Our Autism Care Research Portfolio

Meet the AIF portfolio companies that are transforming the status quo for autism care.

Life Sciences

Data & Tech-Enabled Services

The portfolio

We invest in companies that will move the needle in how we diagnose, treat, and provide lifelong support to individuals with autism.

Floreo is leveraging the power of virtual reality to provide a method of teaching social, behavioral, communication, and life skills for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and related diagnoses. With a mobile-friendly platform that is remotely accessible at an affordable price point, Floreo is addressing several key barriers to autism care.

BioROSA is developing a highly accurate blood test that will detect ASD in children as young as 18 months. A positive BioROSA test can allow for early intervention services to begin, which have been shown to improve language, social skills, and IQ for many children with ASD2.

Joshin is using a tech-enabled platform to match special needs caregivers with the 1-in-5 families requiring specialized care. For a monthly fee, families obtain access to a local network of pre-screened and qualified caregivers, enabling them to build and coordinate scheduling for a “care team” of individuals equipped to handle the specialized needs of their child.

Axial is developing a pipeline of gut-restricted small molecules intended for use in the treatment of CNS disorders and cancer. The Company’s lead candidate is a Phase IIb-ready compound intended to treat reduce harmful metabolites in the gut in autism that are hypothesized to contribute to irritability, anxiety, and repetitive behaviors. With a well-tolerated safety profile and low systemic absorption, Axial’s candidate is providing an unprecedented option for the treatment of autism.

SpectrumAI

SpectrumAI is delivering effective and affordable ABA treatment to kids with autism, leveraging digital protocols, AI-augmented clinical decision making, and automated data capture to facilitate better outcomes, lower lifetime treatment cost, and more accessible care.

Suggestic is an app developer focused on the nutrition sector that integrates diverse datasets, a precision medicine approach, and AI framework to deliver actionable nutrition insights to end users. Through a B2B2C approach, Suggestic builds applications for a diverse client base including food distributers, supplement companies, lab testing facilities, and healthcare practitioners to support their own users in optimizing personalized nutrition. With increasing evidence to support the role of gut inflammation and dysbiosis in exacerbating autism phenotypes, a platform that helps autistic individuals to navigate managing symptoms via diet is a tool that merits development.

Yamo Pharmaceuticals in a drug discovery company developing a Phase II compound for the treatment of core autism symptoms. With no safe, effective therapeutics currently on the market for autism, Yamo’s drug candidate (L1-79) offers a safer alternative to the two currently approved drugs for treating irritability in ASD, which are both antipsychotics with black box warnings. Preliminary trial results showed L1-79 to be well-tolerated while decreasing autism severity and improving socialization and communication skills. L1-79 received the FDA Fast Track Designation in 2018 and was more recently granted a Compassionate Use Waiver.

Auticon is an information technology and communications technology (ICT) firm that is the global leader in employing adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as data technology solution providers. Auticon harnesses a uniquely qualified team of autistic employees via a proprietary model that implements AI-driven analytics, process automation and complex software development solutions for clients. Originally founded in Germany in 2011, Auticon has since expanded its operations to employ ~250 autistic consultants across the United States, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Canada, Italy, and Australia. Auticon partners with large, multi-national clients, including Merck, Airbus, Deloitte, KPMG, Johnson & Johnson, Salesforce, Disney, Siemens, BMW, Volkswagen, Porsche, Virgin, and the UN.