Latest / Biohacking Autism with Nadia Elkhatib. / The Hidden World of Autism Technology: AI, Communication, and 600+ Companies, with Dan Feshbach

Transcript

The Hidden World of Autism Technology: AI, Communication, and 600+ Companies, with Dan Feshbach · Biohacking Autism with Nadia Elkhatib.

0:42
Welcome back to Biohacking Autism,
0:44
the show about real solutions for people with autism and the ones who love them.
0:49
I'm Nadia Elkhatib and when I think about Jimmy's future,
0:53
I keep coming back to a question that is much bigger than any one therapy,
0:59
a school, or service. So, what's gonna happen when the amount of human support
1:04
our children need is simply more?
1:06
Then the system can provide, and our numbers are increasing every day.
1:10
And could technology become part of the answer?
1:14
So I asked a version of that question in my conversation with Brian Jacobs,
1:18
who we're talking about adulthood and employment.
1:21
And I wondered out loud whether AI could become the great equalizer
1:26
for people with autism.
1:27
So I haven't stopped thinking about that.
1:29
And because I think there may be two enormous opportunities at the same time:
1:34
one biomedical using AI to make sense of huge messy data sets,
1:38
and perhaps help us find patterns,
1:40
biological subgroups, and eventually,
1:43
frankly, better answers. The other is much more immediate and human.
1:47
Communication, connection, safety,
1:50
social navigation, and independence.
1:53
That is why I wanted today's guest here.
1:55
Dan Feshbach and I are both in the Bay Area in Silicon Valley,
1:59
and we have crossed paths so many times over the years through conversations around
2:05
autism, technology, and research.
2:07
And Dan is a social entrepreneur,
2:09
and he is the founder and chairman of the board of ~ the nonprofit called Multiple.
2:15
It's a nonprofit innovation platform for the autism community that connects.
2:20
Startups, entrepreneurs, and investors,
2:22
as well as other stakeholders.
2:24
His work in autism innovation began after his son,
2:28
Reed, was diagnosed with autism at age two.
2:31
So he went on to co-found a company called TeachTown It's
2:34
a digital education platform for children through adulthood with autism,
2:39
and later founded again, Multiple to help accelerate promising autism focused
2:44
companies and connect them with mentorship.
2:47
resources and investors. So today I want to start with Reed,
2:51
then zoom all the way out to the future AI,
2:54
assistive technology, hardware,
2:56
brain-computer interfaces, adulthood independence,
3:00
and what the next generation of autism companies could actually make possible.
3:05
So Dan welcome to Biohacking Autism.
3:09
Hey,
3:09
I'm really excited to be here and ~ it'll be I I'm looking forward to your questions
3:15
Wonderful, wonderful. So before we talk about companies or technologies,
3:19
I'd love to start with Reed. So can you take me back to when he was diagnosed?
3:24
What did the world look like for your family then and what was missing that
3:29
you desperately wished at the time existed?
3:32
Well that was let's see, that was roughly thirty-one years ago.
3:39
So the in in those days, first,
3:42
you get the diagnosis or the word.
3:44
And you're devastated. I I can't imagine any parent not going kind of like wanted
3:50
to crawl in a cave, right?
3:52
And you're just, you don't know what it means,
3:54
you don't know what's gonna happen.
3:56
so you kind of pick yourself up,
3:58
like all parents. we don't have a choice,
4:01
but we often we all do. And ~ in those days,
4:04
it was literally a desert. Now you're talking call
4:09
it 32 years ago,
4:12
there there were really great people then.
4:14
They were really pioneers in whether it was therapy or speech therapy
4:19
or or whatever it was. But you're kind of bewildered and you start you
4:24
put your head up, you kind of look at your neighborhood,
4:26
you look at what's going on, where do we start?
4:30
So with Reed, he was a very curious kid,
4:33
loved to look at books, loved to he had some language that he lost
4:39
or pointing that he lost, and the journey began ~ to try to,
4:44
put something together. I'm an entrepreneur.
4:46
So,
4:48
We had ideas early on, but they all centered around,
4:51
okay, how's this kid gonna get an education?
4:53
Right? and how are
4:54
Yeah. Okay, education. focus.
4:56
we gonna, you know, bring the best tools available to him?
5:00
And and so, we kind of just we began,
5:03
Reed's mom and I. and and on that path,
5:06
we met amazing people that helped our guy.
5:10
And ~ and we learned a lot from families,
5:12
primarily families, but also some good therapists.
5:15
and looking at it then compared to now,
5:18
I mean we're in the beginning,
5:21
if not a literal oasis compared to where we were before.
5:25
and some of it's just by the sheer nature of autism and the number
5:30
of people affected and the number of people who
5:32
Basically have, you could say have no choice but to create and build.
5:37
So I mean that's the beginning.
5:40
~ and I would add one more thing.
5:41
Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely.
5:44
His biggest challenge
5:45
has always been the ability to communicate.
5:48
So that's been the theme in my life that holds everything I do around
5:54
is kind of focused around that.
5:56
Yeah, I unfortunately understand this very,
6:00
very well because that's definitely an issue we have as well.
6:04
So then you had this missing piece,
6:07
was which was his education and communication.
6:10
And then it became something that you build,
6:12
but just not something that you wished.
6:15
Well, maybe you wished somebody would build it,
6:17
but it didn't happen. So you just built it yourself.
6:19
So it helped you le it led you to co-found ~ Teachtown.
6:24
So what problem were you trying to solve and what did building Teachtown teach
6:29
you about the difference between a technology that looks impressive
6:34
and a technology families and school will actually use?
6:37
Well, that's probably several hours,
6:41
but I'll try to bring it, you know,
6:42
bring it in tight. first, we started with co-founding a school with four other
6:48
families for Reed in Marin. And that school had no curriculum.
6:53
We were making it up as we went.
6:55
and ~ and out of that was two kind of two general problems.
7:00
So one was
7:03
that the rate of learning language for my son was way too
7:07
way too s low
7:10
The there's a lot of methodologies and approaches to to language learning that
7:16
I looked into in s in a lot of depth.
7:19
And so, we didn't have really access to that kind of expertise.
7:23
So we started off, building Teachtown to try to really make up for that gap.
7:30
So, and then your other question was,
7:33
this question about a shiny object versus what worked.
7:36
So I'm going to tell you at the beginning right up front,
7:40
technology was at a point where where you can't experiment like you
7:45
can today with AI. So when you started to build something,
7:49
to build a prototype was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
7:53
You didn't get a prototype built.
7:55
We built it on Macromedia Director.
7:57
And we hired, you know, programmers and we did a lot of work around that.
8:03
two things happened. One was my son loved Sesame Street.
8:08
He loved Disney. He got access to these wonderful living books,
8:14
and nothing looked like that.
8:17
That you could build without mil probably millions then,
8:21
but you know, and we ultimately did spend millions in building the
8:25
in building this product and the company.
8:26
But so, you know, we learned the hard way.
8:30
And the hardest thing for me was that Reed ultimately rejected Teachtown,
8:35
never wanted to use it, never was interested,
8:40
and even when we brought in incredible animated characters.
8:44
from a from the a man named Terry Thoren who who basically created
8:50
the Rugrats after his own kid's image.
8:53
And we had the top
8:54
Mm-hmm. Wow.
8:56
animation, you know, you couldn't get a better animation producer than Terry Thoren
9:02
and and no, it we it you know it didn't resonate.
9:05
The characters didn't resonate with him.
9:06
And we were, you know, effectively we were pregnant.
9:10
We were not we were gonna have to deliver the baby.
9:13
Yeah, we
9:13
yeah, it's happening.
9:15
at that point, you know, I had invested a lot of dough.
9:18
I had brought investors in, ~ some famous investors like Peter Ueberroth.
9:23
I don't know if that name even rings a bell,
9:25
but he was at one point head of Major League Baseball and so on.
9:29
so that journey turned out to be,
9:32
you know, w when we sold it to Bain.
9:35
in 2020, let's call it a 15-year journey to get it off the ground.
9:41
Many arrows in the back. And I like to think that all that cumulated experience gets
9:46
concentrated at Teachtown. I am an operator,
9:49
I am a builder, then how do you make sure the thing that you're building
9:54
really resonates and can work for families right now.
9:57
I think I mentioned earlier that we think about the speed of family.
10:01
We don't think about what's going to happen in 15 years from now.
10:05
But many things that were born 15 years ago that are in the market are awesome.
10:10
But I'm,
10:10
Mm-hmm.
10:11
you know, we're living it every day.
10:12
So
10:13
More like yeah, exactly.
10:15
I'll just just to kind of try to wrap a bow around that.
10:19
Mm-hmm.
10:19
Today you can build and test so fast with AI.
10:24
So one of the, you know, there's so many different advantages that AI gives you,
10:27
its ability to actually write code itself.
10:32
I use it, I'm building another company for non-speakers.
10:35
that's a platform that involves the ability to everything from digitize
10:42
the letterboard all the way through
10:44
being able to report and monitor sessions and get reports on actually what happened
10:49
in a session. So all of these things can be done.
10:53
I prototyped a lot of them myself and we have
10:56
Mm-hmm.
10:57
a small team, tiny team. That would have been,
10:59
you know, like twenty people when I started
11:01
Yeah.
11:02
on my journey as an entrepreneur.
11:03
Yeah.
11:05
Yeah, that's that's amazing. And by the way,
11:07
that's part of my optimism there.
11:09
You're saying this and it's literally filling my heart with hope and
11:13
joy because I can picture it. I can picture all these gaps.
11:16
And we'll talk about AI in a little bit,
11:19
but it's giving me a lot of hope.
11:21
But talking about speed and families,
11:24
you talked to me about your motto.
11:26
And so after Teachtown, you did like we said,
11:29
something really interesting. You didn't s simply build so you exited.
11:34
Teachtown. That's amazing. That's a that's a huge win.
11:37
But you did not simply build another product.
11:40
You decided now to help build the whole ecosystem.
11:44
Why build one when you can build so many?
11:47
So you build the ecosystem ecosystem around the product.
11:51
And so why did you create Multiple?
11:54
And what was broken in the
11:57
in the autism and we talked about it a little bit offline,
12:00
but in the autism innovation ecosystem that a single company could not fix.
12:06
~
12:07
well let me just ~ r reference back to my journey.
12:10
So when we we when we were building Teachtown,
12:14
when I was at one point I was the CEO and it was very clear that
12:19
my knowledge of selling the school district rounded to zero.
12:23
At one point I had in my head when we started,
12:26
how hard could this be? I built a financial technology platform that had an exit.
12:31
I I had a team of
12:33
Coders, I didn't manage them directly,
12:36
and model builders, financial model builders.
12:38
And we sold to complex organizations called banks and investment banks
12:44
and things like that. Well, I I I was pretty much wrong.
12:47
How hard could it be? Well, it could be incredibly hard because selling
12:52
to a school district is entirely different.
12:54
I won't go down that rabbit hole.
12:56
But then what that led to was some good fortune that you know that I got introduced.
13:03
To a CEO that first was at a special ed company running
13:09
it was a roll-up. He had been out of PE named Dave Cappellucci.
13:14
He he and I were thinking of partnering.
13:17
Okay, and they they were they were going to invest in us and buy us over time.
13:23
Very smart man. And then
13:26
One day one of the people on the board of his company that was looking
13:30
to acquire when we were at towards the end of due diligence was the head
13:33
of the school district of New York City,
13:35
the head, okay. And he said,
13:37
Mm. Wow.
13:38
This is a bad investment. There's gonna be a cure for autism with medicine.
13:43
You just can't make it up.
13:45
Yeah.
13:46
Well, I you know, it just you can't make up honestly stupidity.
13:50
You just can't.
13:51
You know, you can't like somebody that just will say in a board meeting something
13:55
and all of a sudden it's tanked.
13:56
But from there, Dave left and on his way out,
14:00
I said, Why don't you run Teachtown?
14:04
Mm-hmm.
14:05
And so, you know, so at that point,
14:08
which was probably 2013, I was
14:11
Mm-hmm.
14:11
kind of out of a job because I,
14:14
you know, he knew more about this space than I did by an order of magnitude.
14:18
I'm still a good idea person.
14:20
He's trying to manage our cash flow.
14:22
He's trying to get, he had he brought with him a team of salespeople,
14:25
of marketing people. He brought a team.
14:27
And and it was hard even then to raise money.
14:32
We had a massively down round.
14:34
I got crushed in that down road round.
14:38
I won't go down those details,
14:40
but I ended up with a good chunk of equity out of that.
14:43
And Dave, you know.
14:44
Good. Thank goodness.
14:46
They did great. So then at that point it was two thousand fourteen,
14:50
fifteen, thirteen
14:52
I started to have the idea of an accelerator.
14:55
I got interested in hackathons.
14:57
I met a
14:58
Mm-hmm.
14:58
well-known professor who's now at Northeastern named Matthew Goodwin.
15:02
~ he's building amazing tech to predict seizures and meltdowns.
15:08
yeah,
15:08
in his lab, he and I sketched out what an accelerator might look like.
15:14
And while he w he and I weren't able to partner all the way through
15:18
for many different reasons. so in two thousand fourteen,
15:22
I was out of a job and I have this idea.
15:25
How hard could it be to get a you know an accelerator and autism off the ground?
15:30
Well, it was very hard, but we ended up once I s we had the Teachtown exit.
15:33
So then what's the problem we're solving,
15:35
right? At at Multiple?
15:37
that there's there's three or four things.
15:41
and at that point when we started it,
15:44
I had a a really close friend,
15:45
Sean O'Sullivan, had an accelerator.
15:48
I got introduced to him and I said,
15:49
yeah, of course. Mm-hmm. I know.
15:52
wow, ~ coach me. And he has
15:55
Mm.
15:56
for a long time, and has given a lot of advice and has given financial support
16:01
to Multiple. I I met him at Elizabeth Horn's house.
16:06
Yep. That's where I met them as well.
16:07
And and the and
16:08
Uh-huh.
16:09
the three of us also
16:12
out of a convening she had, you know,
16:14
got together and decided that we were going to organize the Autism Impact Fund.
16:19
I yeah, so and we we did.
16:19
Mm-hmm. ~ okay. Yes, of course.
16:23
And I
16:24
Mm-hmm.
16:24
and and there was a there's a story there,
16:26
but going going kind of cycling forward,
16:29
~
16:29
Mm-hmm.
16:30
the funds that were emerging in the space were not the
16:35
first mile of capital. So I'm a zero
16:37
Okay.
16:38
to one person, meaning I like to take things from z nothing and getting them
16:41
Again. Mm-hmm.
16:43
started and then bringing in a a team ~
16:46
Okay.
16:47
along the way. And so it was very clear to me that there were many ideas emerging.
16:53
I would get just because of my position at Teachtown,
16:57
you know, I would get inbound inquiries,
16:59
I want some advice,
17:01
Started to advise some companies because I was out of a job,
17:04
because Dave took over. And so,
17:06
To do, yeah.
17:06
you
17:07
know, it it's sort and sort of,
17:08
you know, based on a lot of things,
17:10
once we had our exit, you know,
17:13
it's you can't imagine a founder's journey in an environment where most people don't
17:18
think autism is a market, the traditional VCs,
17:22
and where
17:22
Yeah. Yes.
17:24
Yeah.
17:24
Many investors
17:25
who do invest in the space are investing in ABA therapy centers,
17:29
which is really not it's a it's not the same thing.
17:32
You're not
17:33
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Let's move on,
17:35
guys. Yeah, exactly.
17:36
Yeah. It's not
17:37
it's not the same thing as controversial as is as many have gone bust through
17:43
the PE process, rolled up and so on.
17:45
So I looked at that and I looked at founders coming our way,
17:51
looking for advice, looking for support,
17:54
ideas
17:55
Yeah.
17:55
that I had had. And so there was just nothing out there for autism startups just
18:00
getting going that had actual
18:03
real knowledge, had has you know had access to operators
18:08
who actually were not in the stands,
18:11
had been right with them starting,
18:14
and who might have a kid on you know,
18:17
might have a kid, might be autistic themselves,
18:20
So and so there was a big I saw a big gap.
18:24
I don't think we're the center of the universe,
18:26
in fact.
18:27
We don't want to be the center of the universe.
18:29
We just want to be part of an ecosystem,
18:32
but we also have created our own ecosystem around early stage innovation.
18:38
And so that's, you know, I think there's a big space there for us.
18:43
And we're the first autism acceleration program,
18:46
but we're still the only independent from a university.
18:49
You know, Vanderbilt's
18:49
yeah.
18:50
doing great work and so are others,
18:52
but you know, we ha and but we only do autism twenty four seven.
18:57
Yeah.
18:58
Amazing. And look, there's so much work to be done there.
19:01
So frankly, there should be more than one,
19:04
but there isn't more than one.
19:05
So really it all falls back on you,
19:08
Dan, you know, for now. ~
19:09
Really, because
19:10
I do want to give a shout out to Vanderbilt.
19:12
I do want to give a shout out to a budding program at ~ Arizona State University
19:17
that's being started. It's called the Spark Center.
19:21
I do there's so many people that are that are,
19:25
you know, catalyzing in the space.
19:28
I we are just part of a much bigger thing that's going on globally.
19:34
You can see it
19:37
Just for our perspective, you can see the the beginnings of you know this
19:42
~ oasis of technology solutions if you just look at our application flow.
19:49
So when we started, we probably got 20,
19:52
20, 30. We consistently are now getting 90,
19:56
and we're trying to figure out how to grow our program to absorb the best,
20:01
right? The best, the ones that
20:03
that that meet the milestones,
20:05
that do the work, that have the teams,
20:08
and so on. So it's like from my point of view,
20:11
you know, we we see all sorts of people having ideas about ~ you know,
20:17
what what would you call them?
20:18
Venture studios and this and that and like the more the merrier.
20:22
Absolutely. And that's why I'm hoping that this I like to lead with hope
20:26
and optimism. So I'm hoping that this episode will fall on so many ears
20:31
of budding entrepreneurs, but also VCs and LPs that are looking at
20:37
the field and for them to understand that there is a need out there.
20:40
There's a huge, huge need. There's so many gaps and so many solutions
20:45
to be implemented. so now, because of Multiple,
20:48
of course, you have an unusual.
20:50
view of the field because of where you are,
20:53
where almost no one else is, maybe a couple of people,
20:57
but you are right there at the center of it.
20:59
So you have an autism tech database and it says that there's more than
21:04
600 companies across fifteen categories.
21:08
Can you see patterns that
21:11
most pattern parents can't see?
21:11
yeah, for sure. And it's actually quite a lot more than that.
21:13
More.
21:14
Because we're a bit
21:16
bootstrapped, you know, we're a bit bootstrapped
21:18
Okay.
21:19
as an organization, we've we have cataloged privately more than we've
21:26
put into the database, which we're in the middle of doing.
21:29
So, you know, I would expect us to break a thousand.
21:33
And certainly just in our universe,
21:36
if you just take
21:37
Our universe, Autism Impact Fund,
21:39
the K. Ventures and others,
21:43
if you take the sum of the portfolios that have gotten backing from a series,
21:48
you know, a series seed or a pre-seed all the way to series A and higher,
21:53
now you're talking about vetted companies,
21:56
ours and theirs.
21:58
And we are thinking that's in the hundred range,
22:01
okay? And
22:02
One hundred.
22:03
yeah, that the the the fully vetted,
22:05
but I this is a guesstimate right now.
22:08
This is at least within our knowledge base that companies we could recommend
22:13
to a parent or
22:14
Okay.
22:15
to a caregiver or to a service provider.
22:18
Theoretically, we can diligence many more than us,
22:22
like call
22:22
Right.
22:23
it a subset of what we have in our database.
22:25
~
22:26
Mm-hmm.
22:27
and then with that, our COO, Cait Russell is building a navigator.
22:32
So parents and institutions can have curated,
22:38
not not just going on the on a database and trying to
22:42
Sort through what the hell is there,
22:44
but a curated situation where they will know about the companies out there.
22:50
It feeds the companies, it feeds the parents,
22:52
Yes. Yes.
22:54
it
22:55
feeds the caregivers, it feeds everybody.
22:57
And, you know, our point of view is:
22:59
all right, now you built it. Now how do you get discovered?
23:02
Right? How do you get discovered not only by investors,
23:05
but how do you get discovered in the market?
23:08
Assuming.
23:09
Yeah, sure.
23:09
Because if you're marketing
23:10
in a state and you're a parent in a state where that company is not marketing
23:17
or not as well known or hasn't been vetted by the school district,
23:21
you're hard to get visibility.
23:22
So, you know, we think navigation is a big thing.
23:27
Knowing about the companies and being able to talk to investors about
23:31
the space is also important. But we care about getting ~ the word out.
23:37
Yeah.
23:37
So
23:37
that these great companies that most people have not heard of,
23:41
except if you're an insider in a you know tech center and you come across them.
23:45
Yeah. No. Yeah, yeah.
23:47
So
23:49
yeah, so that's you know, that's a big thing that ~ that the you know
23:54
the database is designed to be very actionable and and and we hope to have
23:59
a proof of concept that's really visible that can be visible and shared
24:03
2026.
24:04
we're gonna start slow. Okay, this
24:06
is our advice to startups, okay?
24:07
This is all of our advice to startups boil down into one thing.
24:11
Make
24:12
Yes.
24:12
sure that people who who benefit from we what you have,
24:17
make sure that you have a f you know,
24:19
a number of people who will just kick our ass,
24:24
okay.
24:24
This is not about a shiny object going back to the beginning of our conversation.
24:29
This is about this is about making something that really works.
24:34
And no parent wants to go into a database and get 10 results and have
24:39
to vet it themselves, right? Who the hell?
24:41
Agreed.
24:42
I
24:42
mean, no there's so many apps out there.
24:44
This, by the way, our tech doesn't speak to the many unvetted,
24:49
unproven apps that have never been
24:52
reviewed professionally or academically that are you can get,
24:56
you know, in the App Store or on Google.
25:00
there's there's many claims that get made.
25:02
You just have to go on Instagram.
25:05
Yeah, yes, of course. Of course.
25:08
And I'm hoping to spread the word also for all of these companies.
25:12
We'll put in the show notes your database.
25:14
And I'm hoping our audience now will have access to it very soon.
25:18
And also I'll reach out to some of these companies.
25:22
I would love to talk to them and and present their products to to people.
25:26
So I absolutely agree. I think there's a big connection to be made.
25:30
I think there's a need and there's a solution.
25:33
We just need to
25:34
Yeah, have to bring it together
25:35
Yeah, right.
25:35
in some you know, quasi marketplace and and we're gonna do that.
25:40
So today compared to five years ago,
25:42
what feels meaningfully different?
25:45
Like what areas are maybe moving a little bit faster and where are
25:49
you seeing the most exciting progress for families?
25:53
Wow,
25:53
there is
25:54
Mm-hmm.
25:54
so many sectors where we're seeing it,
25:56
right? So, you
25:57
Great. Okay.
25:58
know, if you think about social emotional learning,
26:01
there's ~ quite a few companies in that space
26:06
So there's Vanessa Gill has a company called Social Cipher,
26:10
and it's for she is autistic and was early in her life not a speaker,
26:17
and she's now a gifted leader,
26:20
and she's very public about what she uses for herself,
26:25
by the way, to manage her own emotions in her own situation.
26:30
she was, you know, she was in our first batch and sh has a partnership with
26:37
the LEGO Foundation that have given her,
26:40
you know, at least a couple million in non-dilutive capital and are backing her.
26:45
Okay, so and they're and they've helped her really amazingly improve her product.
26:50
And her product itself is for neurodivergent youth to build their
26:54
own social skills and knowledge.
26:57
And and she has amazing traction in school districts,
27:00
much faster than we did at Teachtown.
27:03
I mean, I think she's a better entrepreneur than I was.
27:05
Yeah. I think she's no, I think she's a really
27:06
Just a difference methodology.
27:09
Yeah, she's really, really an exceptional woman,
27:12
and that I think highly of. ~ another company that I'm
27:18
Am I high on so many? Okay. So I you know,
27:21
I I brought I brought lists of announcements that we made.
27:24
Okay. But ~ I'm very high on a company called Unique Minds.
27:31
the founders come out of ~ Microsoft,
27:34
where the team
27:37
led the Azure AI stack construction.
27:40
then they in turn went on to do the same thing at Oracle and also at Dell.
27:46
And Elad, who's the leader, the CEO,
27:50
and Corom who was his product guy.
27:52
Corom
27:53
Has a cognitively challenged daughter,
27:56
and he started to build out a product of think of them as digital support animals.
28:02
So you have your favorite, you know,
28:04
you might have your favorite bear that you hug,
28:08
or your favorite thing
28:08
Mm-hmm.
28:09
you go to bed with, or or a character you like,
28:12
and they have built this incredible capability.
28:16
To build all sorts of things for families in real time with AI,
28:22
like you know, whether it's transition to school,
28:25
whether it's brushing your teeth,
28:26
Yes.
28:27
whether it's so instead of a parent trying to cobble that together,
28:31
you go there and you it's instant on.
28:33
it's an app on your phone. Yeah.
28:35
~ okay.
28:37
And it's a really great piece of work and available today and built
28:42
by them with their incredible experience along with their clinical director.
28:46
They they're based in Redmond,
28:48
they're great
28:49
Mm-hmm.
28:50
great humans.
28:51
These these both sound like literally I can see myself using both of them for Jimmy.
28:56
That sounds fantastic, amazing.
28:59
Yeah. And again it's the speed of family,
29:01
you know, the the mindset. Yeah,
29:03
Yeah, absolutely, absolutely.
29:04
the mindset. ~
29:07
I there's one other one that I'd like there's so many I wanna call out,
29:10
but I'll call out one more,
29:12
so there's a neurodivergent founder out of Ireland who has something called
29:17
the Focus Collective. And he's built
29:20
Some glasses or eyewear that that dim peripheral vision
29:27
and filter out distractions and create a calmer work environment.
29:30
And
29:30
Yeah, you said.
29:31
so his company has gotten a lot of backing,
29:35
both from the Irish government as well as from a whole bunch of different
29:40
tech company that's been that's been supporting him,
29:43
but Joel Olympio is just one of these guys.
29:46
from day one when I met him, it's like this is gonna be a real company.
29:49
And I really love
29:50
Wow, yeah.
29:51
his work.
29:52
he's very very smart, very fast learner.
29:55
And
29:56
Mm.
29:57
these glasses are just represent I mean,
30:00
you haven't heard of any of these three things,
30:02
right?
30:02
No. so I'm I'm just thinking, wow,
30:05
this would be an amazing acquisition for for a company like Meta
30:09
I
30:10
know we're on the same page, Nadia.
30:11
About 60 companies have gone through the accelerator.
30:17
Okay.
30:19
you know, and look, if you have an application stream of 90,
30:23
we're actually turning down companies that have potential.
30:26
And one of our visions for the next year is to grow our support
30:33
for companies that are not quite ready for prime time.
30:36
We do have a pre-accelerator that
30:38
17 companies have gone through,
30:39
maybe a little bit more. But the fact is that this
30:44
is a global possible accelerator.
30:48
And when you think about what we see when we s when we do research looking
30:53
for companies to be in the accelerator or looking
30:56
Yeah.
30:57
for companies for the database,
30:58
we
30:58
see, a real
31:01
sector that is going to help our kids,
31:04
you know, and we've got like we've got at least six million only here in America,
31:09
right? Think about
31:10
Yeah. Yeah.
31:11
and there's innovation in India.
31:13
There's in I don't know any country in the world that that we don't know
31:17
all of the innovation in those countries.
31:18
we have startups fr from all over the world,
31:21
from Australia to India
31:23
to obviously Europe. and and they're all working like crazy.
31:28
You talk about a hive, they're working like crazy to get solutions
31:32
out into the market. And
31:34
that's
31:34
great. And the fact if they're all connected with you,
31:37
then yes, you will also have this ecosystem within Multiple where they
31:42
can share hopefully ideas or or ~ help each other,
31:46
you know, in the ecosystem basically.
31:47
yeah, in fact, you
31:48
know, you know, if you look at us,
31:49
we're still very much a startup nonprofit accelerator.
31:54
We ourselves, you know, we're just bound by capacity right now.
31:59
We have an amazing team, but we're capacity bound,
32:02
and that's my mission right now,
32:04
is to grow the capacity of the team
32:07
grow our own funding, honestly.
32:08
Yeah.
32:09
we have great funders.
32:10
Brian Jacobs is one of our is a funder.
32:13
Sean O'Sullivan is a funder, and on.
32:16
we have a strategic plan, we have a lot of focus,
32:18
our COO is exceptional
32:21
I'll put it
32:21
out there to your audience. Anybody that's interested in talking to us about us.
32:25
So our audience, yes, we do have a lot of researchers,
32:28
but we also have a lot of entrepreneurs,
32:31
but we also have a lot of VCs and LPs looking at this,
32:35
like you said, because it's a global issue,
32:39
anyways, right? So they're looking for where to invest and
32:45
and what's gonna move the needle.
32:47
Who are you looking for to support your company?
32:50
And then what would you do with that funding?
32:53
So you mentioned a few people that we know in common,
32:56
right? And you know, they're very much connected to our world,
32:59
the autism world, and here's Silicon Valley.
33:02
~ but what would a great partner look like that would that would fund your company?
33:09
well it's kind of simple. They have the same passion we do.
33:14
They want they want to make a difference.
33:17
there if it's if it's funding Multiple,
33:19
it's like they get it. You know,
33:22
they don't get it automatically.
33:23
They have to get to know us. I mean,
33:25
I've never been a guy that sells,
33:27
I'm more a guy that tells. so they want to get to know us.
33:31
They want to see if they could actually move the needle.
33:35
by their participation as their network.
33:39
So we don't just care about like fact the last thing we think about
33:44
is is the actual money. We think about compatibility culturally and
33:49
we think about like all of our board,
33:53
all of our our supporters, we always try to think about their social capital,
33:58
not just their
34:01
personal capital and also their own passions because there's a lot
34:06
of opportunity to really solve problems that are close to you or your loved ones
34:12
or your family. So it's it's really looking for you know a mission driven person.
34:17
And if they're interested in our fund,
34:20
that's a different path, but that's a great path.
34:22
They can be an LP in our fund,
34:24
or they can support you know, the mothership.
34:27
Great, great. So Multiple
34:28
Others.
34:29
is a nonprofit mothership and then you also have the fund and of course
34:33
you have basically the portfolio of companies that will be raising money
34:38
at some point.
34:39
They are. In fact,
34:39
I've often thought, why wouldn't investors want to
34:43
be involved and participate and be able to watch
34:48
and listen be involved in the accelerator itself,
34:52
right? And it's pure diligence,
34:54
right? You can see who commits to what,
34:56
you can see how involved they are,
34:57
you can see who delivers.
34:59
you get the whole picture. And so there's we do have a a group called
35:04
the Founding Fifty, which has has the ability to go to those events.
35:09
And also we do a special demo day where they can practice their pitches
35:15
to a group of sophisticated investors ahead of the big demo day,
35:21
and they get a lot of feedback,
35:23
and you can see the pitches turn really fast after they get that feedback.
35:27
So there's many ways to be involved with us.
35:29
And ~ it, you know, and I'm I'm we're just grateful to have the support
35:33
we have today. we've got 90 in the pipeline that would apply,
35:38
at least. So we admit 10, we should be admitting at least 20.
35:43
Then we should
35:43
Well double.
35:44
have a program that incubates these businesses,
35:48
and then of course we have the database.
35:50
You know, we have a lot of places to grow and we're very targeted
35:54
and and focused and thanks to the team I don't run this thing day to day.
35:58
You know, I do I'm very involved.
36:00
but I'm not the CEO. I'm the board chair.
36:03
Amazing, amazing. And and of course you're in Silicon Valley.
36:07
And like you said, you are surrounded by these amazing people that in the valley,
36:13
in Silicon Valley, were, you know,
36:15
one the the initial investors in some of the largest companies.
36:18
You mentioned some of them, but some of them invested in companies like Zoom
36:22
and Salesforce. And so these are the the caliber of people that you're working with.
36:27
So these new partners would basically be working alongside you and
36:32
And all these fantastic people.
36:34
So I'm sure, I'm sure that everybody will hear your passion for this
36:39
and your hunger to solve problems.
36:42
We just need to reduce the friction basically by finding the right partners for you.
36:48
we're not gonna be satisfied until we can have superscale impact,
36:52
right?
36:52
our the companies that have graduated we don't give enough support to.
36:57
Yeah. Yeah.
36:58
but we will.
36:59
it's a problem, but it's a s it's a good problem to have.
37:02
It's a solvable problem. It's it's a solvable
37:04
Yeah, it.
37:05
problem. We just need the right all these more people in in the right rooms
37:10
to be able to solve these problems and we'll be able to move things along
37:14
and and success builds on success.
37:15
Super smart people, 'cause, you know,
37:16
Yes.
37:17
we we're
37:18
getting incredible contributions from so many people that are willing to,
37:23
you know, review a plan, review a pitch deck,
37:25
talk to the companies, be a mentor.
37:29
we have an amazing community. We in fact I think of it as a superpower.
37:33
Like we're powered by the autism community itself.
37:37
unfortunately, now with autism,
37:39
there's barely a two-degree of separation.
37:41
So everybody's impacted somehow,
37:44
either directly or through a loved one.
37:46
So this needs everybody's eyes on this problem.
37:50
And we can work on all of this together.
37:53
And together, there's no reason we're not going to succeed because there
37:56
are solutions.
37:58
There are solutions, they just need to be implemented.
38:00
And I see several ways that it could happen.
38:02
One, of course, is biomedical,
38:04
where AI may finally help us make sense of enormous fragmented data sets
38:10
and see patterns. Human researchers just can't hold all at once,
38:14
or definitely not parents either.
38:16
Another is, and we talked about it a little bit,
38:19
I would like to go a bit deeper,
38:20
is assistive technology where AI could help the person with autism interface with
38:25
the world around them. And then there is
38:28
Again, another thing we spoke about a little bit,
38:30
but maybe from a different point of view,
38:33
and it's companionship, something consistent that could support communication,
38:38
social skills, connection, independence,
38:40
and maybe a little bit loneliness.
38:43
So let's take those one at a time and let's start with the biomedical side.
38:47
So on the biomedical side, autism research generates ~ enormous amounts
38:52
of data across
38:53
Of course, genetics, we know that,
38:55
but also immune function, metabolism,
38:57
microbiome, environment development.
38:59
You spoke about seizures, behaviors,
39:02
and clinical history. So do you think AI can help us connect those data sets,
39:06
identify meaningful biological subgroups?
39:10
~ what do you think AI can realistically change in in that field?
39:15
wow. Okay, so I think of that possibly I think of that in a number of ways.
39:20
Firstly,
39:21
I think the potential of AI is only limited by imagination.
39:24
And because it basically it it can do things that no human can do.
39:30
I I use AI to do a first scan over applications.
39:34
You know, we get this rich data about companies.
39:37
And who can really get the patterns in that?
39:41
No one can. So I I've created my own little agent that will analyze applications
39:46
for me and feed me the data that I think I need in order to really review them.
39:51
But that's like that's that's a mundane use.
39:54
But to your, you know, to to to finding patterns where you have incredibly smart
40:02
researchers, physicians, specialists in all those areas,
40:06
whether it's microbiome, whether it's
40:09
the brain. So I think there's a just a lot going on in major university centers
40:15
around the country and there's a lot there and I I think that's gonna yield results
40:20
faster possibly. we're I'm hoping that it's not going to
40:25
be fifteen years before before insight,
40:27
No. Not acceptable.
40:28
right? And before solutions. Right.
40:30
No, we can't. Come on.
40:31
Yeah.
40:32
That's way too long. Unacceptable.
40:35
I mean, Sergey Brin's
40:36
family office is funding a very big initiative,
40:40
as you probably know. And so hats off to his family office and him
40:45
and the people behind him who are d the thought thought leaders that
40:48
are leading that. we need more of that.
40:51
There's there's more people in Silicon Valley,
40:54
maybe not with his wealth, but with significant wealth.
40:59
that can be part of this, maybe there he'll form a coalition and
41:03
get more families involved or or other families will get involved and do that.
41:08
So I'm very optimistic that that's happening and you can't when
41:13
you have a non-speaking son or daughter,
41:16
that's a super challenging. I don't know if you call it the most challenging,
41:20
because every parent that feels pain,
41:23
their pain and their challenge
41:26
is severe.
41:26
I will just I I love the fact that as a community more money is being invested
41:32
in research. We have a a great partnership at the University of Calgary with
41:38
a professor ~ named Diwakar Krishnamurthy who
41:43
is building AR/VR solutions
41:47
Mm-hmm.
41:47
where ~
41:49
There's a communication coach or practitioner there is an avatar and a board
41:54
Mm-hmm.
41:55
in in virtual space. eventually,
41:58
you can do letterboarding and not just letterboarding,
42:00
but also things that regulate the body,
42:03
regulate the adult or child through his work.
42:09
And it it's also he is de he's come up with his own methodology based on research.
42:15
So there's a committee of non-speaking autistic adults who
42:21
it who are paid and advise and give feedback on the work.
42:25
And he's a specialist now. he is a specialist now in understanding
42:29
how to engage people that do not have speech or have limited speech and so
42:35
on in the process.
42:37
And it can work
42:37
that's
42:38
and that work can also work if somebody's not comfortable with the concept
42:44
of a spelling and a letterboard.
42:46
It can work with, any kind of device that requires pointing.
42:49
Pointing and body movement,
42:50
Okay.
42:52
you know, so it could work with a traditional AAC device or anything.
42:55
Yeah. ~ my god, I would love to see that.
42:56
So yeah, we he would be a great guest for your show.
42:58
Yeah, that sounds amazing.
43:01
He you talk about breakthrough
43:03
technology.
43:04
Yeah.
43:04
And
43:05
you know, like myself person like you know,
43:09
I'm the new company I have, plus myself personally,
43:13
you know, I'm backing his lab a I am a supporter of his lab.
43:17
his lab is is exceptional and he has a federated relationships with
43:22
similar academics in the US at the University of Virginia and and at Rutgers
43:28
so in general, basically you're talking about AI that would become kind of like
43:34
an assistive like interface between the person with autism,
43:38
because that's it basically what you're talking about is in general,
43:40
our kids are kind of isolated and in this bubble.
43:44
So this technology would be an interface between the person with autism
43:48
and just the outside world, whether it's translating social cues or literal words
43:54
or ~ yeah, or helping them kind of adapt to transitions,
43:59
which I it might sound very simple to most people,
44:02
but we know.
44:03
transitions are difficult for our kids.
44:05
so like basically how do you see these products?
44:10
What could real stick realistically like live on a phone?
44:13
And then you talked also about VR,
44:14
so of course wearables, ~ glasses,
44:17
~ wearables like, you know, we all have something that we're wearing.
44:21
my God, there's so much. I mean,
44:23
and and by the way, you know, I'm kind of bouncing around between your three
44:26
different, you know, questions because I see them very interrelated.
44:30
I mean the
44:31
research side is the research side and and the the the ability of AI
44:35
to do things that we can't do harnessed maybe with nanocomputing in the future.
44:40
Right? So, but then
44:43
there's a company that's building a mindfulness ~ sensory app that has no interface.
44:50
It's just these sticks
44:52
that young kids hold and helps them in emotional activity
44:58
and regulation and and even
45:01
with no screen. Yeah,
45:03
Do they vibrate maybe? Is is that yeah.
45:04
they do. They vibrate. They have different
45:05
Yeah.
45:07
haptics and different things. ~
45:09
Love that.
45:10
and they're in the UK and they're not fully in the US yet and everybody that gave
45:16
them feedback on their business is like please go adult
45:19
Yes, of course. I would use something like that.
45:22
I mean, my younger son also would like ha always has fidgets,
45:26
so I d I just think now, what does the future hold?
45:29
Well I you know,
45:32
firstly, I want my son to have
45:35
Yes.
45:35
friends. I've I've actually w one of his most most emotional sessions with
45:41
the letterboard was how he described what a normal life was to have.
45:45
So pardon me if I get a little
45:48
teary about it, but he basically told his mother,
45:52
you know, you know, I live in silence.
45:56
I'm so sorry. This is so hard.
45:58
And but but but the
45:59
So
46:00
other thing he said which was so great,
46:02
he said I want a normal life.
46:05
My normal life is I have I I go independently between mom and dad's.
46:11
I have friends, I have a real job and and
46:16
I can speak normally.
46:20
yeah, yeah.
46:21
And
46:22
w and we know our kids want that,
46:24
right?
46:25
Of course. ~ how I mean, I can't even imagine how it must feel to be stuck
46:31
in this body understanding what's around you,
46:33
but you you can't talk and then have everybody looking at you as a black
46:37
box because you don't know what's happening in here if there's no output.
46:41
And by the way, then challenging
46:41
So then
46:42
that. Then the academics
46:44
Yeah.
46:45
and the people who have financial interests in AAC devices that
46:49
are associated with ASHA, that and they prompt them,
46:53
right? Do you think a speech therapist doesn't do prompting?
46:55
Right. Yeah,
46:56
Of course, hundred percent, one hundred on top of the yeah.
46:59
but I'm glad they do. I'm glad
47:02
they do. The whole concept, you know,
47:04
is like you have academics hiding their financial interests.
47:08
Yeah. Yeah.
47:09
Right? And that and
47:10
and and that's insane. You know,
47:13
the the thing is how what powers us,
47:15
right?
47:16
what? Yeah. Exactly.
47:16
Authorities is our kids and when what they want,
47:19
not what we
47:20
impute what they want.
47:22
Yeah, exactly. And that's why,
47:25
frankly, like we were saying offline,
47:27
we have to power this. We have to lead this effort.
47:32
And if anyone wants to help us out,
47:34
great. Would love the help. But you know,
47:38
we're just gonna have to do it ourselves.
47:40
And exactly our focus, it's not dogma,
47:42
it's not financial interest, it's having our kids not be so isolated and
47:49
so sad. I mean it's just really,
47:51
really sad. They're living beings that are just in a very difficult situation.
47:57
We love them. And we're not probably not suffering as much as them,
48:02
but they are our kids. So it feels very difficult to see them go through
48:07
all of this and not be able to just fix it.
48:10
Yeah, that's why I love the work you're doing,
48:12
your show, the whole ~ the whole thing.
48:16
And the fact is it can be done.
48:18
So tech supports those goals.
48:21
it's not a life in and of itself.
48:23
Like I don't want my kids' life mediated by technology.
48:26
I want my I want Reed to be able to
48:32
you know, improve his ability to communicate and hopefully speak.
48:36
That's what he wants, right? And I think it's can be done,
48:37
Yes. Yes. Yeah.
48:40
right? And w whether that's
48:40
Well
48:41
biomedical, whether however that happens,
48:44
what's the combination?
48:45
Yes. Yeah.
48:47
and, you know, we there's just so much that tech can help him.
48:53
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And and we'll get to that in a little bit.
48:56
It's it's funny because literally this morning I was having this conversation with
49:00
my husband, and I think he's gonna be okay with me sharing this,
49:02
but we regularly touch base on what's next for Jimmy,
49:06
what's next? And again, I was explaining to him,
49:08
I'm an engineer, I love exact sciences.
49:11
I never did medicine or biology because ew you know,
49:14
I love exact sciences, but really maybe our bodies,
49:18
our our biology.
49:19
Isn't exact science. There's just so many parameters that we don't know.
49:22
And now, hopefully, again, with the help of AI,
49:25
for our kids to be able to speak,
49:27
if physically they have everything that's needed,
49:30
then maybe there's just these few chemical reactions that are not happening.
49:35
There's some friction somewhere that I'm hoping will help them on that side,
49:40
but also something that basically
49:44
I wanted to talk to you about,
49:46
and that's going to be in the future,
49:48
and hopefully might help them talk.
49:51
is ~ of course, there's the AI software,
49:54
but there's also the hardware and the connection between the hardware
49:57
and the nervous system, right?
49:59
So the thought of the thinking is neurotechnology and BCI,
50:05
brain-computer interfaces.
50:08
for autism, because there's been a lot of work done for strokes and
50:13
for ~ traumatic brain injuries and and things like this.
50:16
But there's a lot of work being done there.
50:18
So what are your thoughts on that for our kids?
50:22
Well, you know, you you have to pursue every every option,
50:26
right? And it's shown, you know,
50:28
it's clearly shown for stroke patients they can get they can communicate that way.
50:33
And they can the you know, their words get displayed and get shared
50:37
and get get heard. So we want that.
50:41
Like I think, you know, how invasive do you want this to be?
50:47
You know, we don't we we'd like it to be minimally invasive,
50:50
of course. Those are the you know,
50:52
long term investments and it's really human capital and human brain power,
50:57
that is harnesses the tech to get the insights and to get
51:04
where we need to go with that.
51:05
but you, you know, I'm curious,
51:07
which companies that are getting are there companies that you know
51:11
of that are getting stood up specifically for autism?
51:15
No, so trying to ~ to get as connected as possible on the longevity
51:20
and the biohacking side of things.
51:21
They're not for autism specifically.
51:26
They're actually more focused on Alzheimer's,
51:29
but also brain TBIs and and things like this.
51:33
That's really the focus because like you were saying at the beginning,
51:37
unfortunately
51:37
A lot of the investors and even the entrepreneurs don't understand this
51:44
nonverbal autism situation and how hard it is and how prevalent it is.
51:48
It's not, it's not one kid in 10,000.
51:52
It's a lot of our kids. So they don't understand that.
51:56
But TBIs and strokes are more well known.
51:59
Hey, we can extrapolate that.
52:02
That's fine. They can do the work there,
52:04
but we can extrapolate it to our kids.
52:05
So I think for right now it's gonna be extrapolation.
52:08
It's the same tech and the same IP and the same software that's supporting that
52:13
tech. But that's actually where we need to go to those people.
52:18
And I just interviewed ~ Ronjon Nag,
52:21
~ and he has a longevity venture capital fund and and he's working
52:26
Yes.
52:27
also with Stanford, you know, Mike Snyder,
52:29
of course.
52:29
So there is movement there, there is a demand there.
52:33
And there are different tools,
52:35
like you know, some of the neurotech that I have that right now
52:39
is getting attention for the longevity world and for Alzheimer's.
52:43
So very few of ~ this neurotech is going from our people,
52:50
from the autism world to the longevity world.
52:52
It's that that's where it's starting,
52:55
and that's okay.
52:56
We can work with these guys. I I really think there's there needs to
52:59
be an interface there.
53:01
I think I'm aware of a of some explorations and some people.
53:04
But you know, this is the kind of thing that the work of Sergey Brin
53:09
and others could, you know, really make the difference to really explore that.
53:15
You know, there's so many fronts to fight on.
53:18
You know, I I imagine, you know,
53:19
the question that we all have.
53:21
Is you know what can help us now and where we actually just have
53:27
to be friggin' patient, but find the research teams,
53:30
which is like the BRAIN Foundation is doing and others are doing,
53:34
but BRAIN Foundation is taking that new science,
53:37
the the non-mainstream researchers and supporting their work.
53:43
I think the their work is is important as well.
53:47
it's like it's impressive
53:49
So yeah, Pramila is doing a fantastic job and we'll have her also on the podcast.
53:54
~ so yeah, I think that's amazing.
53:57
I think there's a lot patience.
53:58
Ooh, I don't know. I don't know,
54:00
Dan on this side of the screen.
54:03
I don't know if I have the patience,
54:04
No, it happened you know, I
54:04
fortunately.
54:05
I could argue against myself, okay,
54:08
because you know
54:10
there are areas in my own mind where does this make sense,
54:14
but there are people that have birthed important diagnostic
54:20
tools in autism.
54:24
and ~ that have taken in forty million dollars between grants
54:30
and capital that ~ are really important work
54:35
and need to exist forty million if we take that number many tech companies
54:41
raise way more than forty million bucks and we're competing with AI returns.
54:48
where does the talent go? Where is it recruited?
54:52
Where is it paid its highest return on the talent itself?
54:56
It's not in autism right now.
54:59
I'm just saying if if talent drives creation,
55:05
Yeah, sure.
55:06
then we need to be having to do the recruiting,
55:09
and that's where the community matters but it's still a rough trade-off
55:14
for so many people.
55:15
Yes, absolutely. But I would say that if we are solving a real problem
55:22
and if we are able to get enough adoption,
55:25
then maybe that's not an issue anymore.
55:29
So really it's really about the numbers.
55:32
And there's so many people with autism.
55:35
So maybe the biggest gap is about before adoption is discovery.
55:41
So let's make sure that these companies are discovered.
55:44
And let's also make sure that these founders that are maybe trying
55:48
to solve the problem for themselves because they're on the spectrum themselves,
55:51
so they have a child with autism,
55:53
then that they can find people like you and come to you.
55:56
So you can in turn introduce them to these VCs
56:01
and also these mentors that could help them,
56:04
right? So so yeah.
56:05
Sure. I that's our game, right?
56:07
That's the game
56:08
we're playing. And you know, and that's the world we're in and and
56:13
and from like from my point of view,
56:16
that's the job, right? That is the literal job that ecosystem builders like
56:23
us have and venture capital has who's in the space and we clearly need more
56:29
venture capital to enter this space.
56:32
I'll talk to anybody. We have the data to be able to show where
56:37
the opportunities are from a both an impact perspective as well as a as well
56:44
as a return perspective. But I like to think of impact as a high standard that
56:49
we hold ourselves to, because then you could invest in an
56:54
ABA revenue optimization company.
56:56
Is that
56:58
What we want, what we need, no.
57:00
I mean, they need it, but that's like that's what they need.
57:04
But we our community needs something different.
57:06
you know, I'm bullish.
57:08
Period. Yeah, I'm really bullish.
57:11
So they so Dan, if you have founders and entrepreneurs that are listening right now,
57:16
who would be a good fit for Multiple?
57:19
Who who should come and talk to you?
57:22
That's a great question. So I'll talk about it on three levels.
57:26
Our accelerator, you have to have
57:31
A an MVP or a minimally lovable product,
57:35
you know, you have to show some traction.
57:38
you you're ~ you may have very few customers,
57:42
but if you have zero customers and say you're not working full-time on this,
57:47
you're better off at our pre-accelerator and other programs that we're imagining,
57:53
right?
57:53
and we will give very good feedback to you through the process.
57:57
But having some traction, having,
58:01
you know, a plus is an experienced founder,
58:05
but that's not a requirement. An important plus is that you have
58:10
an autism connection or that you're that you're a frontline caregiver.
58:15
That's a plus.
58:17
You have experience, you know the ecosystem's enough.
58:20
that's part of our screening process,
58:21
you know, the team, the problem,
58:25
but the actual product having been partially or working well enough that
58:31
you have customers or beta users and you know,
58:35
you're on you have some traction.
58:38
Amazing. Okay. And you're okay if it's is it typically single founders
58:42
or do you prefer having co founders?
58:44
No, we don't care. I mean we you know we don't care.
58:45
You don't care. Okay. That's amazing.
58:47
we we don't look at
58:48
that. sometimes somebody might recruit a co founder or have somebody
58:52
in the waiting but
58:53
They themselves need more traction to attract a co-founder potentially.
58:57
we've done single founders.
58:59
Perfect. Okay, that that's really great.
59:01
So really that opens the door and and I guess the founders,
59:06
the entrepreneurs can be remote,
59:08
they can be all over the world.
59:09
And as long as they have a very clear mission and connection to the autism world
59:15
and an MVP and some sort of traction,
59:18
whether it's actual paying customers or beta users,
59:22
previous experience, of course,
59:24
is better.
59:25
But you would give them the ecosystem so they can grow and hopefully
59:29
go on to raising capital funding.
59:32
Our
59:32
accelerator, someone comes in,
59:34
they go through a boot camp. They don't
59:37
Bootcamp, okay.
59:38
just get pitch coaching, they get business model challenging.
59:43
They get the experience of, our CEO,
59:46
who is a founder is a builder and a veteran in startups,
59:51
as well as a really amazing
59:54
call it coach they get that's Keevin O'Rourke and then they get Cait Russell
59:58
who runs all operations but is also you know it's also they're all
1:00:04
in the trenches for 12 weeks and it's intense.
1:00:07
Twelve weeks.
1:00:08
I mean if
1:00:08
that's another one full time commit do not apply and get in and hold a spot
1:00:13
and then tell us you don't have time.
1:00:16
Of course. yeah. Yeah.
1:00:16
Like that doesn't work. Yeah.
1:00:19
We need what I call the passion and that hunger.
1:00:22
You need to be all in. Of course.
1:00:23
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But there's
1:00:24
Absolutely. Abs
1:00:26
there's a world there where we know we have amazing mentors,
1:00:29
all the things we've talked about.
1:00:31
and you know, and we live it, right?
1:00:33
We live it.
1:00:34
Yeah.
1:00:34
Well, especially now in the AI era where the cycles are so much faster,
1:00:40
development
1:00:40
Yes.
1:00:41
is much faster, and frankly, even exits are much faster.
1:00:45
So you do need that ~ maybe obsession almost.
1:00:49
You need to be like really honed in.
1:00:52
So I I absolutely love that. So Dan before I ask you my last question,
1:00:56
where can people find you? And we'll put all this in the show notes,
1:00:59
but where can people find you?
1:01:01
And
1:01:01
Multiple specifically for an entrepreneur who's building something
1:01:05
for the autism community, but also for the investors and the LPs that would love
1:01:10
to partner with you.
1:01:13
Well first, we filter different things to different people,
1:01:16
right? Because you know, the team that's running the accelerator
1:01:20
are the right people to talk to about the accelerators.
1:01:24
So that would be Keevin O'Rourke or Cait Russell It's it's Keevin@multiplehub.org
1:01:30
or cait@multiplehub.org you know,
1:01:33
someone reaches out to me,
1:01:34
I will typically refer them to the team.
1:01:37
I won't necessarily take calls because I,
1:01:39
I get a lot of inbound and we try to figure out the best way to triage that.
1:01:42
When it comes to funders and and investors,
1:01:47
I also think that the team is a great place to start,
1:01:50
but I'm obviously involved in that.
1:01:52
the financial lifeblood of Multiple's you know,
1:01:56
sits at the board level. yes, the CEO has to raise dough.
1:02:00
Yes, we have to do those things,
1:02:03
but you know, the you know, the board and myself are very involved
1:02:07
and very interested in talking to anybody that wants to back Multiple
1:02:12
in any form and fashion.
1:02:14
And it doesn't have to be a big dollar amount,
1:02:16
honestly. I'm come from the private sector.
1:02:19
I'm figuring out how to run a nonprofit.
1:02:22
I rely on Cait and
1:02:24
Yeah.
1:02:24
Keevin, who have experience in that,
1:02:27
and the board, who has more experience than me.
1:02:29
I have the school, Oak Hill School.
1:02:31
So this is a new experience, but
1:02:31
Yeah.
1:02:34
we're learning very fast and we're having a lot of success and fun.
1:02:37
And it's great. It's great to have both.
1:02:39
I I love that you have both because one will power the other,
1:02:43
frankly.
1:02:43
For sure. Yeah.
1:02:44
You
1:02:45
know, so I I think that's wonderful.
1:02:47
Well, Dan, I like to end my episodes on a note of optimism and hope.
1:02:53
So I have this magic wand that I'm gonna give you and cross
1:02:59
the Golden Gate Bridge all the way up to you.
1:03:02
And if every company that Multiple helped accelerate.
1:03:06
had the resources, talent, technology,
1:03:09
capital, and opportunity, maybe not time,
1:03:11
but all the other things to succeed beyond their wildest expectations,
1:03:16
what would you want the world to look like for people with autism
1:03:20
and their families?
1:03:22
Well
1:03:23
This is a combination of business and hope,
1:03:26
right? We need
1:03:27
Yes.
1:03:28
big brands. We need trusted brands.
1:03:31
So we can't just do it only with point solutions that don't can't
1:03:37
get the visibility of millions.
1:03:39
Okay, so
1:03:39
Okay, okay.
1:03:40
the brand big brand potential is critical.
1:03:44
sustainability is in the ten million in recurring revenue where
1:03:47
you could be acquired or you can sustain your vision and you have a great thing.
1:03:53
But you know, to reach to reach the scale of people,
1:03:57
the number of people, just say non-speaking community,
1:04:01
easily two million humans in America,
1:04:03
and their parents and their, you know,
1:04:05
so on.
1:04:06
And then if you think about autism in general,
1:04:08
well, you gotta believe there's six million,
1:04:10
and then
1:04:10
So
1:04:10
from there you can just say, okay,
1:04:12
let's say there's five intensely affected,
1:04:15
if not more, family members. So you got a a world,
1:04:18
that could be fifty million. And to reach those people,
1:04:21
most people are not early adopters of technology.
1:04:25
Most people are on the other side of the of the chasm of adoption.
1:04:30
They
1:04:30
Yeah.
1:04:30
they want a proven product. They want to make sure they're not making
1:04:32
Sure.
1:04:35
a mistake. And that's all the way up the line,
1:04:37
but some people are more are early adopters and understand that.
1:04:43
That's a huge group of people.
1:04:45
And then there's a late majority,
1:04:46
they may not adopt ever. you've got to be able to,
1:04:50
think about the famous term cross the chasm.
1:04:53
So being a brand
1:04:54
Yeah.
1:04:55
is a really important being a brand,
1:04:57
being associated with a platform.
1:04:59
Teachtown is a great example ~ that was bought by Everway.
1:05:05
it's larger largest competitor.
1:05:08
to be able to get into all the school districts in America or 80% or 70%,
1:05:13
I love the point solutions because they can't be a
1:05:17
Of course.
1:05:18
brand unless they can do they can solve a pain point
1:05:21
then grow to some number that can
1:05:23
Yeah.
1:05:23
attract bigger capital.
1:05:27
Absolutely. I just see all of this in terms of adoption,
1:05:31
friction, and and just frankly,
1:05:34
like marketing, just people knowing about all of this.
1:05:37
Because the number of people affected and the number of people that would benefit
1:05:41
from it, because like you said,
1:05:43
it's not just the kid with autism,
1:05:45
it's the whole family and extended family.
1:05:48
I mean, absolutely, it will make such a huge difference.
1:05:51
Dan, this was such a great, great conversation.
1:05:54
Thank
1:05:54
Thank you.
1:05:55
you so much. it moves the conversation beyond just technology,
1:05:59
just for technology's sake. It's for families like yours and mine,
1:06:04
but it's also hopefully people listening to this are going to be founders,
1:06:08
but also investors listening that on will hopefully understand now that there
1:06:13
is an opportunity.
1:06:14
inside the needs. So there's an opportunity,
1:06:16
but in inside this very real need.
1:06:18
So families are solving problems manually every single day and they're still waiting
1:06:24
for someone to build a better tool.
1:06:26
And that's what Dan is doing. So Dan,
1:06:29
thank you so much for the work you've done for Reed,
1:06:32
but also for the companies you're helping build and for the wider autism community.
1:06:38
Thank you. It's I wanna just add one thing.
1:06:41
It's not it's not a heroic effort.
1:06:43
You know, I I do it with helping hands.
1:06:47
I know you are. I know you are.
1:06:48
And thank you for everything that you're doing.
1:06:51
So hopefully
1:06:51
Thank you.
1:06:52
in a few years we'll be able to have a totally different conversation,
1:06:55
you and I. So we'll be celebrating.
1:06:57
Sure. Thank you.
1:06:58
So
1:07:00
and to everybody listening, if this conversation helped you imagine
1:07:04
a different future for someone that you love,
1:07:06
please share it with someone else.
1:07:08
And don't forget to follow us wherever you listen or watch.
1:07:11
I'm Nadia Elkhatib This is Biohacking Autism.
1:07:14
Take care of yourselves and each other,
1:07:16
and I'll see you on the next one.