A Melbourne-based social media startup, inspired by the global breakout reality TV series Love on the Spectrum from the ABC, is on the cusp of an international launch into the UK and US after making its mark with the neurodivergent community in Australia and New Zealand.
Wable, a social networking app designed for neurodivergent people to find dates, friends and accessible employment, has clocked up 10,000 downloads since it was launched last year in Australia and New Zealand in February and July, respectively.
The company is the brainchild of its CEO Holly Fowler, who founded Wable to address a need she felt was not being met by major dating apps and social media networks.
She says every user has a different version of success on the app, whether it's a couple who have found love, a non-verbal person who has made a friend to game with, or even just connecting neurodivergent people with venues that are more sensitive to their needs, for example with 'sensory hours' whereby environments are made to be less stimulating and more calming.
"Everyone loves to hear the love stories and the dating, but people are using the app for more reasons than that," explains Fowler, who has ADHD.
"I think everyone just wants to feel understood and valued for who they are, and the key here is that this is a safe and inclusive place for neurodivergent people to unmask and be exactly who they are.
"A lot of our community tells us that when they go on a first date, they feel like it’s something they’ve got to disclose, even though it’s part of who they are. That comes with a lot of significant anxiety, whereas on Wable it’s expected...it's not this big conversation that you have to have."
But what is it that makes an app suitable for neurodivergent users? The founder highlights multiple aspects that have this community in mind, underpinned by technical expertise and science.
"It sounds simple, but when you log into Wable, you can change the colour and the label of the app," Fowler says.
"We have our branding which is purple and green. Those colours are called AAA accessible colours, so firstly they’re suited to this cohort, but when a user logs in they can change the look and feel of the app.
"People who are autistic might experience some sensory preferences or sensory sensitivities, so straight away a small adaptation like that could change someone's whole experience."
She says the app also has increased security compared to other apps with stringent verification checks.
"It's obvious that social networking and dating apps should be safe for everyone, but particularly this cohort and our community," the founder notes.
"We do things like AI facial verification checks to make sure a user is who they say they are which is really important."
The app also has a psychologist who works with the neurodivergent community and helps the company shape its responses to questions and prepare materials that can be viewed in real-time, such as informative videos about what to do on a first date or when meeting a new friend, keeping safe online, and more.
"We give users the ability to connect for dates and friends, but also with neuro-inclusive workplaces because the neurodivergent community is significantly underrepresented in the workplace," she says.
"So we're solving two problems. We're connecting the neurodivergent community together and connecting them with their place in the world as well."
Neuro-inclusive workplaces that are currently on the platform include Auticon, Hotel Etico, Bus Stop Films, and Australian Spatial Analytics, while neuro-inclusive venues include the Australian Sports Museum at the MCG, All Things Equal Cafe, and Coles, where sensory hours are listed around the country.
Fowler believes her ADHD and the dogged attitude it gives her to see tasks through to their end have helped with the challenges of running a startup - a message she hopes will resonate with other neurodivergent entrepreneurs.
"I never set out to have a tech startup. My background was marketing - I worked in sports radio for a little while, so it's quite the change of pace," Fowler explains.
"But through personal connection to the neurodivergent community, I was very much aware of challenges facing autistic people, particularly when it comes to connection online or in-person," says Fowler.
It was during lockdown in Melbourne in 2020 that Fowler became aware of the series Love on the Spectrum, which first aired on the ABC in late 2019 but went viral globally after it was released on Netflix during the pandemic.
"I noticed that people were paying more attention to neurodivergence and the challenges, particularly facing autistic people, probably in circles where it wasn't really being discussed before," she says.
"At the time, I was navigating dating apps, I was finding them really difficult. These people will really struggle to kind of find their tribe, and then what happens when they want to go and find a job they're usually shut out because of the way their brain operates, which is just ludicrous to me.
"So from my couch I was like, ‘maybe I could do something about this', and I came up with Wable."
After conceptualising the app, her next step was to 'slide into the DMs' of Michael Theo, a breakout star from the show who has since starred in the 2024 ABC comedy Austin.
She asked Theo whether he would use such an app, whether his friends would use it, and he suggested they jump on a call.
"It pretty much snowballed from there. Michael loved it, said he’d love to get behind it. Michael’s mum, Vanessa, who was shown a lot on the show was like, ‘We've been waiting for someone to do this. I can't believe we’re having this conversation’," Fowler says.
Theo agreed to be an ambassador for the app, and Fowler says that interest fuelled her in the early stages.
"I got to work building the app pretty much in the middle of the night - I got a team offshore and used as much money as I had to get it going," she says.
"When I had no money left, I had to go out looking for investors. I’ve learnt a lot 12 months in but at that point, it was literally googling 'how to find private investors'."
Fowler was able to raise an initial $300,000 from a group of investors including two Wable board members, PrimaryMarkets executive chairman Jamie Green, and Craig Mason, who is currently chairman of both ASX-listed company Complii (ASX: CF1) and Trade for Good, as well as Wable itself.
She says both Green and Mason have neurodivergence in their families and have felt a personal connection to Wable's mission. Prior to the raise, Fowler brought on pharmacist Louise van Nimwegen as a co-founder, who has since left the company for personal reasons but retains a substantial shareholding.
Now that the app is proven at home, Fowler is ready to scale Wable overseas, where she sees massive opportunities in both the US and UK markets.
"Our team is growing and we’re going through our second capital raise at the moment targeting $1.5 million," she says.
Wable's growth in Australia was aided by a media blitz upon launch with appearances on the likes of The Project, A Current Affair, and The Today Show. There will also be a strong focus on marketing in the UK and US where Fowler plans to get the app "out to the masses".
"A large segment of that strategy will definitely be engaging with autistic-led groups, particularly into universities, and workplaces - some of them we're already connected with," she says.
"We'll also be extending our team and resources, on further advisory positions, and importantly, those positions will be autistic-led or neurodivergent-led," says Fowler, who aims to fill these roles via the app.
To prepare for its next stage of growth, the company also recently appointed Samantha Cox, former executive assistant to Virgin Group co-founder Sir Richard Branson, as the inaugural chairman of its advisory board.
"This platform is changing lives by giving the neurodivergent community a voice, a network and a safe space to connect," says Cox.
"I believe deeply in Wable’s mission and look forward to supporting its growth and impact."
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