About 25 years ago, Sara Lynn Farnsworth faced a life-changing rock climbing accident at the age of 16, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. After years of intensive rehabilitation, she regained mobility with the help of a cane. However, five years ago, she realized she needed a better solution for long-distance movement—something beyond conventional electric scooters or wheelchairs. What she envisioned was a lightweight, compact, and fast electric mobility scooter that could easily fit into a vehicle. “I needed something that didn’t exist,” Farnsworth recalls.

Last year, she discovered a four-week pre-accelerator pilot program designed specifically for entrepreneurs with disabilities who have tech-driven startup ideas but lack resources to bring them to life. The program, called Venture Labs, was co-run by 2Gether-International (2GI), a startup accelerator for disabled founders, and JPMorgan Chase. Farnsworth joined the program and now aspires to participate in a 2Gether accelerator aimed at more advanced startups.

Building Community and Opportunity
Recently, Venture Labs officially launched its first full-fledged pre-accelerator, enrolling 30 entrepreneurs. “We’re changing the narrative around disabled people in business while addressing their need for community,” says Santiago Garcia Mendez, 2GI’s community manager and a serial entrepreneur with personal ties to disabilities.

Focusing on Early-Stage Ideas
2Gether-International was founded five years ago to support seed-stage startups led by disabled entrepreneurs. However, the organization soon realized there was a gap for individuals in the ideation phase, particularly disabled entrepreneurs who often have limited access to funding.

“There were so many people with great ideas, but our accelerator was designed only for existing startups,” explains Mendez.

To bridge this gap, Venture Labs crafted a four-week program to help validate entrepreneurial ideas. The program combines self-paced video lessons on topics like identifying target audiences and formulating problem statements with group discussions, guest speaker sessions, and collaborative homework. These activities culminate in documents suitable for inclusion in a pitch deck. Participants also gain access to mentors with expertise in relevant technologies.

Addressing Isolation
One of the program’s key objectives is combating loneliness—a common challenge for all entrepreneurs, but particularly acute for those with disabilities. To foster community, Venture Labs offers weekly online coffee chats, where participants can build lasting connections. “These are relationships that can last a lifetime,” says Mendez.

The program concludes with an internal pitch competition, more focused on providing real-world experience than on securing funding.

Future Expansion
In the next two years, 2Gether plans to expand its pre-accelerator and accelerator programs to Latin America, further broadening its reach.

As for Farnsworth, she envisions her Las Vegas-based company, Platypus Mobility Scooters, catering to disabled individuals and others seeking convenient long-distance mobility solutions. She aims to address manufacturing and distribution challenges to bring her vision to life.