NonBinary Solutions

Autism and other neurodivergent conditions affect us all in some way. “It’s estimated that 1 in 36 people, or 3 percent of the U.S. population, are on the Autism spectrum, with 9 percent of the population having ADHD. In total, approximately 36 percent of the population has some form of intellectual or developmental disability. This diagnosis group is a rapidly growing one with Autism diagnosis increasing 6.5 percent year-over-year,” said Ralston.  However, what isn’t so constant is how these conditions are treated. Treatment decision-making is far from standardized and can vary greatly from practitioner to practitioner, considering the 500 percent increase in Autism service providers over the last ten years.

“We all either have someone with Autism in our family, or know someone who does,” said Mandy Ralston, founder and CEO of NonBinary Solutions, who has 25 years of experience as a practitioner in the space of Autism service providers.

“I realized everybody has a completely different approach to how they go about treatment decisions, onboard clients, and what criteria, if any, they use to determine what treatment pathways to use for all these different people who are on the autism spectrum or have Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), et cetera,” Ralston said. “I found this to be a glaring problem when I was able to zoom out and look at the entire industry.” 

This realization inspired Ralston to take action. She created NonBinary Solutions as a means of standardizing the process of decision-making. NonBinary Solutions’ software, Knowetic® , will not standardize decisions themselves; rather, it standardizes the way clinicians go about making different treatment decisions for individuals on the neurodivergent spectrum. Not only does the Knowetic® software simplify the job of the provider, but it also improves the care of patients. The standardization of the process allows all Autism patients to receive equitable treatment, while making decisions easier for their providers. The software is currently designed to be used by providers. Users are typically people with clinical backgrounds and are the decision-makers within their organizations. 

Ralston is nothing short of an expert in the field of Autism. During her many years as an Autism service provider, Mandy has built two different clinics, the last of which she was able to sell to one of the top five largest providers in the United States. Mandy’s plethora of experience is supported by an impressive educational background, as she holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Master of Education in Education and Applied Behavior Analysis, and a certificate in Data Processing. 

If Ralston’s education and experience don’t speak for themselves, take it from her wins. Mandy was the recipient of this year’s Autism Innovator Award, has been titled an “International Thought Leader” and holds close personal friendships with the Chief Clinical Officers and Chief Operating Officers of the groups her company aims to serve all across the country. With her impressive education, experience, connections and recognition, Ralston was well-equipped to develop a solution to a problem she had grown all too familiar with.

The initial “spark” for NonBinary Solutions was the rapid rate at which the field of Autism treatment is growing. According to Ralston, “With a 500 percent increase in providers, over half of them have less than five years of experience.”

 “The field is growing at a rate that is untenable in terms of containing quality and passing down experience,” Ralston said.“I wanted to find a way of digital mentorship and training on a larger scale to help young, inexperienced clinicians with their decision making and treatment planning processes.”

“Some people on the spectrum will need little support, going on to lead lives with careers and relationships,” Ralston said “Others will need lifelong care. So, the vast difference in all those people means that access to care is fragmented. Ultimately, these children will grow into adults, and so the ones that do need those intensive supports need to be identified early in order for them to reach their maximum happiness and independence.”

So far, NonBinary Solutions has received its first patent, and has trademarked the Noetik name for its software. In its first year of operation, NonBinary Solutions has been able to secure $150,000 in revenue from two paying clients: one private school in Louisville, Kentucky that puts neurodivergent and neurotypical kids side-by-side in their classrooms, as well as the University of Georgia Center for Autism and Behavioral Education Research. NonBinary Solutions has developed alpha models for these early clients, and data from these models can be used to answer questions and give real time feedback about how to build out their scalable SaaS product. 

Ralston has also secured permission from UK’s Center of Innovation and Population Health to use their open source assessment, the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths tool. Most recently, NonBinary Solutions was engaged for a multi-state managed care organization to help them build out a value-based reimbursement system, which will also be part of the fuel for the larger products for Knowetic. With a finalized contract from this managed care organization, NonBinary Solutions has achieved a Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) of $14,000. In total, this partnership will bring in $50,000 in revenue this year, with continuation into 2024.

Currently the team is working hard to get Knowetic built and released to practitioners. Getting this software deployed will allow practitioners to ask questions, further driving its development. 

Ralston hopes to emphasize to investors that she can run a business that produces great returns and still does something good in the world. Furthermore, the company is exploring expanding into spaces for other neurodivergent conditions, including speech language pathology, special education, and social work.

When asked about her experience with Launch Blue, she had only great things to say. “Launch Blue has been the most helpful professional experience I’ve had in many, many, many years,” said Ralston, as NonBinary Solutions is Ralston’s first time in the startup environment. She also placed an emphasis on Launch Blue’s culture. “There’s a very personal, human touch to go with the actual coaches and mentors that were involved with Launch Blue. A culture has been cultivated where everybody wants everybody to win, even though there are multiple groups and investors in this tiny startup ecosystem here in Kentucky. #ItsNotBinary, everyone wants everyone to win,” said Ralston.

By: Makenzie Purdom

Launch Blue nurtures promising startup founders and university innovators through intensive accelerator and incubator programs. Its funding partners are the University of Kentucky: Office of Technology Commercialization, KY Innovation, the U.S. Economic Development Administration, and the National Science Foundation.