AccessNow
AccessNow is a Toronto-based accessibility platform operating a free mobile app and web map where users worldwide discover, rate, and review accessible restaurants, hotels, shops, attractions, transit, and outdoor spaces, serving primarily people with disabilities via community-driven crowdsourced data.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What AccessNow does
AccessNow is a Toronto-based accessibility technology platform founded in 2015 by Maayan Ziv, operating a free consumer mobile application (iOS and Android) and a web-based interactive map (map.accessnow.com) that enable individuals with disabilities to discover, rate, and review the accessibility of restaurants, hotels, shops, attractions, transit, parks, and trails worldwide. The platform is community-driven, relying on crowdsourced reviews supplemented by AI models trained on diverse lived experiences and community feedback to map and verify accessible spaces across cities and countries.
The company's product ecosystem extends well beyond the core app and map into a suite of sub-brands and programs: AccessNow Verified (a verification program for accessible places), AccessOutdoors (outdoor accessibility), MapMissions (community mapping events), AccessFest (an annual free outdoor festival in Toronto celebrating accessibility, organized with the City of Toronto and TD Bank), and AccessStudio, an educational platform hosting the FUTURES leadership program for disabled and neurodivergent young adults aged 18-30. Across three cohort cycles (Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Winter 2026), FUTURES has tracked 60 participants with measurable outcomes including a +89 mid-program NPS, 93% reporting greater ability to contribute to their communities, and 100% access-needs satisfaction.
AccessNow operates on a freemium consumer model with core mapping and discovery features available at no cost to users. Direct revenue generation is not publicly disclosed but appears to derive from a mix of corporate sponsorships (with TD Bank as Lead Sponsor of AccessFest and an expanding roster including Google, Uber, PwC, Toyota Mobility Foundation, YMCA, CIRA, and Pet Valu), government and non-profit grants (Canada Service Corps funds the FUTURES program), and prior strategic investments (a $2.7M Canadian Government grant in 2019 and a $250,000 Novartis investment in 2020). The company is founder-controlled, privately held, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, with 11-50 employees, and has secured press coverage in Forbes, Wired, The New York Times, Vice, and AFAR Magazine.
AccessNow firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AccessNow
- Legal name
- AccessNow
- Website
- https://accessnow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AccessNow is a Toronto-based accessibility platform operating a free mobile app and web map where users worldwide discover, rate, and review accessible restaurants, hotels, shops, attractions, transit, and outdoor spaces, serving primarily people with disabilities via community-driven crowdsourced data.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AccessNow industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Accessibility Information Platform
- NAICS
- Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools (EDALAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Digital Accessibility & Web/App Compliance (WCAG) (EDALAGAG)
Keywords
Where AccessNow is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
AccessNow business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- App and Platform Services: AccessNow operates as a free platform for consumers to discover accessible places. The company likely generates revenue through partnerships with organizations, sponsorships, and government funding for accessibility initiatives.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free consumer app with core features |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
AccessNow product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AccessNow operates a global accessibility information platform built around a mobile app (iOS and Android) and a web-based interactive map. Users can search for places with specific accessibility features, contribute reviews, and discover accessible restaurants, hotels, shops, attractions, transit, parks, and trails worldwide. The platform is supplemented by community programs including AccessNow Verified, AccessOutdoors, MapMissions, AccessFest, and the AccessStudio/FUTURES leadership program for Disabled and neurodivergent young adults.
Product overview
AccessNow is a comprehensive accessibility platform consisting of a core mobile app and web map for discovering and reviewing accessible places worldwide, supplemented by a suite of programs including AccessNow Verified (verification program), AccessOutdoors (outdoor accessibility), MapMissions (community mapping events), and AccessFest (annual accessibility festival). The company also operates AccessStudio, a platform hosting educational initiatives like the FUTURES leadership program. The ecosystem connects technology (app/map), public programming (festivals/events), and community-driven data to identify accessibility barriers and drive change.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- AccessNow Verified: A program within AccessNow's suite of tools for verifying accessible places.
- AccessOutdoors
- MapMissions
- AccessFest
- AccessStudio
Products and services
- AccessNow App Mobile application (iOS and Android) that lets users discover accessible places worldwide, search for specific accessibility features, rate and review places, and contribute to the community of mappers. Designed for people with disabilities and their allies.
- AccessNow Map Web-based interactive map platform displaying accessibility information for places and spaces around the world, supporting search and discovery of accessible locations.
- AccessStudio Online educational platform hosting programs such as the FUTURES leadership development program for Disabled and neurodivergent young adults aged 18-30.
- FUTURES Leadership Program AccessNow's leadership program for Disabled and neurodivergent young adults aged 18-30, featuring a three-phase curriculum with Activation Projects. Tracked across three cohort cycles with measurable outcomes in disability knowledge, leadership, and social impact skills; funded by Canada Service Corps.
Quantifiable outcome
- 93% of FUTURES participants felt more able to contribute to communities that mattered to them
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AccessNow
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AccessNow technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature1 record
AccessNow partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.
- MLSE (Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment)majorMLSE partnered with AccessNow to power the Inclusive Soccer Experience at AccessFest, inviting attendees of all abilities to participate in adaptive sports activities alongside Soccability.
- City of TorontocoreCity of Toronto is a key partner in organizing AccessFest, the annual free outdoor festival celebrating accessibility and inclusion. Mayor Olivia Chow has expressed support for the event as a reflection of Toronto's values of accessibility and creativity.
- TD Bank GroupcoreTD Bank is the Lead Sponsor of AccessFest. Through this sponsorship, TD supports AccessNow's mission to remove barriers and advance disability inclusion, aligning with their belief that access is a shared responsibility.
- CBCmajorCBC is a returning partner for AccessFest, providing media support and coverage for the accessibility festival.
- Mirvish ProductionsmajorAccessNow partnered with Mirvish Productions to support the first-ever Chilled Performance of & Juliet at the Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, promoting accessible theatre experiences.
- GoogleminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, supporting the accessibility festival.
- UberminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, contributing to the accessibility festival.
- PwCminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, supporting the accessibility festival.
- MotionminorReturning partner for AccessFest, providing support for the accessibility festival.
- National accessArts CentreminorReturning partner for AccessFest, supporting accessibility and arts programming.
- The Daniels CorporationminorReturning partner for AccessFest, supporting the accessibility festival.
- Sunshine Therapy DogsminorReturning partner for AccessFest, providing wellness programming with therapy dogs.
- CIRAminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, supporting the accessibility festival.
- Pet ValuminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, supporting the accessibility festival.
- Toyota Mobility FoundationminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, supporting accessibility and mobility initiatives.
- YMCAminorNew partner for AccessFest 2026, supporting the accessibility festival.
- SoccabilitymajorPartnered with MLSE to power the Inclusive Soccer Experience at AccessFest, providing adaptive sports programming.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AccessNow competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AccessibleGO: AccessibleGO is a booking platform focused on accessible hotels, vacation rentals, and travel experiences for travelers with disabilities. It overlaps with AccessNow's hotel/travel accessibility discovery use case, though with a stronger booking-commerce angle.
- AXS Map: AXS Map is a community-driven mapping project that crowdsources accessibility reviews of public venues. Historically a directly comparable peer in the crowdsourced accessibility mapping space, it represents a similar product model and target audience.
- Wheelmap: Wheelmap is a crowdsourced online map for wheelchair-accessible places, founded by the German non-profit Sozialhelden. It is the most directly comparable peer to AccessNow in terms of core product (accessibility place mapping), community-driven data model, and free consumer app.
- Access Earth: Access Earth is a New Zealand–based accessibility rating app and platform that lets users find and review the accessibility of venues worldwide. It competes directly with AccessNow in the crowdsourced accessibility mapping category.
Broad incumbents
- Tripadvisor: Tripadvisor is a major travel and venue review platform that has begun surfacing accessibility information on hotel and attraction listings. As a broad incumbent in venue discovery, it overlaps with AccessNow's use case for accessible travel and attraction discovery.
- Apple Maps: Apple Maps has added accessibility attributes (wheelchair-accessible places, voice-over support) and benefits from deep iOS integration. As AccessNow's iOS app competes for the same disability-focused user, Apple Maps represents a broad incumbent threat.
- Yelp: Yelp is a dominant place-review platform that has introduced accessibility-related attributes and filters for businesses. While not disability-specialized, its massive review dataset and consumer traffic overlap with AccessNow's place-discovery use case.
- Google Maps: Google Maps has steadily expanded accessibility features (wheelchair-accessible transit, accessible place attributes, Street View indoor imagery) and dwarfs AccessNow in place coverage and user traffic. It is a broad incumbent whose general-purpose mapping product increasingly overlaps with AccessNow's core use case.
Others
- accessiBe: accessiBe is an AI-powered web accessibility compliance platform that helps websites meet WCAG and ADA standards. It is thematically adjacent — both companies sit at the intersection of AI and accessibility — but operates in digital/web accessibility rather than physical-place accessibility.
Emerging players
- Project Sidewalk: Project Sidewalk is a University of Washington research project that uses crowdsourcing and machine learning to map sidewalk accessibility. It overlaps with AccessNow's outdoor/mobility accessibility focus but is research-oriented rather than a commercial consumer platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AccessNow social profiles
Digital presenceAccessNow financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AccessNow leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
AccessNow funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AccessNow M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AccessNow
What does AccessNow do?
AccessNow operates a global accessibility information platform built around a mobile app (iOS and Android) and a web-based interactive map. Users can search for places with specific accessibility features, contribute reviews, and discover accessible restaurants, hotels, shops, attractions, transit, parks, and trails worldwide. The platform is supplemented by community programs including AccessNow Verified, AccessOutdoors, MapMissions, AccessFest, and the AccessStudio/FUTURES leadership program for Disabled and neurodivergent young adults.
Is AccessNow a public or private company?
AccessNow is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AccessNow founded?
AccessNow was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AccessNow based?
AccessNow is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does AccessNow make money?
One revenue line is on record: app and Platform Services.
Who are AccessNow's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AccessibleGO, AXS Map, Wheelmap and Access Earth. Broad incumbents are Tripadvisor, Apple Maps, Yelp and Google Maps. accessiBe is listed as an others. Project Sidewalk is listed as an emerging player.
Does AccessNow have an API?
No public API is recorded for AccessNow.
What industry is AccessNow in?
AccessNow's product category is Accessibility Information Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAGAB, Assistive Technology (AT) & Accessible Learning Tools, with a secondary code of EDALAGAG, Digital Accessibility & Web/App Compliance (WCAG). Its NAICS code is 624120 and its SIC code is 8300.