First, disrupt and grow. Accessibility comes later.
This goes hand in hand with the mantra of move fast and break things or make it work, make it good, make it fast.
Startups think accessibility can wait. First, they need to disrupt the market. But ignoring it early risks missing customers, facing costly fixes and falling behind competitors.
Accessibility matters from day one.
You have a bigger market
Over a billion people worldwide have disabilities. If your product isn't accessible, you're shutting out a huge audience. Plus you have older users, injured workers and parents carrying groceries. Accessibility isn't niche. It's how you reach everyone.
You save money later
Retrofitting accessibility is expensive. Startups have a short runway and can't afford wasted time or legal risks from excluding users.
You'll have better ideas
If innovation is what you want, then designing for accessibility is what sparks it lots of times. Constraints force creativity.
You'll attract more talent and money
Top developers and designers want to work on inclusive products. Investors, too, look for startups that plan for long-term growth, not quick fixes. Accessibility shows you're building responsibly.
Waiting to add accessibility later is a myth. Unattended, it'll be a thorn in your tech stack, frustrating users and limiting your growth. Startups that prioritise accessibility early gain competitive advantages in usability, legal compliance, talent attraction and market expansion.