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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.

Press Contact

Thank you for your interest in covering auticon. I look forward to speaking with you.

Jon Sweet
Email: Jon.Sweet (at) auticon.com
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Current Timezone: Australian Eastern Daylight
Language spoken: English

Publications

auticon’s Global Impact Reports

2023 Global Impact Report

2022 Global Impact Report

2021 Global Impact Report (Published 2022)

2021 Global Impact Report (Languages: Italian,  English, and German)

2021 Global Impact Report (Languages: French, English, German)

2020 Global Impact Report (Languages: French, English, German)

auticon + Deloitte Report, “Embracing Neurodiversity at Work” 2022

A new report by Deloitte Canada and auticon Canada finds employment barriers, lack of workplace support for Canada’s autistic community. The joint report surveyed 454 adults across the country.

2022 auticon + Deloitte Report, “Embracing Neurodiversity at Work” (English)

LinkedIn article with the title "Supporting Neurodiversity at Work"

News Coverage

The Panel with Wallace, Jo McCarroll and Raj Chakraborti

RNZ Radio

Sharnae and Anthony have excelled in the workplace...


SBS News

Tech employer with 70 per cent autistic workforce aiming to inspire others

HR Leader

Neurodiversity hiring – is this the key to plugging Australia's tech skills gap?

HRD Magazine

Woolworths pilots autistic consultants in software assurance

IT News

Branson-backed ASD tech consultancy arrives in Australia

Probono Australia

Announcements

Report highlights autistic-majority employer’s success in creating a neurodiverse work culture and its effort to drive global social change

In recognizing April as Autism Acceptance Month, auticon and Unicus today published their 2023 Impact Report, Scaling our Impact. The report details the combined company’s success in becoming the world’s largest autistic-majority employer, a leading source for autistic technology talent and neuroinclusion services, and one of the largest social enterprises in the world.
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Sir Richard Branson meets Autistic Porsche Sprint Challenge driver Ben Taylor to wish him luck for the season

auticon Team race car driver Ben Taylor met with entrepreneur and auticon investor Sir Richard Branson. The pair had the opportunity to talk about the season ahead and how the team plans to use neurodiverse strengths to create a difference on the track. At the headquarters of high-performance motorsport Porsche Centre Melbourne Motorsport, autistic driver Ben Taylor caught up with Sir Richard Branson. The session was not only an opportunity for the young driver to ask Sir Richard about his experience supporting F1 and...
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Fraser shares his experience at Microsoft

auticon’s mission is provide meaningful employment for autistic talent all around the world. Our business model allows us to integrate this unique group of individuals – with a phenomenal skillset – to the benefit for many of our clients.  auticon technologist Fraser talks about his experiences working at auticon and providing services to auticon client, Microsoft. Fraser Fitzpatrick grew up in the rural town of Shepparton – a few hours away from Melbourne. It’s a smaller, rural city mostly focusing...
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auticon create win-win partnership with leading retailer Foodstuffs North Island paving the way for business and people on the spectrum.

auticon and Foodstuffs North Island have come together to improve business outcomes and change the prospects of people on the autism spectrum. Using the power of neurodiversity to strengthen team output, grow diverse thinking and broaden talent opportunities, the partnership will work to deliver superior results and create meaningful work opportunities. With New Zealand’s growing tech sector and the global STEM skills shortage it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill roles to service the basic IT needs of organisations right...
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auticon and Unicus logos

Auticon And Unicus Join Forces, Advancing ESG Mission of Neurodiversity

The transaction is an offensive to unite two innovative social enterprises and global players in the IT industry; the deal unifies more than 465 autistic employees to become the largest autistic-majority company in the world  OSLO, NORWAY and MUNICH, GERMANY — auticon and Unicus have entered into an agreement under which the two companies will unite. The deal was brokered by Ferd, an Oslo-based family-owned investment company and shareholder in both companies. The historic deal establishes a global model for an...
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Marking the start of Autism Acceptance Month, new data from auticon reveals causes, and solutions for the employment gap among autistic professionals

auticon, a social enterprise that exclusively employs autistic adults as technology consultants, today released a compelling new report on autism in the workplace. The report Neurodiversity at Work, available inside the company’s latest Impact Report, asked 985 autistic professionals about their autism diagnosis, finding quality career opportunities, and disclosing their autism to employers. A crisis of unemployment among autistic adults It is estimated that less than 22% of autistic adults are in any form of meaningful employment (Office for National...
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