Inclusively

# Inclusively: Workforce Inclusion Through Technology

High-Level Overview

Inclusively is a human-first employment platform that uses job matching technology to connect people with disabilities to meaningful careers while helping employers build more inclusive workforces.[3] Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri, the company addresses a critical labor market gap: while 50 million working-age Americans have disabilities, only 29% participate in the workforce compared to 75% of people without disabilities.[2]

The platform operates on two fronts. For job seekers, Inclusively provides access to a curated talent pool of over 1 million diverse candidates and matches them to roles based on skills, experience, and accommodation needs.[1] For employers, it streamlines hiring by reducing manual coordination around accommodations and provides workforce intelligence tools that reveal employee needs, benefit utilization, and retention opportunities.[5] The company has raised $17.3 million across two funding rounds, with the most recent being $13 million, and currently operates with 39 employees.[3]

Origin Story

Inclusively emerged in 2020 to tackle systemic employment barriers for people with disabilities. The founding was motivated by data from the National Council on Disability showing that people with disabilities experience poverty at more than twice the rate of those without disabilities, largely due to low workforce participation.[2] Rather than building another generic job board, the founders created a technology-centered solution that treats disability accommodation not as a compliance checkbox but as a core feature of the hiring and retention experience.

The company gained early validation when it was selected by the World Economic Forum's Global Innovators Community to join the 2024 Technology Pioneers cohort—an invitation-only recognition of growth-stage companies at the forefront of innovation.[3]

Core Differentiators

• Specialized talent matching: The platform curates candidates with disabilities and provides hiring teams with relevant accommodation information upfront, eliminating the friction typically associated with disability disclosure and support requests.[1]

• Integrated accommodation infrastructure: Rather than treating accommodations as afterthoughts, Inclusively embeds them directly into the hiring and onboarding workflow, reducing manual back-and-forth between candidates and talent teams.[5]

• Dual-sided platform: The company serves both job seekers (through accessible job search and career matching) and employers (through recruitment tools and workforce intelligence), creating network effects as adoption grows on both sides.[1][5]

• Workforce intelligence layer: Beyond hiring, Inclusively's "Retain" product captures real employee signals across existing HR systems, maps needs to a "Success Enabler framework," and identifies where HR investments are misaligned with actual employee needs.[5]

• Scale and expertise: Access to 1 million diverse candidates combined with disability inclusion subject matter expertise positions Inclusively as a comprehensive solution rather than a niche tool.[1]

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

Inclusively operates at the intersection of three powerful trends: the growing emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in corporate hiring; the recognition that untapped talent pools represent competitive advantage; and the shift toward data-driven HR decision-making.

The company addresses a market inefficiency—employers struggle to access qualified candidates with disabilities, while job seekers with disabilities face disproportionate barriers to employment. By automating and personalizing this matching process, Inclusively reduces friction for both sides. The timing is particularly relevant as companies face talent shortages and increasing pressure from investors, regulators, and employees to demonstrate authentic inclusion rather than performative DEI initiatives.

Inclusively's influence extends beyond its direct users. By proving that disability inclusion can be operationalized at scale through technology, the company legitimizes workforce diversity as a business imperative rather than a compliance obligation, potentially shifting how the broader HR tech ecosystem approaches accommodation and accessibility.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

Inclusively is well-positioned to become the dominant platform for disability-inclusive hiring as companies increasingly recognize that diverse talent pools—including people with disabilities—represent both moral and business imperatives. The company's $17.3 million in funding and World Economic Forum recognition suggest investor and institutional confidence in its model.

The next phase will likely involve deepening its workforce intelligence capabilities (the "Retain" product) to become essential infrastructure for HR leaders managing employee retention and benefit optimization. As remote work normalizes and accommodation becomes easier to provide digitally, the addressable market for Inclusively's services expands. The company's success will ultimately be measured not just by hiring volume, but by whether it can demonstrate measurable improvements in retention and career progression for employees with disabilities—transforming employment outcomes for a historically marginalized workforce.