Disability as a Safety Advantage with Diego Mariscal
March 5, 2026
“You're not going to be successful in spite of your disability. You’re going to be successful in many ways because of your disability.” Diego Mariscal, CEO of 2Gether-International
Most people still frame disability as a limitation. Diego Mariscal sees it as a training ground for entrepreneurship. In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I sit down with Diego, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, to unpack why the daily problem-solving required to navigate life with a disability mirrors the resilience required to build companies. We explore systemic funding barriers, the poverty trap created by benefits cliffs, and how designing for disability unlocks innovation that benefits everyone.
What if disability isn’t a disadvantage in business, but preparation for it? In this episode of The Canary Report: Safety & Risk Management, I speak with Diego Mariscal, Founder and CEO of 2Gether-International, about transforming how society and investors think about disability and entrepreneurship.
We explore:
- Why daily adaptation builds entrepreneurial resilience
- The systemic “poverty trap” that discourages disabled founders from scaling
- ABLE accounts and corporate structures that protect independence
- The principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us”
- Why curb cuts, iPhones, and audiobooks prove disability-first design scales
- How ecosystem-level change happens from startup cohorts to the SEC
Born prematurely in the United States but raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Diego grew up immersed in entrepreneurial culture. He launched his first company in high school, educating students on disability experiences. That early exposure to innovation and systems thinking shaped what would become 2Gether-International, an organization dedicated to reframing disability as a competitive advantage.
Over the past decade, Diego and his team at 2GI have supported more than 1000 startups and helped them raise and generate millions of dollars in investment, revenue, and acquisitions. The organization itself has given more than half a million dollars in non-diluted capital to founders with disabilities. Now, Diego is raising the first-ever multi-million dollar blended-capital fund exclusively for founders with disabilities.
For EHS leaders, compliance professionals, and executives navigating complex workforce dynamics, this episode offers a powerful lens shift: inclusion isn’t charity, it’s a strategic advantage. If you’re serious about unlocking overlooked talent and building systems that reward resilience, this conversation will challenge how you think about leadership.
Episode Resources:
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