“I realized what makes us cognitively unique is what makes us talented. “I began to recognize the importance of employment,” she said. One in every seven humans are neurodivergent, and many of them are highly under- or unemployed - still living with their parents and/or financially dependent on them. It uses that holistic data to make the match between the job and the individual.

Over 70% of the data Mentra collects is not collected by an Indeed or a traditional job-finding platform. “One person might be extremely good at hyper focusing, very detail-oriented, very process-oriented or very strategic, and you have specific skills that map to their strengths in the role.” “Then we are able to use an algorithm to go through the jobseekers on our platform to identify who’s the best fit based on mostly neuro type,” Kumar told TechCrunch. One way Mentra uses AI is to parse through job descriptions to make sure they are cognitively accessible and broken down in a consistent format that is not exclusionary. So we were like, ‘Okay, there’s clearly intelligence here.’” ”But over time, I realized that even though he couldn’t speak, he could use the iPad, and he was very proficient at going to YouTube and doing things. “I didn’t actually know for a while whether or not he was intelligent because he’s very disconnected - in his own world,” she recalls. Existing tools were subpar.Īfter 27 years of being unable to communicate his thoughts, Vikram’s ability to learn how to type through an accessible letterboard both surprised and inspired Kumar. She was doing research on the nonspeaking community, looking for ways to help her nonspeaking autistic brother, Vikram, to communicate. Kumar came up with the idea for the startup while studying at Georgia Tech. Using AI to parse through job descriptions To date, its one-year retention rate has remained at an impressive 97.5%.

The startup goes beyond keywords in résumés to match employers with talent, she said, considering factors around a person’s neurotype, aptitude, environmental sensitivities.

What sets Mentra apart is its approach to job fit, maintains Mentra co-founder and CEO Jhillika Kumar. Its talent pool has grown from 300 neurodivergent job seekers in March of 2022 to over 33,000 today. The platform has also partnered with over 30 universities and more than 200 service providers across the United States. Since its launch, Mentra - whose name comes from a combination of “mentor” and “mantra” - has signed on over a dozen companies, including Harvard Business Publishing, Trellix and Auticon. “Mentra is the bridge companies have long needed to access this untapped talent pool.” The most innovative companies of our time have embraced neurodivergent thinkers,” said Altman in a written statement. “Diversity of thought is the key to tackling humanity’s most complex challenges. Shine Capital led its $3.5 million seed round this year, which also included participation from Altman’s fund, Verissimo, Full Circle, Charlotte Fund, as well as angel investors, including David Apple and Dawn Dobras. Mentra also won an AI for accessibility grant from Microsoft. The startup’s unique premise caught the early attention of OpenAI co-founder and CEO Sam Altman, who first invested in the company with a $1 million pre-seed investment in February 2022 through his venture firm, Hydrazine Capital. The Charlotte, North Carolina–based startup, whose three co-founders are all autistic, is building what it describes as an AI-powered “neuroinclusive employment network.” Specifically, its tech platform leverages artificial intelligence to help large enterprises hire employees with cognitive differences such as autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some research shows that neurodivergent people can make teams up to 30% more productive when placed in the right environments.Įnter Mentra. Some neurodivergent individuals may lack the social skills necessary to go through a grueling interview process, and others may simply not have the confidence to apply.īut in fact, this population may have specialized skill sets that not only make them good candidates but also - some may argue - even better suited for certain roles than non-neurodivergent people. Unemployment for neurodivergent adults runs at least as high as 30% to 40% - three times the rate for people with disability, and eight times the rate for people without disability, according to UConn’s Center for Neurodiversity and Employment Innovation. Neurodivergent individuals often have a harder time finding jobs than their non-neurodivergent counterparts.

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