Transformative combination creates a new leader to accelerate the mainstream adoption of digital accessibility

Level Access—the trusted provider of enterprise digital accessibility solutions and eSSENTIAL Accessibility—the pioneer of Accessibility-as-a-Service—jointly announced the completion of their merger. The two companies will combine to create a premier platform for end-to-end digital accessibility management, transforming the industry and accelerating the adoption of digital accessibility.

“We’re thrilled to join forces with eSSENTIAL Accessibility and define the future of digital accessibility as it becomes a mainstream priority for more organizations,” said Tim Springer, Founder and CEO of Level Access, named CEO of the combined company. “With this merger, we will accelerate our pace of innovation, delivering a powerful new solution that will help organizations achieve and maintain digital accessibility, and will scale with them over time.”

“In our digitally driven world, online engagement is more important than ever, making equal access to digital experiences a fundamental human right,” said Mark Steele, Co-Founder and CEO of eSSENTIAL Accessibility. Steele has been named President of the combined company. “For this reason, more organizations are committing to, and investing in digital accessibility. And whether they’ve never prioritized it, or have struggled with sustainable results, our combined company will provide the premier solution to support a long-term accessibility program.”

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People with disabilities make up the world’s largest minority group, representing more than one billion people globally. Digital accessibility supports an organization’s commitment to inclusion, as well as its compliance with anti-discrimination laws. Globally, an increasing number of laws and regulations have been enacted or applied to the enforcement of digital accessibility. In the United States the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is often applied to websites, mobile apps, and other digital experiences. An ever-increasing number of lawsuits and ADA legal demand letters are being sent to organizations that do not comply.

For these reasons, enterprises are now incorporating digital accessibility as part of their Governance, Reporting and Compliance (GRC) initiatives and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitments. The newly combined company will be perfectly positioned to support this shift in prioritization.

“Changing market trends have driven digital accessibility to the mainstream. Our investment in the combined Level Access and eSSENTIAL Accessibility is based on this sector’s strong growth prospects and the opportunity we believe this talented team has to meet customer demand through an enterprise-grade solution,” said Ben Pederson, Director on the technology growth team at KKR, the lead investor in the merged organization.

eSSENTIAL Accessibility’s and Level Access’s largest outside investors KKR and JMI Equity, respectively, will continue to support the growth of the combined company. KKR’s investment is through its technology growth fund.

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