In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher continue “Tales from the Innovation Showcase,” a special series of conversations recorded at the Accessible Innovation Showcase at The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

For the third episode in the series, Kelvin and Chris sit down with Pierre Paul, founder and CEO of We Hear You, the company behind the Hero Door Opener—a lightweight, affordable technology that can make virtually any door accessible in minutes.

Pierre shares his journey as an entrepreneur and how We Hear You evolved from its original work in sign language translation to tackling another everyday accessibility challenge: opening doors. He explains how the Hero Door Opener was designed to address a significant gap in the market by making interior doors more accessible without the cost, wiring, and complex installation required by traditional automatic door systems.

The episode then moves from the studio to the stage, where Pierre demonstrates the Hero Door Opener at the Accessible Innovation Showcase and shares his vision for expanding the technology into new markets around the world.

At the heart of our conversation is a simple message: the best innovation happens when we build with the disability community, not for them.

Links & Resources:

Pierre Paul: LinkedIn

We Hear You: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher continue “Tales from the Innovation Showcase,” a special series of conversations recorded at the Accessible Innovation Showcase at The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

For the second episode in the series, Kelvin and Chris welcome back Bob Ludke, co-founder of Value Inclusion and author of Case Studies in Disability Driven Innovation and Transformative Markets. Bob has spent his career advising policymakers, global companies, and nonprofit organizations on sustainability, corporate governance, accessibility, disability employment, and the role of markets in driving positive change.

Bob reflects on his experience at The Schoolhouse Hotel and why accessible design goes far beyond compliance. When environments are designed for everyone, he explains, they create something much more powerful: a sense of welcome, dignity, and belonging.

The episode then moves from the studio to the stage, where Chris and Bob continue their conversation during a fireside chat at the Accessible Innovation Showcase. They explore how disability-driven innovation can move from niche markets to mainstream adoption, the enormous economic opportunity created by an aging population, and why the current moment presents an important opportunity to bring more private capital into accessibility and disability innovation.

At the heart of our conversation is a simple message: when we design for accessibility, we aren't simply removing barriers. We're creating more welcoming experiences, protecting human dignity, unlocking innovation, and building better products, services, and communities for everyone.

Links & Resources:

Bob Ludke: LinkedIn

Value Inclusion: Website

Case Studies in Disability-Driven Innovation: Bob's Book

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher kick off “Tales from the Innovation Showcase,” a special series of conversations recorded at the Accessible Innovation Showcase at The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

The Showcase brought together entrepreneurs, investors, advocates, hospitality leaders, and members of the disability community to explore how innovation can make travel and hospitality more accessible and inclusive. It also highlighted the work of The Accessibility Lab at The Schoolhouse Hotel, a living lab created to test early-stage assistive technology and accessibility products and services in a real-world hospitality environment.

For the first episode in the series, Kelvin and Chris sit down with Kristy Durso, an internationally recognized accessibility advocate, speaker, travel industry consultant, Army veteran, and owner of Incredible Memories Travel. Kristy is also a full-time wheelchair user and the mother of three children with disabilities, giving her a unique combination of lived experience and professional expertise.

Kristy shares her remarkable journey from military life to becoming a travel advisor and, ultimately, unexpectedly becoming a full-time wheelchair user herself. Rather than viewing her wheelchair as a limitation, Kristy describes discovering it as a source of freedom and how her own experiences navigating inaccessible airports, hotels, transportation, and destinations ultimately turned accessible travel into her life’s work.

The episode then moves from the studio to the stage, where Chris and Kristy continue their conversation during a fireside chat at the Accessible Innovation Showcase.

At the heart of our conversation is a simple message: accessibility shouldn’t be viewed as compliance. It should be viewed as exceptional hospitality and smart business.

Links & Resources:

Kristy Durso: LinkedIn

Incredible Memories Travel: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Bevon Joseph, founder and CEO of Grant Logic AI, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way nonprofits, startups, and mission-driven organizations discover and secure grant funding.

Drawing on his experience in financial services and as the founder of the nationally recognized nonprofit Greenwood Project, Bevon shares how years of frustration navigating the grant process inspired him to build Grant Logic AI—a platform that helps organizations identify the right funding opportunities, evaluate grant fit in seconds, and dramatically reduce the time required to prepare competitive applications.

The conversation explores why non-dilutive capital is becoming increasingly important for early-stage companies, particularly founders building accessibility and disability-focused businesses. Chris and Bevon discuss how AI can level the playing field by giving entrepreneurs access to funding opportunities that were once difficult to find and even harder to pursue, while Kelvin shares his own experiences navigating inaccessible grant systems as a blind entrepreneur.

Whether you're a startup founder, nonprofit leader, grant writer, investor, or simply interested in how AI can expand access to capital, this episode offers a practical look at one of the most overlooked funding opportunities available today—and how technology is making it more accessible for everyone.

Links & Resources:

Bevon Joseph: LinkedIn

Grant Logic AI: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Matt Eldridge, Executive Director of Realize Impact, for a fascinating conversation about unlocking philanthropic capital to fuel for-profit innovation and social impact.

Matt shares his unique career journey—from nonprofit leadership and startup entrepreneurship to leading an organization that helps move charitable dollars into mission-driven businesses and investment funds. The discussion explores how donor-advised funds (DAFs) and philanthropic capital can be used to support for-profit companies creating meaningful social and environmental impact.

Chris and Matt break down the mechanics of impact investing in simple terms, explaining how entrepreneurs, fund managers, and investors can access a largely untapped pool of capital that has traditionally been reserved for charitable giving. They also discuss the rapid growth of impact investing, the importance of taking thoughtful risks with philanthropic dollars, and why sectors like accessibility and disability innovation are well positioned to benefit from these emerging funding pathways.

Whether you're an entrepreneur raising capital, an investor looking to align your assets with your values, or simply curious about the future of impact investing, this episode offers practical insights and a fresh perspective on how philanthropic capital can be used to drive meaningful change.

Linkes & Resources: 

Matt Eldridge: LinkedIn / [email protected]

Realize Impact: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Alan Schwarz, Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and managing editor at Forbes, for a behind-the-scenes look at The Accessibility 200 — Forbes’ growing list recognizing the innovators, entrepreneurs, investors, and impact-makers shaping the future of accessibility.

Alan shares the unexpected origin story behind the list, from his early reporting on the Paralympics and friendship with wheelchair racer Josh George, to his realization that accessibility is not only a social imperative or legal mandate — it is good business.

Together, Kelvin, Chris, and Alan explore how Forbes approaches accessibility through the lens of business innovation, why the list is intentionally unranked, and how Alan built a broad advisory network across disability, technology, sports, education, mobility, veterans’ affairs, and corporate accessibility to help identify the people and organizations making real impact.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, journalist, corporate leader, or accessibility advocate, this episode offers a thoughtful look at how mainstream business media can help shine a brighter light on the disability innovation economy — and why accessibility is increasingly being recognized as smart business.

Links & Resources:

•  Alan Schwarz: LinkedIn 
•  Forbes Accessibility 200 Email: [email protected]
• Smokin J's BBQ: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this episode of Investing in Accessibility, co-hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher close out the Accelerator Series with Aarti Sahgal, founder and CEO of Synergies Work and the Synergy Seed Fund, for a powerful conversation about entrepreneurship, disability, and closing the disability wealth gap.

Aarti shares the personal journey that led her into the disability world—from navigating IEP meetings as an immigrant mother raising a son with Down syndrome, to realizing how many families and entrepreneurs with disabilities are forced to operate in systems that were never designed with them in mind. That lived experience became the foundation for Synergies Work, an organization built to support entrepreneurs with disabilities through business education, community, networks, and access to capital. 

The conversation explores why entrepreneurship is such a critical pathway for people with disabilities, especially when traditional employment and funding systems often leave talent unseen. Aarti breaks down how Synergies Work supports founders through its accelerator programs, one-on-one coaching, peer networks, and virtual community hub—helping entrepreneurs move from idea to viable business. 

This episode is a reminder that accessibility is not only about products, technology, or compliance—it is also about opportunity, ownership, and giving entrepreneurs with disabilities the tools, relationships, and capital they need to build.

Links & Resources:

Aarti Sahgal: LinkedIn
Synergies Work: Website
Synergies Seed Fund: Website
SSF Financial Health Blog Series: Website
Financial Fundamentals Program: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this latest installment of our Accelerator Series, hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Keevin O’Rourke, CEO of Multiple, a startup accelerator dedicated to advancing innovation in autism and neurodiversity tech.

Keevin shares his journey from early entrepreneurship—building college startups and navigating the highs and lows of the accelerator ecosystem—to leading Multiple, where he now supports founders tackling some of the most pressing challenges in the autism community. From lessons learned during failed pivots to insights gained across venture, strategic consulting, and corporate innovation, Keevin brings a uniquely well-rounded perspective on what it takes to build—and scale—impact-driven companies. 

The conversation dives deep into what makes Multiple different: a highly focused accelerator model that prioritizes revenue growth, go-to-market strategy, and investor readiness for startups already showing early traction. Keevin also unpacks the power of storytelling in fundraising, explaining why founders must go beyond “checklist pitches” to create emotional resonance—especially in a space where mission and market opportunity intersect.

This episode blends practical startup advice with a powerful reminder: accessibility innovation isn’t just good—it’s investable.

Tune in to learn how accelerators like Multiple are shaping the future of neurodiversity tech—and what founders should consider when choosing the right program to scale their growth.

Links & Resources:

Keevin O'Rourke: LinkedIn & Email: [email protected]

Multiple: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this installment of our Accelerator Series, hosts Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Molly Lazarus, Director of the U.S. accelerator at Remarkable—a global nonprofit funding and supporting startups building innovative solutions for the disability community.

Molly’s path to Remarkable is anything but conventional. From growing up alongside family members navigating ALS, to running summer camps for children with disabilities, to becoming a special education teacher-turned-startup founder backed by Y Combinator—each chapter shaped her belief that accessibility demands both empathy and innovation. A cold email to Remarkable’s team in Australia ultimately brought those worlds together.

In this episode, Molly shares what it really takes to build—and support—mission-driven companies:

•  Why some accelerators are actually “decelerators”—and how Remarkable is different 
•  How their nonprofit model creates regenerative capital for the disability tech ecosystem 
•  The two universal challenges every startup faces—and how coaching helps solve them 
•  Why vulnerability and psychological safety are critical for founder growth  

Throughout the conversation, Molly offers hard-earned insights for founders at any stage: building a company is hard, often lonely, and full of trade-offs—so choosing the right problem to solve matters.

Whether you’re building in accessibility, evaluating accelerators, or navigating the emotional and strategic realities of entrepreneurship, this episode offers an honest and refreshing perspective on what it takes to grow something that truly matters.

Links & Resources

•  Molly Lazarus: LinkedIn 
•  Remarkable: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.

In this installment of our Accelerator Series, Kelvin Crosby and Chris Maher sit down with Diego Mariscal, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International—the largest accelerator supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities.

Diego shares his remarkable journey from growing up in Monterrey, Mexico, to launching a global organization that has supported over 700 founders. Born prematurely and living with cerebral palsy, Diego’s lived experience shaped his belief that disability isn’t a limitation—it’s a powerful entrepreneurial advantage.

This episode dives into:

• How resilience and problem-solving—core to the disability experience—translate directly into entrepreneurship
• The early scrappy days of building 2Gether International (including Airbnb hustles and pitching strangers in Uber rides)
• What makes 2Gether’s accelerator unique, from its community-driven model to its focus on disability as a competitive advantage
• Why most founders misunderstand funding—and what they should focus on instead
• The critical (and often overlooked) challenge of balancing entrepreneurship with disability benefits
• Practical advice for early-stage founders on building real value and solving meaningful problems

Diego also offers a candid perspective on what separates successful founders from the rest: a deep, personal drive to solve a problem—not just passion alone.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, or advocate, this conversation will challenge how you think about disability, innovation, and what it truly takes to build something impactful.

Links & Resources:

Diego Mariscal: LinkedIn

2Gether-International: Website

COMING SOON!

American Sign Language (ASL) and Captioning for each episode will be provided on our YouTube channel. Go to handle @SamaritanPartners.