Inqlude: The Startup Betting on Accessibility as India’s Next $600 Billion Opportunity

New Delhi | February 2026

On a November morning last year, before the company even legally existed, a small team stood inside a modest campus run by Prabhaat Education Foundation.The brief was simple: help structure a fundraiser workshop.What they did instead was redesign the experience.

In collaboration with students from the National Institute of Design (NID), they proposed stall-based sensory activities that shifted engagement beyond the visual — textured materials, tactile interaction, structured movement. They donated ₹5,000 toward accessible printables. But more importantly, they began testing an idea that would soon become a company:

Accessibility must be built into systems — not added later.

A Market Hiding in Plain Sight

India’s digital and tourism economies are expanding rapidly. Yet accessibility remains fragmented, inconsistent, and often treated as regulatory compliance rather than infrastructure.

This is where Inqlude comes in  positioning itself as India’s first end-to-end digital and physical accessibility startup, targeting what it estimates as a $600 billion (₹14 lakh crore) accessibility-linked market opportunity.

Its core thesis is not philanthropic. It is economic.Every consumer journey follows four stages: Search → Select → Book → Consume

For millions of people with disabilities, the barrier appears at the very first step, Search. Inaccessible websites, non-readable PDFs, poorly structured booking engines, and non-compliant mobile apps effectively exclude users before transactions even begin.

“If a user cannot search, they cannot participate,” says founder Rajan Rai, who leads Inqlude’s strategic direction. “Accessibility is not a checkbox. It is economic access.” He further adds, “travel is not just about moving from one place to another; it is about the freedom to explore, experience, and dream.”

Digital First, Physical Next

While Inqlude offers both digital and physical accessibility services, its primary focus and larger revenue opportunity lies in digital infrastructure through:

Digital Accessibility (Core Focus)

• Website accessibility audits and remediation
• Mobile app optimisation for screen readers and assistive tools
• Accessible brochures, PDFs, and digital documents
• QR-based inclusive information systems
• Compliance alignment with global accessibility standards

However, include is not limited to just that, as the on-ground, and long-standing problem of poor physical accessibility is yet to be solved:

Physical Accessibility (Strategic Expansion) 

• Hospitality and venue audits.
• Café, hotel, and tourism space assessments.
• Event accessibility structuring

This vertical, the company says, is a long-term play — especially within tourism and hospitality ecosystems.

Raising the Question in Kerala

From 6–8 January 2026, Inqlude participated in the Responsible Tourism Meet hosted under Kerala Tourism in Beypore. The gathering brought together global tourism scholars and sustainability leaders, including Joseph M. Cheer, whose research examines the future of responsible hospitality.Inqlude’s intervention was direct: “Why isn’t accessibility embedded within responsible tourism?”

The question reframed accessibility not as a special segment, but as foundational to sustainable travel.

Building Its Own Standards — and Giving Them Away

In an unusual move for a young startup, Inqlude is developing its own accessibility guidelines, derived from global standards but adapted for Indian implementation realities. An interim patent filing is planned within the next two months.Yet the company does not intend to license the framework.

Inspired by Volvo’s decision to open-source the three-point seatbelt design, Inqlude plans to make its guidelines freely accessible focusing on recognition rather than restriction. The strategy is long-term.If India’s digital accessibility market becomes crowded in the next four to five years, Inqlude intends to hold a first-mover advantage  with 2025-origin documentation, proprietary standards, and early ecosystem partnerships.

About the team: A 40-Member Team Under 30

Inqlude currently operates with a 40-founding member team, largely between the ages of 20 and 25, with prior experience across technology ecosystems including Meta, Microsoft, and Google.

The company is structured across verticals:

• Legal & Compliance: Neeraj Verma, Aman Maurya;
• Accessibility Specialists & Guideline Authors: Giridev Rabha, Pratik Singh, Rohit Ray, Vishwaraj Singh, Shikhar Mittal, Mithlesh Kumar, Tushar Prabhakar, Nandan Rathore, Aman Chaudhary, Deepak Ray, Kaushik Sharma, Saif Khan;
• Project Support & Research: Abhijeet Kumar, Sumit Sharma, Shivam Roy, Akash Kumar, Hemant Verma;
• Website & Digital Platform Development: Harshvardhan Singh, Shivam Singh Rawat, Vishal Yadav;
• Talent & Sales: Agrim Pandey, Supriya Rastogi;
• Research & Social Communications: Anchita Gupta, Nilesh Rai, Nitika Rai, Rashika Pandey, Nutan Rai;
• Founder Rajan Rai oversees strategic partnerships and long-term positioning.

The team’s average age may be young, but its ambition is structural: transforming accessibility from legal obligation into what the company calls a “real-time support ecosystem.”

Ongoing Projects: Agra beyond Taj, Chalo Chamba and more…

The company is currently  working alongside on “AgraBeyondTaj,” integrating accessibility into a heritage-linked mapping project.

Another significant project of inqlude is “Chalo Chamba” with NotOnMap, covering everything  from the initial development of the portal to its ongoing accessibility maintenance, it‘ll bridge the gap between historical heritage and modern digital standards, making the beautiful village of Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, accessible to all. ensuring that the beauty of Chamba is accessible to all, bridging the gap between historical heritage and modern digital standards.

The startup is also collaborating with Quiver, providing digital accessibility services to startups emerging from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Next Steps: Beyond Compliance

Accessibility in India has historically been addressed through mandates. Inqlude is betting that the next phase will be market-driven. Lower-cost digital remediation. Structured audits. Integrated physical assessments. Open guidelines. Early tourism positioning. If the company’s thesis proves correct, accessibility will move from CSR budget lines into growth strategy decks. And startups that ignore it may find themselves excluding not just users — but revenue.

Inqlude plans to launch destination certification in Rajasthan, expanding to Kerala and other major tourism zones within 24 months. The company is seeking partnerships with hospitality chains, tourism boards, and CSR-focused corporations.

“India’s accessible tourism market is India’s next frontier,” Rajan concluded. “The question isn’t if this becomes mainstream it’s who owns the standards when it does. We’re building to lead that ecosystem.”

About Inqlude

Inqlude builds proprietary accessibility standards and certification frameworks for the hospitality and tourism sectors. Founded November 27, 2025, the company partners with nonprofits, design institutions, and hospitality businesses to create truly inclusive tourism experiences for persons with disabilities

Contact

Email: info@Inqlude.in

WhatsApp: 8989683232

Website: Inqlude (About, Projects, Services sections)