Episode 18: Gina Kline: Redefining Disability as Innovation

Inside CVC by u-path

What if the greatest untapped driver of innovation isn’t found in Silicon Valley, but in the lived experience of people with disabilities?

In this episode of Inside CVC, Steve Schmith and Philipp Willigmann sit down with Regina “Gina” Kline, founder of Enable Ventures and a pioneer at the intersection of civil rights and impact investing. From her years litigating landmark ADA cases at the U.S. Department of Justice to her current role backing DisabilityTech startups, Gina has seen firsthand how inclusion fuels market transformation.

Listeners will hear:

• How lessons from landmark ADA litigation shaped her approach to investing and innovation
• Why the disability economy—worth trillions globally—remains overlooked, and why that’s about to change
• Real-world examples of startups building breakthrough solutions with disability-led design
• How inclusive innovation drives top-line growth, talent retention, and competitive advantage
• What the corporations of 2035 will look like if inclusion, aging, mental health, and AI displacement are addressed head-on

This conversation is both practical and inspiring—a call to action for corporate venture leaders, boards, and strategy executives to see disability not as “edge case,” but as the future of innovation.

The CVC Open Innovation Summit Europe takes place November 25–26 in Berlin, during AsiaBerlin Innovation Week. Positioned as a bridge between Europe, the U.S., and Asia’s fast-growing ecosystems, the summit is a curated, invitation-only forum for senior leaders to tackle the issues shaping innovation: AI, geopolitics, energy resilience, health, sustainability, and more. Listeners are invited to request an invitation at cvc-summit.com → E

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