Digital Accessibility Innovator DevAlly Secures €2M for Global Expansion
October 13, 2025, 3:42 pm
Dublin-based DevAlly secured €2 million in pre-seed funding. This investment accelerates its AI-powered platform for digital accessibility compliance. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) creates urgent market demand. DevAlly empowers businesses to navigate complex regulations, preventing substantial fines and expanding their digital reach to all users. The startup plans aggressive team expansion, growing from five to fifteen employees. It targets a strategic entry into the US market, establishing sales operations in San Francisco. DevAlly champions accessibility, transforming a compliance burden into a significant competitive advantage for global enterprises. The platform combines AI with human expertise, ensuring scalable, continuous testing. This approach promises enhanced, inclusive digital experiences, benefiting a vast, underserved market and future-proofing products against legal risks.
DevAlly, a Dublin-based innovator, just secured €2 million in pre-seed funding. This significant capital injection propels its mission. The company aims to redefine digital accessibility. Its AI-powered platform offers a crucial solution for businesses worldwide.
Digital accessibility is paramount. Yet, most of the internet remains inaccessible. Over 97% of websites fail to serve people with disabilities. This creates significant barriers. It also exposes companies to massive risks.
New regulations heighten this urgency. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) took effect in June 2025. It mandates stringent accessibility standards. These cover websites, apps, and all digital products across the EU. Non-compliance carries severe consequences. Fines can reach €500,000. Public contract exclusion is possible. Product bans or even criminal penalties loom. Less than 20% of companies are truly prepared. They face legal, financial, and reputational peril.
DevAlly directly addresses this critical gap. Its platform simplifies complex compliance. It automates accessibility issue detection. This includes common barriers like missing captions or poor color contrast. The system also tracks user-reported issues. It generates detailed accessibility reports. Crucially, it integrates accessibility into product development cycles.
This approach marks a departure from traditional methods. Many companies rely on costly, time-consuming manual audits. DevAlly combines human expertise with advanced AI and large language models (LLMs). This delivers scalable, continuous accessibility testing. Developers receive step-by-step guidance. Issues resolve quickly. The platform saves countless hours. It eliminates the need for frequent, expensive external audits.
Cormac Chisholm, CEO and co-founder, stresses a core belief: An inaccessible product is a broken product. Accessible design benefits everyone. One in five people live with a disability. Situational disabilities also exist. Consider heavy screen glare or single-handed device use. Universal design improves user experience for all. DevAlly turns a compliance "headache" into a competitive advantage.
The funding round saw strong support. Miles Ahead led the investment. European Angels, NDRC, and Enterprise Ireland also participated. This diverse backing underscores DevAlly's potential. Investors see a standout founding team. They recognize a clear vision. They acknowledge a measurable impact.
DevAlly's solution transcends mere checklists. It offers an end-to-end approach. It empowers product teams. Accessibility embeds into design. It becomes part of development culture. This fosters intuitive, inclusive digital experiences. It works across all devices.
The capital will fuel aggressive growth. The team will expand. DevAlly plans to grow from five to fifteen employees. New roles focus on product and engineering. This expansion is primarily in Dublin. The company previously participated in the NDRC accelerator program. It also showcased at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield 2024. These platforms provided crucial connections.
DevAlly eyes a significant market beyond Europe. The company plans strategic expansion into the United States. Sales operations will launch in San Francisco. Co-founder and CRO Patrick Guiney highlights existing US customer connections. DevAlly positions itself as a vital bridge. It helps US companies meet EAA compliance requirements efficiently. Many current customers reside on the West Coast.
The global economic incentive for accessibility is immense. Disabled consumers and their households wield significant purchasing power. This represents an estimated €7.5 trillion in annual disposable income worldwide. Ignoring this demographic is a costly mistake. Accessible products reach a much larger market. They strengthen brand loyalty. They reduce legal vulnerabilities.
Improvements born from accessibility often become universal advancements. Think of captions on streaming services. Consider accessible designs on mobile devices. These features enhance usage for everyone. Accessible design is simply better design. It is a smarter form of product development.
DevAlly's mission extends to democratizing this critical practice. It empowers internal teams. They can build accessibility directly into their products. This moves beyond compliance. It fosters true innovation. Companies move ahead of the curve. They create products that perform better. They feel better.
The digital accessibility landscape is evolving rapidly. Other startups, like QualiBooth in Barcelona, also emerge. However, DevAlly's founders see broader opportunities. They aim to assist both European and American firms. Their goal is to adapt to evolving standards. Ultimately, they seek to improve user experiences for every customer. DevAlly is not just building a platform. It is building a movement. It is shaping a more inclusive digital future. This investment secures its path to global leadership.
DevAlly, a Dublin-based innovator, just secured €2 million in pre-seed funding. This significant capital injection propels its mission. The company aims to redefine digital accessibility. Its AI-powered platform offers a crucial solution for businesses worldwide.
Digital accessibility is paramount. Yet, most of the internet remains inaccessible. Over 97% of websites fail to serve people with disabilities. This creates significant barriers. It also exposes companies to massive risks.
New regulations heighten this urgency. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) took effect in June 2025. It mandates stringent accessibility standards. These cover websites, apps, and all digital products across the EU. Non-compliance carries severe consequences. Fines can reach €500,000. Public contract exclusion is possible. Product bans or even criminal penalties loom. Less than 20% of companies are truly prepared. They face legal, financial, and reputational peril.
DevAlly directly addresses this critical gap. Its platform simplifies complex compliance. It automates accessibility issue detection. This includes common barriers like missing captions or poor color contrast. The system also tracks user-reported issues. It generates detailed accessibility reports. Crucially, it integrates accessibility into product development cycles.
This approach marks a departure from traditional methods. Many companies rely on costly, time-consuming manual audits. DevAlly combines human expertise with advanced AI and large language models (LLMs). This delivers scalable, continuous accessibility testing. Developers receive step-by-step guidance. Issues resolve quickly. The platform saves countless hours. It eliminates the need for frequent, expensive external audits.
Cormac Chisholm, CEO and co-founder, stresses a core belief: An inaccessible product is a broken product. Accessible design benefits everyone. One in five people live with a disability. Situational disabilities also exist. Consider heavy screen glare or single-handed device use. Universal design improves user experience for all. DevAlly turns a compliance "headache" into a competitive advantage.
The funding round saw strong support. Miles Ahead led the investment. European Angels, NDRC, and Enterprise Ireland also participated. This diverse backing underscores DevAlly's potential. Investors see a standout founding team. They recognize a clear vision. They acknowledge a measurable impact.
DevAlly's solution transcends mere checklists. It offers an end-to-end approach. It empowers product teams. Accessibility embeds into design. It becomes part of development culture. This fosters intuitive, inclusive digital experiences. It works across all devices.
The capital will fuel aggressive growth. The team will expand. DevAlly plans to grow from five to fifteen employees. New roles focus on product and engineering. This expansion is primarily in Dublin. The company previously participated in the NDRC accelerator program. It also showcased at TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield 2024. These platforms provided crucial connections.
DevAlly eyes a significant market beyond Europe. The company plans strategic expansion into the United States. Sales operations will launch in San Francisco. Co-founder and CRO Patrick Guiney highlights existing US customer connections. DevAlly positions itself as a vital bridge. It helps US companies meet EAA compliance requirements efficiently. Many current customers reside on the West Coast.
The global economic incentive for accessibility is immense. Disabled consumers and their households wield significant purchasing power. This represents an estimated €7.5 trillion in annual disposable income worldwide. Ignoring this demographic is a costly mistake. Accessible products reach a much larger market. They strengthen brand loyalty. They reduce legal vulnerabilities.
Improvements born from accessibility often become universal advancements. Think of captions on streaming services. Consider accessible designs on mobile devices. These features enhance usage for everyone. Accessible design is simply better design. It is a smarter form of product development.
DevAlly's mission extends to democratizing this critical practice. It empowers internal teams. They can build accessibility directly into their products. This moves beyond compliance. It fosters true innovation. Companies move ahead of the curve. They create products that perform better. They feel better.
The digital accessibility landscape is evolving rapidly. Other startups, like QualiBooth in Barcelona, also emerge. However, DevAlly's founders see broader opportunities. They aim to assist both European and American firms. Their goal is to adapt to evolving standards. Ultimately, they seek to improve user experiences for every customer. DevAlly is not just building a platform. It is building a movement. It is shaping a more inclusive digital future. This investment secures its path to global leadership.