We help companies become a destination for neurodivergent talent.

auticon is an award-winning social innovation company

As an autistic-majority company, we’re a resource for talent. We integrate our technology consultants into client organizations, performing as software developers, data analysts, QA engineers, and more. Clients experience our outstanding autistic professionals first-hand, opening minds and achieving diversity goals.

Our model improves the economic and social conditions of the autistic community with quality careers, unlocking opportunity, and empowering client organisations through actionable neurodiversity training and advisory services. Here, our employees build lifelong careers in technology, discovering personal autonomy and improved self-esteem.

Through auticon Labs, we utilize an entrepreneurial mindset to develop commercial technology solutions to social and environmental challenges faced by autistic professionals, helping them to succeed in the workplace.

Changing lives together

Results from our annual Impact Report show that auticon succeeds as a result of its neurodiversity. Most of our autistic team members are hired out of 2 years of unemployment and the value that a career adds to their life is significant. Despite this, estimates suggest less than 29% (ons.gov.uk) of autistic people are in any form of meaningful employment which aligns to their educational achievements.

auticon taps into this potential by employing autistic adults as technology consultants. Autistic employees are supported by job coaches and project managers, producing a win-win-win situation for clients, consultants, as well as society.

Work at auticon

Improved quality of life87%

Feel supported at work92%

Feel more confident79%

Feel they can be their authentic self at work82%

Our vision and purpose

To build a more inclusive world.

Our mission

Address the inequalities in employment for neurodivergent adults and showcase the strengths of neurodiversity in society.

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Our values

Our values pervade our daily operations and our relationships internally and to the outside world. They act as rules of conduct and characterise how we do business.

Inclusive: We are changing the world for and with the neurodivergent, with the spirit ‘nothing about us, without us’. We challenge ourselves to raise the bar on inclusion in everything we do.
Human-focused: We operate with a human focus to create an improved quality of life for our employees. We prize individual differences and put people first.
Inspiring: We strive to be inspiring for our customers, employees, stakeholders and the society in what we do and how we make it happen.
Solution-oriented: We are flexible and solution-oriented, open to new ideas and never afraid to try them.
Value creating: We create social and economic value through operating a commercially sustainable business with a strong social mission.

Autism is not a processing error,
it's a different operating system.

Want to know how we can transform your business through neurodiversity?

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Global Leadership Team

Kurt Schöffer

Chief Executive Officer

Kurt is one of auticon’s first investors and was appointed CEO in 2013 to grow and expand the social enterprise. Kurt spent 15 years at DNS – a distributor of mid-range computer products in Europe whose customers included Sun Microsystems. As CEO, he led the company to over a billion EUR in sales and a successful acquisition by Arrow Electronics, Inc. in 2005.

Through his experiences at DNS, Kurt became a strong advocate for utilizing the guiding principles of business to make positive changes in the world. As Managing Director of a small investment firm, he was approached by Ananda Social Venture Fund, who invited him to partner in creating Germany’s first fund designed to invest in companies making a social impact. The fund’s first investment was in auticon, where Kurt served as an advisor on the fund’s behalf.

Markus Weber

Chief Financial Officer

Markus worked as a Manager at PwC Technology Consulting. Markus grew the German organisation and set up our offices in London and Zurich. He was key to auticon’s international growth and signed our first projects with Henkel, Commerzbank, GSK, Experian, Credit Suisse or Swiss Re.

Meeta Thareja

Chief People & Social Innovation Officer

Meeta has over 20 years of international experience working with high-growth organisations. Prior to auticon, Meeta co-founded and led MetaValue – a strategy consulting firm. She has previously worked on market development projects in India for tech firms including Adobe, Intel and Ericsson.

David Reeve

Chief Marketing Officer

David is a 20-year veteran of digital marketing, corporate communications, design and brand development. His career experience draws from many sectors, including IT staffing, SaaS, aerospace, entertainment and advertising; from start-ups to high-profile corporations such as Universal Pictures.

Mike Zieren

Chief Information Officer

Mike is a veteran technologist who joined auticon in 2019. He plays a key role in the application development of our Assessment Tool and Skills Database. He previously led infrastructure for GlaxoSmithKline in Germany.

Kirsty Cook

Global Director Neuroinclusion Services

Kirsty has been with auticon for five years, leading the UK Coaching team and launching the Australia and Ohio teams. Previously, she did PR/content for financial services, tech and fintech industries, and worked as a performance coach. She is a trustee for the mental health charity, Mind.

International investors

"Businesses like auticon are true trailblazers!" - Sir Richard Branson

Investors include Ferd, Autism Impact Fund, Ananda Impact Ventures, KOIS, Felix Porsche, Sir Richard Branson, Ferst Capital Partners, and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Our story

auticon was founded in Berlin in 2011 by a father wanting better employment opportunities for his autistic son. Autistic professionals were employed as quality assurance consultants, debugging Websites and applications. As Managing Director of a small investment firm, Kurt Schöffer was approached by Ananda Social Venture Fund, who invited him to partner in creating Germany’s first social impact fund. The fund’s first investment was in auticon, where Kurt served as an advisor on the fund’s behalf. For Kurt, this was an opportunity to apply his business acumen to solve the social issue of rising unemployment among autistic adults, who often possess STEM skills applicable in a range of technology careers. After three months as an advisor, Kurt accepted a role as auticon’s Group CEO, later developing its 6 German office locations and expanding into Paris and London. The company added major clients such as BMW and Allianz, and new technology consulting services.

In 2016, Sir Richard Branson’s investment brought international attention to the company as it expanded into Italy and Switzerland. In 2018 auticon acquired two North American autism employers: MindSpark in Los Angeles and Meticulon in Calgary, later adding clients such as Salesforce and Deloitte and surpassing 200+ autistic employees globally. In 2019, auticon opened in Australia with one of the island’s largest employers.

In 2023, auticon and Unicus entered an agreement under which the two companies would unite. The historic deal established a global model for an autistic-majority social enterprise and ESG company, addressing the inequalities in employment for neurodivergent adults. The two combined companies became the largest autistic-majority company in the world, with 81% of its 600 employees on the autism spectrum across 15 countries.