Overview of Participant Assistive Products
Participant is a mission-driven Benefit Corporation disrupting the global Assistive Technology (AT) market. We specialize in the “Missing Middle”, the vast gap between low-quality, disposable products and high-cost equipment designed for wealthy health systems. Founded by a team whose previous designs have reached over 600,000 individuals across 60 countries, Participant combines decades of clinical expertise with a lean, modern business model. With a workforce where over 50% are persons with disabilities, we don’t just design for the community; we are the community.
Our Ask
We are seeking Strategic Growth Partners and Investors to join us as we enter our next stage of global expansion. Having already shipped to over 40 countries with 6,000+ product users, we are looking for partners who can help accelerate our entry into new regional markets and provide the catalytic capital required to finalize our next generation of hardware and digital support tools.
Product or Service
Our flagship product, the Cub wheelchair, exemplifies our Design for Dignity philosophy. It is a high-performance, clinically-compliant pediatric wheelchair that is affordable, rugged, and, crucially, grows with the child.
Clinical Excellence: Every product meets rigorous international standards.
Aspirational Design: We remove the “medical” stigma, creating products users are proud to own.
Digital Support: We are currently building MeerkatBot, a WhatsApp-based assistant providing remote clinical follow-up and repair guidance to extend product life in remote areas.
Company Impact
Scale: 6,000+ lives changed in the last three years alone.
Employment: Half of our 11-person team are users of assistive technology.
Equity: Our tiered pricing and “Value for Money” approach ensures that high-quality mobility is no longer a luxury of geography.
Longevity: By utilizing co-design with AT users and providing digital tools that empower DIY repairs, we ensure our products stay in use longer, usually twice as long, as traditional mobility devices.
Primary Audience
Our primary partners include NGOs, government health ministries, and commercial clinics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We also have growing demand in high-income countries as health service budgets are being cut in the current global economy. We serve parents and caregivers who demand better for their children and active users who require reliable, high-performing mobility tools to participate in school, work, and community life.
Partnership Opportunity
For impact partners, we bring:
Innovative R&D: Rapidly taking user-led AT concepts to a patentable, manufactured reality.
Global Reach: Navigating the complexities of global logistics, we can reach underserved users anywhere. Inclusive education is a wonderful trend in many places and we can get good AT where it is needed most.
Clinical Compliance: Design and provision training. We bridge the gap between low-cost manufacturing and high-level health outcomes. Several of the world’s best AT provision trainers are on our team. Provision quality is critical for good outcomes and we offer the absolute best value on training programs for aspiring clinicians.
We invite collaborations with organizations that have deep regional networks in East Africa (specifically Ethiopia) and Eastern Europe.
Funding Needs
Participant is financially sustainable at an operational level. We are seeking $2,000,000 in growth capital specifically to:
Accelerate Market Expansion: Establishing localized sales and support teams in high-traction regions like the EU and Ethiopia.
Hardware R&D: Moving our next generation of mobility devices from prototype to production.
Digital Infrastructure: Scaling our remote clinical follow-up tools (MeerkatBot) to ensure every user has access to health information and repair support, regardless of their location.