution{{Cite web|date=July 10, 2021|title=Resolution 2021-04: Regarding the Use of Overlays to Make Websites Accessible to the Blind|url=https://nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2021-resolutions#04}} and described accessiBe's marketing and business practices as "disrespectful and misleading".{{Cite web|date=July 10, 2021|title=Resolution 2021-04: Resolution 2021-17: Regarding accessiBe's Disrespectful and Misleading Business Practices|url=https://nfb.org/resources/speeches-and-reports/resolutions/2021-resolutions#17}}
• Steve Faulkner, member of the W3C Web Platforms Working Group,{{Cite web|title=CodePen - Steve Faulkner: Resume|url=https://cdpn.io/stevef/debug/dyGeywr|access-date=2020-10-23|website=cdpn.io}} says accessibility plugins can't fix fundamental issues or replicate existing browser functionality.{{Cite web|last=Faulkner|first=Steve|date=2020-05-13|title=Bolt-on Accessibility – 5 gears in reverse|url=https://developer.paciellogroup.com/blog/2020/05/bolt-on-accessibility-5-gears-in-reverse/|access-date=2020-10-23|website=TPG|language=en-US}}
• Haben Girma, disability rights lawyer, author, and speaker, urges companies to stay away from accessiBe and other companies in the same space.{{Cite web|last=Girma|first=Haben|date=May 5, 2021|title=Avoid AccessiBe & other companies claiming quick & easy AI accessibility|url=https://habengirma.com/2021/05/05/avoid-accessibe-other-companies-claiming-quick-easy-ai-accessibility/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518220821/https://habengirma.com/2021/05/05/avoid-accessibe-other-companies-claiming-quick-easy-ai-accessibility/ |archive-date=2021-05-18 }}

Many industry professionals have criticized the entire product category.{{Cite web|last=Alex|date=2020-08-24|title=The Trouble with Accessibility Overlays|url=https://logictran.com/2020/08/24/the-trouble-with-accessibility-overlays/|access-date=2020-10-23|website=Logictran, Inc.|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|date=2020-05-20|title=Are Overlays an ADA Liability? Here's What Experts Had to Say|url=https://216digital.com/ada-website-overlays/|access-date=2020-10-23|website=216digital|language=en-US}}

As of 2020, there have been around 100 lawsuits against companies after they invested in a widget-based solution,{{Cite web|last=Taylor|first=Jason|title=App and Web Accessibility Lawsuits - What's New in 2020|url=https://blog.usablenet.com/web-accessibility-lawsuits-whats-new-in-2020|access-date=2020-10-23|website=blog.usablenet.com|language=en-us}} most prominently ADP,{{Cite web|title=LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired v. ADP TotalSource|url=https://dralegal.org/case/lighthouse-for-the-blind-and-visually-impaired-v-adp-totalsource/|access-date=2020-10-23|website=Disability Rights Advocates|language=en-US}} and two have named accessiBe specifically: Thomas Klaus and Robert Jahoda v. Upright Technologies,{{Cite web|title=KLAUS et al v. UPRIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (2:20-cv-00191), Pennsylvania Western District Court|url=https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/32200854/KLAUS_et_al_v_UPRIGHT_TECHNOLOGIES,_INC|access-date=2020-10-23|website=www.pacermonitor.com}} and Kolesar v. Bylt, LLC.[https://www.pacermonitor.com/public/case/32071945/KLAUS_et_al_v_BYLT,_LLC KLAUS et al v. BYLT, LLC (1:20-cv-00025), Pennsylvania Western District Court]. www.pacermonitor.com. Retrieved 2020-10-23.

In January 2025, the US Federal Trade Commission ordered accessiBe to pay $1 million (subject to a thirty day finalisation period) due to misrepresentation that its software could make any website compliant with WCAG, and ordered it to stop making any such claims. It also ordered accessiBe to make clear any material connection reviewers and endorsers have to their products.{{Cite web|title=FTC Order Requires Online Marketer to Pay $1 Million for Deceptive Claims that its AI Product Could Make Websites Compliant with Accessibility Guidelines|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-order-requires-online-marketer-pay-1-million-deceptive-claims-its-ai-product-could-make-websites|access-date=2025-01-04|website=www.ftc.gov}}

• Start-up Nation
• Userway
• Israeli technology

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{{Web accessibility}}

Category:Web accessibility

Category:Assistive technology