Making Space

What Making Space does

Making Space is a Los Angeles-based, disability-led talent acquisition and learning experience platform founded by Keely Cat-Wells that connects Neurodivergent, Chronically Ill, and Disabled professionals with career opportunities, free education, and community, while equipping employers to hire and retain disability talent. The company serves two primary customer segments: disabled job seekers (free, self-serve access to job matching, courses, and AI-powered tools) and enterprise employers (paid B2B SaaS subscriptions and corporate training services). The company maintains a community of 50,000+ professionals and claims 200,000+ employees trained across enterprise partners, with reported outcomes of 123:1 ROI and $111 million in projected lifetime earnings for the first Ascend Fellowship cohort of 100 participants.

The product suite centers on Making Space AI, an LLM-powered tool that translates users' lived experiences of disability into transferable professional skills, resume content, and interview talking points; the Ascend Fellowship, a 10-month workforce development program pairing fellows with major employer partners including Microsoft, Salesforce, Walmart, and Visa; the Expert Marketplace, which connects companies with vetted disability and accessibility consultants; and the Spoon-Saving Job Recommendations engine, which matches candidates to roles based on structured skills, accessibility needs, and preferences. Additional sub-brands include Making Space Media (TV/film production featuring disabled talent, in partnership with Hello Sunshine and Netflix). The technology stack relies on natural language processing for skills translation and structured-data recommendation logic for job matching, with explicit design commitments to accessibility and bias mitigation for neurodivergent users.

Revenue derives from two streams: B2B SaaS subscriptions (quote-based annual contracts for employer access to the talent pool, training, and consulting tools) and professional services revenue from corporate disability-inclusion training and accessibility consulting. The job-seeker side is free and freemium, driving a product-led growth motion on one side while a field-sales motion targets large enterprises on the other. The company is venture-backed with approximately $3.5 million in disclosed funding to date, including a $2 million pre-seed round led by Beta Boom (July 2024) and grants from WGU Labs and the GitLab Foundation, and has received recognition including Forbes Accessibility 100 (2025), Cartier Women's Initiative First Place (2026), and L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth (2025).

Name

Making Space

Legal name

Making Space

Website

https://making-space.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Making Space is a Los Angeles-based, disability-led talent acquisition and learning platform that connects Neurodivergent, Chronically Ill, and Disabled professionals with employers through AI-powered skills translation, job matching, the Ascend Fellowship, and an Expert Marketplace, monetizing via enterprise B2B SaaS and training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. B2B SaaS Employer Platform: Companies pay for access to disability-inclusive talent pool, training programs for employees, and consulting on accessibility best practices
2. Employer Training Programs: Revenue from corporate training programs on disability inclusion and accessibility for enterprise partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Making Space is a talent acquisition and learning platform that connects Neurodivergent, Chronically Ill, and Disabled professionals with inclusive employers through a free job-seeker side (courses, AI-powered skills translation, job matching) and a paid B2B employer side (access to a pre-qualified disability talent pool, AI-powered skills translation, workforce development programs, and accessibility training). Its proprietary Making Space AI tool translates lived disability experience into employer-recognized transferable skills for resumes and interviews.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ascend Fellowship: A workforce development initiative connecting disabled professionals with competitive, sustainable employment while helping companies build inclusive hiring practices. The 10-month program provides tailored education, employer training, and pre-vetted job opportunities.
• Making Space AI
• Expert Marketplace
• Making Space Media

Products and services

• Making Space Talent Platform (B2B SaaS) Subscription-based employer platform giving enterprises access to a pre-qualified global pool of disabled professionals, AI-powered skills translation, and tools to support inclusive hiring and retention; sold to large employers with annual subscriptions.
• Making Space AI - Lived Experience to Skills Translation Standalone AI tool, available via the Making Space platform, that uses natural language processing to translate the lived experiences of disabled professionals into transferable, marketable professional skills, resume content, and interview talking points; used by job seekers and supported by employer customers.
• Making Space Ascend Fellowship 10-month employer-partnered workforce development program providing tailored education, employer training, and pre-vetted job placements to disabled professionals, with employer partners including Microsoft, Salesforce, Walmart, Visa, and Shutterstock.
• Expert Marketplace Marketplace connecting companies with vetted disability and accessibility experts, consultants, speakers, trainers, and educators for workshops, audits, training, and strategic initiatives; used by enterprise customers for accessibility consulting engagements.
• Employer Disability Inclusion Training and Accessibility Consulting Professional services offering for enterprise partners covering disability inclusion training for managers and recruiters and accessibility consulting for products, experiences, and workplaces; delivered to 200,000+ employees across enterprise partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• 123:1 ROI for employers using the platform
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Valuable 500coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025Strategic partnership announced October 2025 with the Valuable 500 organization, a global network of CEOs committed to disability inclusion in business
• IndeedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership to provide disability-focused courses on Indeed's learning platform, expanding reach of training programs
• United AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner for disability inclusion programs
• SalesforcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner providing accessibility training content
• The Broad MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner for accessibility programs
• Red BullminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTraining partner for disabled professional development
• GooglecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle AI Academy partner - selected for American Infrastructure Academy Cohort 2025
• Hello SunshineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Reese Witherspoon's media company
• CartiercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerWon Cartier Women's Initiative Award - First Place 2026 ($100,000)
• L'Oréal ParisminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRecognized as L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth 2025 ($25,000)

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Inclusively: Disability-focused talent matching platform that connects employers with disabled and neurodivergent candidates, offering candidate screening, employer training, and accessibility consulting that closely mirrors Making Space's core value proposition.
• Mentra: AI-driven hiring platform purpose-built for neurodivergent job seekers, matching candidates to employers based on cognitive strengths and work environment fit. Directly comparable on the AI-based matching and disability specialization axes.
• AccessAbility Works: Workforce development and job-matching organization focused on placing people with disabilities into employment, combining candidate training with employer partnerships similar to Making Space's Ascend Fellowship.

Broad incumbents

• Eightfold AI: Large-scale AI talent intelligence platform serving global enterprises with skills matching, talent acquisition, and DEI capabilities. Comparable on AI-driven skills translation and enterprise talent matching, but operates as a broad HR platform rather than disability specialist.
• Phenom People: Enterprise talent experience platform with AI-powered candidate matching, career site, and CRM capabilities. Comparable on the AI matching and employer B2B SaaS model, though it serves a much broader market beyond disability inclusion.
• Greenhouse: Established applicant tracking and hiring platform used by mid-market and enterprise employers. Comparable as a B2B talent acquisition SaaS, with broader scope and substantially larger customer base than Making Space.
• Cielo: Talent acquisition solutions provider offering RPO, talent consulting, and DEI services to global enterprises. Comparable in the enterprise inclusion and DEI training/consulting layer, with substantially larger scale.

Emerging players

• HireVue: AI-driven hiring assessment and interview platform serving enterprise customers, with overlap in AI-powered candidate evaluation. Differentiated by video interview automation and broader assessment scope rather than disability specialization.
• Workable: SMB-focused AI-powered recruiting and applicant tracking platform. Comparable on the talent matching and job distribution model, though focused on the broader SMB market rather than disability-specific placement.

Others

• Job Accommodation Network (JAN): Leading free resource for workplace accommodations and disability employment guidance, often referenced by employers and disabled job seekers. Comparable as an ecosystem enabler in disability employment, though not a commercial talent platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/makingspacework
• Instagraminstagram.com/_making_space__

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors14 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Making Space