Daivergent

Providing training and employment for those with autism and other disabilities

Company: Daivergent is an online platform that offers professional training and employment placement that connects enterprise clients with people on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities. The offering is made available both directly to users as well as under contract with state governments.

HQ Location & Year Founded: New York, 2017

Founders: Byran Dai, Co-founder and CEO, started Daivergent after having worked in the healthcare industry as a data scientist, consultant and researcher. He has been affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital, the Maryland Department of Health, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, as well as for-profit organizations such as Analysis Group and Quartet Health. Byran holds a bachelor’s in History and Science from Harvard University and a master’s in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University.

Byran founded Daivergent alongside CTO Rahul Mahida, who brings more than a decade of experience as a software engineer and web developer at both small and large enterprises in a variety of industries. Rahul attended Rockland Community College (NY) and Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ).

Funds Raised and VC Investors: $5.5 million from AEON Foundry, Divergent Investments, Emergence Capital Partners, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, HBS Alumni Angels New York, Kapor Capital, New York Angels, On Grid Ventures, Remarkable Ventures Fund, SAP.iO, Western Technology Investment, Zeal Capital Partners

• Where did the idea for Daivergent originate?

The challenges of neurodiversity have long been top of mind for me since my brother is on the autism spectrum. When he turned 22, for instance, all he wanted was to find a job and live a normal, happy life. However, this can be much more difficult for those with autism and other disorders than one might realize. I knew that having worked in the field of public health for a number of years that I needed to dedicate myself to developing solutions that would empower a workforce of those with autism and other disorders who could still contribute and be productive members of society.

• What is the key problem that Daivergent intends to solve? 

We provide vocational, social and life skills training to those with autism and other forms of neurodiversity. Oftentimes they have very useful skills and talent, but need help and guidance to secure and retain jobs, as well as developing additional skills for the future. Beyond offering this vital training, we also help our users to secure placement with employers who are understanding and enthusiastic to welcome them into their employee base. It is a win-win for both employee and employer. This program can also be funded by states, such as Arizona, which believe this to be a critical element of their workforce development.

• How are you most differentiated as a service?

At Daivergent, we work with our users to develop personalized lifelong plans. We are on the frontier of neurodiversity and are the first reimbursable program in the market. We offer coaching and through job placement are able to track the performance and satisfaction of our users and the employers who hire them.

• What are the company’s key accomplishments to date?

We are actively working with major employers such as Walmart and are approved for reimbursement with the state of Arizona. Texas will come next and will be followed by California, which is already in a demonstration phase. We are on plan to go to $4 million of ARR by serving 400 families per year. Furthermore, we are ready to launch in any state. We have developed proprietary content that is offered both in real-time on a 1:1 basis, as well as asynchronously with much of our content being reusable. To date, we have focused on training for jobs in IT, customer service, operations/administration and graphic design.

• What lies ahead in the plans for Daivergent?

Right now we are focused on executing well in our Phase 1 launch states. Our first three states make up a quarter of the national potential. We are going to be tailored and adaptable, but also be able to leverage asynchronous content to reach a much broader set of users. We look forward to changing the lives of thousands and eventually millions of families with autism and other disabilities.

Ron’s Take

Inequality emanates from sources in this world. It is seldom more acute than in groups with less power and ability to speak out. Persons with disabilities make up one in four adults in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Disabilities should not be construed for inability to be accomplished and productive for the benefit of one’s self and society. The missing pieces are empowerment through education, training, mentoring and sometimes therapy on one side and empathy, resources and opportunity on the other. The emerging category of innovation in “disability technology” hopes to change much of this. Daivergent is on the cutting edge of rethinking how we can address the gaps that will allow those on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities to reach their full human potential. All of society will reap the benefits of such productivity and accomplishment.