‍Highlights from the Sydney Disability Expo

The Sydney Disability Expo is always a highlight on the Remarkable calendar! It’s where we get to connect with people from the community, explore ideas and share innovation.

This year’s event was even more special, as it coincided with Kickstart Week for our 2025 Australia+ Accelerator Cohort. Startups Hailo, Marco Polo Portal and Rampey joined the Remarkable booth for the first time, and had the chance to share their ideas and solutions with expo visitors.

We were also joined by ByStorm Beauty, who took part in our 2024 Launcher program. ByStorm Beauty’s collaboration with Celeste Barber’s Booie Beauty was an expo favourite - a great example of how inclusive design belongs in every space, including the beauty aisle!

To top it off, we offered a Remarkable competition that gave one lucky visitor the chance to win tickets to our flagship event, the Remarkable Disability Tech Summit 2025.

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Why events like this matter

From the moment the expo doors opened, the Remarkable booth was full of energy, curiosity, and meaningful connections. Visitors came by to discover new products and solutions, meet founders, and explore how disability-led innovation is shaping a more inclusive world.

For our 2025 Australia+ Cohort, this was an important moment early in their Accelerator journey. It was a chance to gain real-time feedback, build relationships, and deepen their understanding of the people they’re building with and for. While many had attended expos before, this one felt especially meaningful thanks to the support from the Remarkable community.

The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive and reinforced how valuable it is to create spaces where innovation and lived experience come together.

Events like the Sydney Disability Expo are a valuable part of the Accelerator journey because they:

• Provide space to test ideas in real-world conversations
• Offer direct connection with people who use, influence, or champion inclusive solutions
• Create opportunities for storytelling and exposure
• Encourage peer support and collaboration between founders tackling similar challenges
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What our founders shared

‍Hailo‍

“The Sydney Disability Expo was a powerful reminder of why we built Hailo — to give people with disabilities the freedom to travel independently. Seeing faces light up as they discovered what Hailo can do was the highlight. And we’re just getting started. #CanIGetAHailo?” Santiago Velasquez Jonathan Dalton

Marco Polo Portal ‍

“The disability expo gave us so much validation from participants, families, and providers. Those conversations reminded us that we’re on the right track and gave us fresh energy to keep pushing this work forward.”

"People loved the idea, the engagement, and coffee mugs were an absolute hit!" Aaron Cotton, Amy Connelly

Rampey‍

"What an incredible two days at the Sydney Disability Expo! Rampey had countless engaging conversations, picked up new fans and supporters, connected with potential customers from transport authorities, and even met some inspiring potential future hires and interns. Some of the most powerful moments were hearing personal stories of times when Rampey could have prevented people from being forgotten on trains, and learning how much faster Sydney’s trains could run today if independent accessibility was truly solved. It was exciting to be part of the Remarkable booth, where the energy was high and the ideas were flowing. We uncovered new local applications for Rampey, including opportunities in CAV technology, that we can’t wait to explore. The expo was a great reminder of how big an impact Rampey will have one day and how important our work is." Jay Davey

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Momentum and peer support

Beyond individual wins, there was a strong sense of shared purpose. Founders supported each other throughout the day, forming bonds that will grow as the Accelerator program continues. We know from experience that these peer-to-peer connections often become some of the most valuable parts of the Accelerator journey.

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Shared moments, meaningful connections

The expo was a powerful opportunity for our founders to connect directly with the people they’re designing for. These moments, both big and small, will help shape their journey ahead.

A moment we kept coming back to was the joy shared by visitors as they engaged with the startups. Moments of discovery, connection, and curiosity filled the Remarkable booth across both days.

Just one fun example among many was the mug giveaway by Marco Polo Portal, which came packaged in a box that read:

Life is too short for bad coffee or bad housemate matches.

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We loved learning about the two expo-goers who proudly shared photos of using their Marco Polo mugs after the event. It was a simple, joyful reminder of the power of connection.

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It’s personal moments like these – a warm drink, a shared laugh, a new idea – that captured the spirit of the expo and the connections made throughout and remind us of the power of community, creativity, and connection.

Relive more great memories in our expo photo gallery below.

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Disability Tech Summit prize winner!

The Remarkable booth wasn’t just about showcasing innovation, it also gave visitors a chance to win tickets to the Disability Tech Summit 2025, coming to Sydney on 10-11 November.

The Summit will take over Sydney Town Hall across two days, kicking-off with an invite-only Leaders Forum on Day 1, followed by the public Summit on Day 2. Expect a full day of thought-provoking keynotes, insightful panels, and immersive Future Labs workshops.

This year's bold theme is: 'Re-Wiring the Future: Disability, AI and the Next Frontier of Innovation'. It's an invitation to re-imagine the very foundations of how we design and integrate tech in society. 

And the winner Is…

Congratulations to Shannon P, the lucky winner of a pair of tickets to attend the Disability Tech Summit on 11 November!

We're excited to welcome you.

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What we’re taking away

The Sydney Disability Expo was a powerful reminder that innovation starts with people. 

For our founders, it was a chance to test ideas, gain feedback, and grow their networks.

For Remarkable, it was another moment of progress in our mission to help build a future that is inclusive and accessible for all.

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What’s next

Our Australia+ startups are just getting started. Over the next few months, they'll continue refining their ideas, growing their networks, and preparing for the Showcase (previously Demo Day) that will be part of the Disability Tech Summit at Sydney Town Hall on Tuesday 11 November 2025.

Want to keep following their journey?

‍Subscribe to our newsletter to hear about their progress, highlights, and all the latest Summit updates including speakers, tickets, and more.

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Meet the Australia+ 2025 Accelerator cohort

We recently introduced the Australia+ startups joining our 2025 Accelerator.

Take a moment to explore their work in our announcement blog here.

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Photo credit: Stewart Davey