The key lesson as Socius XR’s cofounders move on

In a University of Auckland Summer Lab, Anzel Singh and his fellow Socius XR cofounders, Sarah Mwashomah and Weilian Du, recognised a gap for a social enterprise supporting neuro-inclusive work cultures. 

Diversity Works NZ estimates that between 10 and 20 percent of the global population, New Zealand included, is neurodiverse – that is, the way their brains and cognition works varies from what is considered ‘typical’. Some examples of neurodiversity include autism, ADHD and dyslexia. However, there are many more, such as epilepsy, obsessive compulsive disorder and Tourette Syndrome. 

Despite the prevalence of neurodiversity, the research finds it is often overlooked in New Zealand workplaces. A third of those who identify as neurodiverse report their condition negatively affects their career advancement, while almost two-thirds say their organisation is unaware of their condition. 

Based on those sort of statistics, the Socius XR team envisioned a virtual reality (VR) simulator that could provide interview practice for people with austism. They pitched the idea at the 2019 startup event 4YFN Barcelona a few weeks into the Summer Lab. 

During this time, the cofounders caught the attention of the Westpac New Zealand Government Innovation Fund, which backed the startup's proposed VR product. 

Five years after ideation, and many iterations later according to Singh, the product officially launched in November 2023 as an empowerment-based diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) e-learning web application, providing courses for dyslexia, autism and ADHD. 

Market validation, which Singh says should have been done much earlier in the process, led the startup to pivot away from VR. Working alongside neurodivergent people, the team instead developed interview-style audio courses to help employers and employees gain insights into neurodiversity and create more inclusive and equitable cultures. 

Simultaneously with the launch, the Socius XR founders announced they would be moving on from the startup. They are now talking with organisations in the neurodiversity space to gauge interest in someone else taking on the product. 

“We feel the product is still valuable, but we don’t see ourselves being the ones to take it forward,” says Singh. Having it out in the world and growing is our overall dream, he says. 

What do you wish you knew starting that you only learned along the way?

How much of a commitment starting a startup is.

I came into it as a naive biology/psych student who wanted to be a clinician. I never intended to touch anything related to business – I didn’t even know what a startup was. I only realised when someone said, ‘Oh, you’re a startup founder.’ 

Over time, I found a startup involves a lot of different cycles and iterations. Through that, you need to have your vision and ‘why’ for what you’re doing.

I also wish I knew the amount of change you go through as a person – and it’s in a positive way. You build more confidence in yourself, the way you speak and the things you do through the responsibility you have to take.

There’s a lot of growth. 

What went wrong along the way and what did it teach you? 

Market validation. Always start by talking to your customers.  

When we first started in the incubator, we talked to the people closest to us as they were easiest to get information from. Then, when we were trying to understand the neurodivergent community, specifically the autistic community, we started talking to clinicians and people who ran organisations before we started talking to autistic people.

We had this idea of a great solution, and there was a lot of positive feedback, but, when we validated the idea [with neurodiverse people], we gained a lot more insight that helped us understand real barriers to employment and what was needed to improve the product. 

If we had those conversations earlier, we would have pivoted much sooner, and it would put us in a better position. 

Who did you work through the process that’s been helpful for your startup growth?

While there have been many different people over the past five years who all play integral parts, our team, mentors and the Westpac New Zealand Government Innovation Fund made it possible for us to get a product over the line. 

As cofounders, we focused on understanding the problem but didn’t understand the many aspects involved, like the technology or how to do research. We needed people who understood tech and strategy to make the startup possible. The [Socius XR] team did that. 

Then, the mentors and the funding made available through the Westpac Fund helped connect us with whoever we needed. They also supported us when we realised we weren’t building the right solution for our target group. And, even though it was not what we had been funded for, they were open to us pivoting the product. 

What is the best advice you received in the last five years?

‘Do what you love.’

Many founders we’ve met have some specific core identity or connection with the problem they’re solving, and that’s what gets them through the difficult times. Things don’t feel as heavy when you’re confident in what you do, and you love what you do.

It’s something I keep thinking about as I’m finishing up this startup, ‘what am I going to do next?’ What are the problems I am passionate about?

What was your first entrepreneurial moment?

My grandparents had a big feijoa tree, and my cousin and I once tried to be entrepreneurial by selling the fruit outside our backyard. 

We didn’t sell anything but I think we achieved a trade for some fried bread with a friend who walked by. 

‍

Founder Feedback is a weekly series where founders are asked a set of questions that profile their startup journey so far. If you have a story to share, contact mary@caffeinedaily.co

‍