INSIGHTS / News

SETsquared Bristol alum, AutonoMe has secured over £300k of investment from Ufi Ventures and Bristol City Funds to support the scaling up of its employment support programme for neurodiverse people and those with learning disabilities.

AutonoMe blends mobile technology with human support to enable neurodiverse people and those with learning disabilities to develop skills for independent living and employment.

Only 4.8% of people with learning disabilities are currently in employment and while 1 in 7 people are neurodiverse only 22% are in any form of employment.  AutonoMe believes everyone should have equal access to the benefits of meaningful employment.

Its app provides personalised support from an expert dedicated Job Coach alongside employment-related instructional videos. It helps:

• Develop motivation and resilience for job seeking, and practical and social skills required to secure meaningful paid work.
• Bespoke training and support tailored to the personalised needs of the learners and their employer, creating the right conditions for sustained employment.
• Progress is proactively monitored to help the learner and employer mitigate any challenges that may arise resulting in long-term, sustainable employment outcomes.
• Employees develop skills and overcome barriers to gain and sustain paid employment whilst employers gain expert support to increase their diversity and inclusivity alongside greater insight into the needs and abilities of their workforce.

Founder and CEO Will Britton said: “The funding and support provided by Bristol City Funds and Ufi Ventures will be instrumental in scaling up our Employment support. Thanks to this investment, we will be able to accelerate our mission to empower neurodiverse people and those with learning disabilities to find and sustain meaningful employment as well as to live more independently.”