Four Spanish startups have been selected as winners of the ONCE Innova Entrepreneurs Challenge 2026, securing *€20,000 each* to advance their work in accessibility innovation. The successful companies—Imperia SCM, Umibots, Omniloy, and Novelingo—will develop their respective proposals in close collaboration with ONCE, Spain’s leading organization dedicated to serving people with visual impairments and other disabilities.
Funding for Accessibility-Focused Development
The grant funding represents a significant investment in accessibility innovation across diverse applications. The selected startups will utilize the financial support to develop training programs, product management tools, and other accessibility-focused solutions tailored to meet real-world needs within Spain’s disability community.
Imperia SCM joins three other companies in this year’s competition cycle, which demonstrates growing momentum in Spain’s entrepreneurial focus on inclusive technology. The challenge specifically targets founders and teams working to solve accessibility challenges, positioning the initiative as a key avenue for connecting social enterprises with established institutional support.
Partnership Model Driving Innovation
The structure of the ONCE Innova program emphasizes direct collaboration between winning startups and ONCE itself. Rather than providing funding as a one-time grant, the competition framework facilitates ongoing partnerships that enable startups to test solutions, gather feedback from users with lived experience of disability, and refine their products based on practical implementation insights.
This approach differs from traditional venture funding, as it centers the needs and expertise of the disability community throughout the development process. Winners gain both financial resources and access to ONCE’s extensive network, user base, and organizational knowledge spanning decades of work in accessibility.
Broader European Context
Spain’s commitment to supporting accessibility-focused startups through programs like ONCE Innova reflects a broader European trend toward inclusive innovation. Across the continent, governments and large organizations increasingly recognize that accessibility solutions represent both a social imperative and a significant market opportunity.
The European startup ecosystem has seen growing attention to accessibility and inclusive design, with initiatives in countries including the United Kingdom, Germany, and France similarly prioritizing funding for companies addressing disability-related challenges. These efforts align with EU policy objectives outlined in the European Disability Strategy and broader digital accessibility directives.
The €20,000 grant awarded to each winner of this year’s ONCE Innova challenge provides practical support for Spanish entrepreneurs to move from concept to implementation, while helping ONCE strengthen its capacity to serve its constituency through technological innovation. As more European organizations recognize the importance of accessibility-focused startups, competitions and funding programs like this one continue to shape the region’s innovation landscape toward more inclusive outcomes.