Meet Webquity: a digital accessibility startup dedicated to developing innovative online learning tools to enhance educational access for students with disabilities and neurodiverse learners.
CCEI’s Kate Savinelli was able to sit down with founder Kianjai Huggan to discuss the story of Webquity, and where she envisions their future.
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In a world increasingly dependent on online learning, ensuring that digital platforms are accessible to all is more than just a necessity — it’s a responsibility. Enter Webquity, a startup founded by UConn College of Engineering alum Kianjai Huggan that aims to create equitable online learning experiences for students with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments like dyslexia. From its inception during the COVID-19 pandemic to its recent successes in partnership and funding, Webquity’s journey is a testament to the power of purpose-driven innovation.
Huggan, a UConn graduate with a degree in computer science and engineering, didn’t initially set out to start a company. But while working at a coding-focused nonprofit during the pandemic, she encountered a significant challenge: the lack of accessible online content for students.
“I noticed gaps in their learning in terms of accessible online content,” Huggan recalls. “At the time, my job involved manually making sure that the content was accessible. We wanted our students to succeed, but it was taking a lot of time and causing frustration for the students.”
Driven by both her engineering background and a desire to make a lasting impact, Huggan began brainstorming ways to automate this process.
“[I didn’t want] to spend a ton of hours doing that work, even though it’s important,” she admits with a laugh, “and then also the customization aspect, the potential for each student to have an experience catered to their needs.”
Webquity’s mission extends beyond Huggan alone. The startup has built a strong team, including interns and key leadership roles. Jakobi Samuels focuses on user experience, particularly ensuring that Webquity’s digital tools for students with disabilities — especially those with dyslexia — are performing optimally.
“We want to make sure it’s benefiting students the way we envision it,” Huggan explains. Another team member, Isharma DaSilva, handles business development, ensuring that Webquity identifies funding opportunities and connects with key stakeholders.
In addition, the team includes COO Leana Mauricette, who leads marketing efforts, and an in-house software developer, Divya Prabhu, alongside Kaustubh Prabhu, who focuses on business data and scaling the product for larger universities.
“It’s really a team effort,” Huggan says proudly, also mentioning two other members who concentrate on special education and UI design, respectively.
Every startup faces its share of challenges, and Webquity is no different. One of the primary obstacles, according to Huggan, was determining the company’s value proposition.
“We had to prioritize. We decided to focus on students with visual dyslexia and minor visual impairments — areas that impact the most students,” she explains. “I think we started with the hope that we wanted to help everyone and make sure everyone has access to equitable education … but getting to what that practically looks like was definitely a challenge.”
Despite these challenges, Webquity has celebrated significant milestones. One such achievement was partnering with Connecticut River Academy, where seniors had the opportunity to intern with Webquity and test its digital accessibility tools with their peers.
“That was a big step in itself,” Huggan shares. “Getting direct feedback from students and having them see how we do our work was really great.”
In the digital accessibility space, competition is inevitable. But Huggan sees this as a positive indicator of the industry’s importance.
“We don’t exist alone in the digital accessibility space, which is a good thing overall,” she acknowledges. What sets Webquity apart, however, is its focus on providing customized experiences across all websites, not just specific ones. “We want our users to have a customized experience anywhere across the internet.” Additionally, while many competitors rely on manual processes to ensure compliance with accessibility standards, Webquity’s approach is fully automated and tailored to individual users’ needs.
With recent non-dilutive funding from CCEI, Webquity is poised to continue its research and development efforts.
“A large focus of that funding will be really solidifying our value proposition,” Huggan says. This includes facilitating research to measure things like reading speed and comprehension, and using the feedback to improve the product. “Some of the money will go towards technical development and user interface enhancements, based on the feedback we’ve been getting.”
Looking to the future, Webquity is also fine-tuning its go-to-market strategy, targeting schools and universities as their primary customers.
“We don’t want to put the burden on the students themselves. We want the organizations that have a responsibility to give students the tools to succeed to be our priority customers.”
With continued participation in accelerators, incubators, and competitions, the startup is gaining traction and mentorship to scale up.
“Early on, smaller pitch competitions like CCEI’s Get Seeded were really significant for us.”
From there, Webquity advanced to programs like CCEI’s Accelerate UConn program, and UConn’s IQ incubator, each experience helping the company refine its strategy and move closer to market readiness.
As Webquity continues to expand, Huggan remains focused on the company’s mission: creating a more equitable online learning environment for students. For those looking to learn more or get involved, visit Webquity’s website at webquityed.com and try out their innovative digital accessibility tool, Digital Glasses.