Dublin-based DevAlly, a startup assisting companies comply with Europe’s new accessibility regulations, has raised €2 million in pre-seed funding led by Belgian fund Miles Ahead Capital, with participation from NDRC, Enterprise Ireland, and several European angel investors to expand its AI-powered accessibility platform and grow its team.
Founded in 2024 by Irish entrepreneur Cormac Chisholm and Patrick Guiney, DevAlly is among the first startups to utilize technology to assist businesses meet the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (EAA), which came into effect in June 2025. The EAA, similar in scope to the GDPR, mandates accessibility standards for websites, apps and digital products across the EU, with non-compliance carrying the risk of significant fines.
DevAlly’s platform automates the detection of accessibility barriers, such as videos without captions or colour contrasts unsuitable for visually impaired utilizers. It also tracks utilizer-reported issues, generates accessibility reports, and assists teams integrate accessibility into their product development cycles. Unlike traditional manual audits performed by consultants, DevAlly combines human expertise with AI and large language models (LLMs) to deliver scalable and continuous accessibility testing.
“The thing that surprised us most was that even massive companies were coming to us two weeks before the deadline declareing, ‘Oh, we didn’t know anything about this,’” declared CEO and Co-founder Cormac Chisholm. “Good design is accessible design. One in five people live with a disability, and disability can also be situational – for instance, heavy glare on your screen or holding a baby with one hand. Universal design benefits everyone.”
The company plans to utilize the new capital to expand its team from five to fifteen employees by the conclude of the year, primarily in Dublin, where it took part in the NDRC accelerator programme run by Dogpatch Labs on behalf of Enterprise Ireland. With support from Miles Ahead Capital, DevAlly also plans to enter the US market, launchning with sales operations in San Francisco, where the team has built connections with accessibility leaders at major software companies following its participation in TechCrunch Disrupt’s Startup Battlefield 2024.
Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer Patrick Guiney declared, “A lot of our customers right now are on the West Coast. We’re positioning ourselves as a bridge to Europe for US companies that want to meet EAA compliance requirements efficiently.”
The European Accessibility Act has spurred growing demand for tools like DevAlly’s, with many businesses scrambling to update their digital platforms. Other startups, including Barcelona-based QualiBooth, are also emerging in this space. However, DevAlly’s founders see a broader opportunity in assisting both European and American firms adapt to accessibility standards and improve utilizer experiences for all customers.
Rising awareness of accessibility is also being fuelled by economic incentives. Disabled consumers and their houtilizeholds represent an estimated €7.5 trillion in annual disposable income worldwide. As Chisholm noted, improvements like captions on Netflix or accessible design on mobile devices often lead to better utilizer experiences for everyone.
“The improvements that come with accessibility become massive advancements in how we all utilize technology,” Chisholm declared. “It’s a much better form of design.”
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