Digital accessibility: the strategic bet many companies still overlook

We live in a hyperconnected world where digital is no longer just another channel — it is the channel. Public services, banking, commerce, healthcare, leisure: everything happens, to a greater or lesser extent, on screens. And yet, for millions of people with disabilities, that world remains full of invisible barriers.

Digital accessibility is not a technical problem. It is a matter of quality, strategy, and increasingly, legal obligation.

The European regulatory framework: a clear direction

In Europe, the regulatory evolution has been gradual but unequivocal. The Web Accessibility Directive (2016) established binding obligations for the public sector. The European Accessibility Act (EAA, Directive 2019/882) extended those same obligations to the private sector — e-commerce, banking, transport, consumer electronics — with compliance deadlines that came into force in June 2025.

The message is clear: what began as a requirement for public administrations is now a universal legal standard. Non-compliance entails penalties. And beyond penalties, it carries reputational and commercial risk.

Beyond the checklist: the experiential dimension

The most common mistake is to reduce accessibility to a technical exercise of compliance with WCAG standards. Technical compliance is necessary — but not sufficient.

A product can pass all automated tests and still be impossible to use for a blind person navigating with a screen reader, for someone with reduced mobility using a switch device, or for a person with cognitive disabilities interacting with a complex interface. The gap between technical compliance and real experience is where accessibility projects most often fail — silently and at significant cost.

Closing that gap requires two things: certified specialists who conduct rigorous technical audits, and the direct involvement of people with disabilities in validation processes, using their own assistive technologies in conditions that reflect real everyday use. These are not alternative options. They are complementary and inseparable dimensions of a serious approach.

A practice, not a project

Accessibility is not a goal to be achieved and filed away. It is a dimension of quality that must be present at every stage of the product lifecycle: in design, development, validation, and every subsequent iteration. Organizations that understand this not only comply better with regulations — they build better products, reach more users, and create lasting competitive advantage.

At Clariter, we support public and private organizations on this journey, combining specialized technical auditing with validation by people with disabilities. Because true accessibility is not demonstrated in a report — it is experienced.

In a world where technology is advancing at lightning speed, many women still feel a step behind. Only 35% of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are women, and this has a direct impact: men adopt new tools almost twice as fast as we do, which affects confidence in our digital skills.

But this can change. And it starts by taking a step toward something different: learning to use AI and technology not just as a user, but as the architect of your own efficiency.

What this webinar is and why it matters

Actua is hosting a webinar together with SheAI, the leading platform for technology literacy for women and an official partner of the UN Skills Coalition.

In this session, Stephany Oliveros, CEO and co-founder of SheAI, will guide you to discover how technology can stop being an obstacle and become your strategic ally.

What you’ll learn

During the webinar, we’ll share practical strategies you can apply from day one:

• How to “hire” virtual assistants, like Claude, Gemini, or Notebook LLM, to do the heavy lifting for you
• How to create your own AI tools through vibe coding, without writing a single line of code
• How to use AI critically and responsibly to help you make better decisions, not just faster ones
• How to organize your day and tasks to focus on what truly adds value and stop feeling like you’re overworking

This isn’t about working more. It’s about working smarter, freeing yourself from repetitive tasks, and building confidence in your ability to lead in an increasingly digital world.

Register now by filling out the form and become the architect of your own efficiency 🚀

In recent weeks, I’ve spoken with about a dozen teams across Barcelona and Milan.

There’s a clear pattern: they use ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini every day—but each person with their own personal account, scattered prompts, and zero shared governance.

The result isn’t just inefficiency. It’s:

• Individual productivity without competitive advantage
• Shadow AI creating anxiety across teams
• Real fear of job loss, with no one addressing it
• Misaligned decisions across departments

The problem isn’t the technology. It’s that every employee is improvising on their own—and that’s not a competitive advantage, it’s expensive noise.

I’m building a solution to this problem and want to validate it with people who are experiencing it firsthand.

I’m looking for 3–4 Founders or CEOs for a 35-minute conversation: I’ll share what I’m designing, and you tell me whether it solves something real—or where I’m getting it wrong.

Contact: s.fadda@workless.studio

​Cerrar negocios es emocionante. Perseguir facturas, mucho menos…

​Cada semana, fundadores y equipos de ventas cierran deals en HubSpot y luego pasan horas copiando datos a facturas manuales, enviando recordatorios de pago por email y mirando excels para saber qué está cobrado y qué no.

Si tu CRM y tu banco no hablan entre sí, estás dejando tiempo (y dinero) sobre la mesa.

​Lo que te llevarás de la sesión:

​ Un mapa claro del flujo deal-to-cash: de Closed-Won en HubSpot al ingreso en Qonto

Cómo generar facturas en 1 clic desde tus deals, sin copiar ni un solo dato

Cómo ver el estado de cobro (pagado pendiente vencido) directamente en HubSpot

Cómo reducir el tiempo entre cierre y cobro, y mejorar tu cash flow desde el día 1

Qué es VeriFactu y cómo prepararte para la facturación electrónica obligatoria en España sin esfuerzo extra​

​ Sesión 100% práctica con demo en directo. Te vas con un sistema listo para implementar, no con diapositivas.

​  Recibe tu oferta de finanzas y CRM 

• ​Hasta 90% de descuento en HubSpot a través del programa HubSpot for Startups

• ​4 meses gratis en Planes de Equipo de Qonto (hasta 796€ de ahorro)

​Oferta exclusiva para startups. Válida para nuevos clientes registrados en el programa HubSpot for Startups. Únete gratis aquí.

​Conoce a los presentadores

​Raúl Núñez-Romero López – Head of Partnerships Spain, Qonto

​Raúl lidera las alianzas estratégicas de Qonto en España, colaborando con herramientas, plataformas y aceleradoras para ayudar a startups a construir sistemas financieros sólidos que acompañen su crecimiento.

​Stefany Ludeña – Head of HubSpot for Startups Iberia, HubSpot.

​Stefany lidera el programa HubSpot for Startups en Iberia, colaborando con incubadoras, aceleradoras y fondos para ayudar a startups a implementar sistemas de crecimiento escalable desde el día uno.

Hola Tech Barcelona,

En las últimas semanas he hablado con una decena de equipos entre Barcelona y Milán.

Patrón constante: usan ChatGPT, Claude o Gemini cada día, pero cada uno con su cuenta personal, prompts dispersos, cero gobernanza compartida.

El resultado no es solo ineficiencia. Es:

• Productividad individual sin ventaja competitiva real
• Miedo real a perder el trabajo sin que nadie lo gestione
• Decisiones desalineadas entre áreas

El problema no es la tecnología. Es que la IA se queda fuera de la estrategia, los procesos y la cultura de la empresa.

Estoy validando un modelo para pasar de este estado a algo más coherente: de uso fragmentado a sistema compartido.

Soy Sabrina, Recién socia de Tech Barcelona. Background: Finance & Ops, ex Alibaba.

Busco 3-4 Founders o CEOs para 35 minutos de conversación directa: te cuento lo que estoy viendo, tú me dices si te resuena o dónde me equivoco.

CONTACTO: s.fadda@workless.studio

If your company is currently running on:

• Excel
• WhatsApp
• Paper
• Systems that don’t connect with each other

Then you already have a problem.

And it’s probably costing you time and money every day.

👉 It doesn’t matter if you’re an SME, mid-sized, or large company.
The problem is the same: your information is disorganized.

We solve that.

We develop custom internal applications so you can have EVERYTHING in one place:

• Clients
• Inventory
• Orders
• Time tracking
• Notifications
• Internal processes

One single app.
Simple. Intuitive. 100% tailored to your reality.

No generic tools that don’t fit.
No unnecessary manual processes.

📉 In similar projects, we’ve managed to reduce by 50–70%:

• Errors
• Management time
• Use of Excel and paper

And most importantly: you start to have real control over your operations.

If you run a business and feel like you’re wasting time organizing information instead of growing your business…

Let’s talk.

Or if you know someone with this problem, share this post with them.

More info: https://www.apptandem.es/ 🚀

Innovating requires investing heavily before generating revenue. In a startup, the effort comes first in the form of development, talent, technology, validation, and time. And precisely at this stage, preserving cash is not just a financial matter—it’s a condition for being able to continue growing.

That’s why the Tax Lease applied to innovation has become a highly valuable tool for startups and tech companies.

Its appeal lies, beyond the fiscal incentive, in its ability to turn innovative effort into liquidity and reduce the real cost of developing technology. In an environment where every euro counts, anticipating the return associated with innovation can make the difference between stalling and moving forward.

For many startups, this translates into something very concrete: strengthening cash flow, extending runway, and complementing other funding sources without relying exclusively on a funding round.

Moreover, once the fiscal year is closed and the accounts are finalized, many startups have a clearer view of their economic and financial situation. It is precisely at this point that analyzing instruments like the Tax Lease becomes particularly valuable, as it allows identifying opportunities to reinforce cash, optimize resources, and sustain growth more solidly.

When structured correctly, a Tax Lease operation can become a non-dilutive financing lever especially useful during growth, scaling, or consolidation stages.

Because innovating is important, and being able to sustain that innovation at the right time is decisive.

If you’re interested in learning more about how the Tax Lease can help finance innovation, you can contact me at dolors.fenollosa@mbc.cat.

I’ll be happy to provide more details!

The Esade Entrepreneurship Summit brings together some of the most insightful founders and industry leaders for real, down-to-earth conversations about building and scaling ventures.

In 2026, the Summit takes entrepreneurial excellence to the next level.This special edition will feature an expanded program, new networking formats, and a sharper focus on what truly drives founders and investors forward.

Get ready to connect, get inspired, and grow at the event that’s shaping the future of entrepreneurship.