Can We Talk: Adaptation Ventures and Dr. Kirk Adams

Featuring a fireside chat with leaders, investors, and visionary founders in accessible tech whose companies and innovations will define the next decade.

Meet Brittany Palmer and Rich Palmer of Adaptation Ventures

● Brittany and Rich Palmer are the founders of Adaptation Ventures, a pioneering U.S. pre-seed fund and investor community focused on accelerating innovation in disability, neurodivergence, and aging technology.

● During their visit, we will explore the business case of disability and accessibility inclusion. Despite 1 in 4 adults having a disability and nearly 2B people controlling $18T in annual purchasing power, only 1% of investment has gone to this sector which is producing founders who will define the next decade of innovation. Investors have historically overlooked accessibility and disability-focused companies even though nearly everyone will experience some form of disability in their lifetime, whether permanent or temporary. This market, composed of consumers who are 2-3x more brand loyal than their peers, will increase the bottom line of companies with forward thinking leaders and investors.

● In addition to being a Managing Partner at Adaptation, Brittany, born as a bilateral, below-elbow amputee, is an Advisory Group Member for the Howe Innovation Center at Perkins School for the Blind and on an innovation steering committee for the American Association of People with Disabilities. She began her career as an international health and safety attorney and consultant, and previously founded Beeyonder, a live and interactive virtual travel startup.

● Rich is an accomplished AI entrepreneur and leader in the early-stage investing community. He is the former Managing Director of Launchpad Venture Group and Board Director of the Angel Capital Association. After surviving a brain aneurysm rupture, he co-founded Gravyty, a leading AI company for social good that returned 14x to investors on a successful exit. He began his career on Wall Street leading product development for quant teams.

Meet Dr. Kirk Adams

● Dr. Kirk Adams is a nationally recognized leader in disability inclusion whose work is deeply grounded in the Pacific Northwest. A proud Seattleite and longtime advocate for community-centered change, he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Whitman College, a Master’s degree in Not-for-Profit Leadership from Seattle University, and a PhD in Leadership & Change from Antioch University - an academic arc that mirrors his steady rise as one of the country’s most influential disability-inclusion strategists.

● A long white cane user and braille reader since age six when he attended the Oregon State School for the Blind, Dr. Adams credits his early training in blindness skills and self-advocacy as the foundation for everything that followed. His professional journey began in Seattle, raising funds for the statewide Talking Book & Braille (NLS) Library through the Seattle Public Library Foundation. From there, he stepped into major executive leadership roles that shaped both local and national landscapes.

● He served as President & CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. in Seattle, where he strengthened one of the region’s most important employment engines for blind and DeafBlind professionals. He later became President & CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) - Helen Keller’s organization - in New York and Washington, DC, leading national initiatives to expand access, employment, and technological equality for people with vision loss.

● Dr. Adams has also played key roles in Washington State’s business ecosystem, serving on the boards of both the Association of Washington Business and the Aerospace Futures Alliance, where he championed disability inclusion as a core element of workforce innovation and economic strength.

● Today, as a consultant and strategic advisor to eight disability-technology start-ups, he continues to push the frontier of what’s possible. He believes deeply - and unapologetically - that technology is the most powerful lever humanity has ever created for achieving full inclusion of people with disabilities in every aspect of society. From accessible AI to tactile literacy tools to inclusive cyber career pathways, he brings his lived experience, academic depth, and leadership credibility to founders building the future.

Ticket price includes the session and breakfast.

*Complimentary Valet Parking Available for all members and guests*

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Host or Publisher World Trade Center Seattle