People with lived experience of spinal cord injury (PLEX) tested the wheelchair and shared feedback on its design, stability, standing function, and seating system. While some participants saw value in the innovation, they preferred a manual wheelchair. Others wanted to continue using the cushions and backrests already customized to their needs.

The feedback highlighted an important distinction: users could value the innovation without necessarily wanting its original configuration.

Limitless responded by exploring a manual version that retains the standing function while using much of the company’s existing product architecture. The team also adapted their seating approach to better accommodate users’ preferred cushions and backrests, making the wheelchair more responsive to individual needs.

During a clinician engagement session at GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, a clinician recognized the value of adjusting the wheelchair’s backrest while the user remained seated. This could reduce repeated transfers and simplify fittings for both users and clinicians.

The observation helped Limitless recognize that the feature could offer more than ergonomic value. The team made the seat fully adjustable, reconsidered its intellectual-property strategy, and identified a potential application in pediatric mobility, where adaptability may be especially important.

The experience demonstrated how engagement can do more than validate a product. A single observation can change a design decision, reveal a new use case, and uncover commercial value the company had not previously recognized.

The program also helped Limitless identify new testing and market requirements. After a PLEX contributor raised questions about how pressure areas shift between sitting and standing, the team acquired pressure-sensing equipment to evaluate its seating system across both positions. Exposure to Canadian weather and terrain also prompted the company to consider how product performance may need to adapt across international markets.

Limitless developed a clearer product roadmap to manage its priorities, tasks, and milestones. It also refined how it communicates the opportunity to investors, moving beyond product features to better articulate the product’s commercial value.

Since the program, Limitless has raised approximately half of its targeted private investment round and continues to welcome conversations with aligned investors as it advances its ambition to unite standing functionality, ergonomics, technology, and design.

The path forward is now clearer, shaped by Alessio’s lived experience and informed by the perspectives of the PLEX users and clinicians the company aims to serve.