UserWay

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UserWay
Company typePrivate
IndustryDigital accessibility
Founded2016; 9 years ago (2016)
FounderAllon Mason
Headquarters
Wilmington, Delaware
,
USA
Owner
Websiteuserway.org

UserWay is a digital accessibility company based in Wilmington, Delaware. The company uses AI and automation in response to legal pressure on companies to make their websites accessible.[1]

History

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UserWay was founded in 2016 by Allon Mason.[2] In 2021, Susan Bennett, the original voice of Apple's Siri personal assistant, became the company spokesperson[3][4] and disability advocate for UserWay's promotional campaign which also starred Dr. Orna Guralnik.[5] In December 2021, the company submitted a first draft prospectus for its IPO on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.[6][7][8]

In January 2022, the company issued its IPO on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at a value of 120 million NIS. It went on to raise approximately 30 million NIS from institutional clients.[9][10] UserWay began trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange under the name UWAY.[11]

UserWay's Accessibility Widget is available for all major CMS platforms as well as plain HTML/CSS/JS sites. UserWay's technology meets compliance laws based on WCAG 2.1 AA standards and as required by the ADA.[12][13]

In December 2023, UserWay announced that it would be acquired by American firm Level Access at a cost of $98.7 million in a cash deal merger despite the ongoing controversy surrounding overlays. [14][15][16] The transaction was completed in March 2024, making the company private once again.[17]

References

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  1. ^ לוי, אביב (2022-01-24). "החברות ששינו את התוכניות בעקבות גל הירידות". Globes. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  2. ^ Shein, Esther (2020-07-30). "AI-powered tool aims to help reduce bias and racially charged language on websites". TechRepublic. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  3. ^ "Siri reveals herself to promote web accessibility for Userway". The Drum. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  4. ^ Al-Heeti, Abrar. "Siri's original voice now advocates for a more accessible web". CNET. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  5. ^ Lovejoy, Ben (2022-05-19). "Siri visits Couples Therapy star Dr. Orna Guralnik in sketch for web accessibility company". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  6. ^ "בלי שלב ציבורי: החברה להנגשת אתרים סגרה הנפקה לפי שווי של 120 מיליון שקל | כלכליסט". calcalist (in Hebrew). 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  7. ^ Alexiou, Gus. "Retailers To Lose $828 Million Of Sales Over Christmas Due To Inaccessible Websites". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  8. ^ "Susan Bennett, Siri voice, partners with accessibility startup UserWay". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  9. ^ זומר, נווית (2022-01-30). "החברה שמנייתה זינקה ב-38% בשבוע: "השוק לא ער לגמרי לנושא הנגישות"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  10. ^ "בלי שלב ציבורי: החברה להנגשת אתרים סגרה הנפקה לפי שווי של 120 מיליון שקל | כלכליסט". calcalist (in Hebrew). 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  11. ^ "UWAY: Userway Ltd Stock Price Quote - Tel Aviv - Bloomberg". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  12. ^ InclusionHub. "UserWay". www.inclusionhub.com. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  13. ^ "UserWay Launches Version 4.0 of Its Accessibility Platform". Speech Technology Magazine. 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2023-01-06.
  14. ^ "Overlay Fact Sheet". overlayfactsheet.com. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  15. ^ Wrobel, Sharon (31 December 2023). "Israel digital accessibility startup to be bought by US firm in deal valued at $99m". Times of Israel. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  16. ^ "#UserWay Will Get You Sued". Adrian Roselli. 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  17. ^ "Level Access Completes Acquisition of UserWay, Signaling the Next Evolution of Digital Accessibility". Morningstar. Retrieved 2024-03-20.


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