The Architecture of Inclusion

Ksenia Golubeva

CBDO and co-founder of AutiHD, advancing AI-powered neurodiversity support.

Editor's Note

Every so often, you meet a founder whose mission feels less like a business plan and more like a calling. Ksenia Golubeva is one of those people. After a decade spent navigating the high-stakes world of corporate innovation and venture capital, she could have continued building solutions that optimized bottom lines. Instead, she chose to build a company that redesigns lives. What drew me to her story wasn't just the pivot from corporate advisor to healthtech founder, but the deeply personal 'why' behind it. In our conversation, you'll discover how a student journalism project years ago planted a seed that would ultimately blossom into AutiHD. Ksenia's vision is a powerful reminder of what technology can achieve when it's guided by empathy: 'Neurodivergent people don’t need to be fixed, the world needs to change so they can be fully seen and valued.'

A Mission-Driven Pivot

You spent over a decade orchestrating innovation for large corporations, managing a deal flow of thousands of startups. What was the catalyst that made you step away from that world and build something as deeply personal as AutiHD?

After seeing so many startups, a pattern started to emerge. So much of the focus was on optimizing another business process or helping a large company make a few percent more in revenue. There was often something missing for me: a bigger mission, a genuine human purpose. AutiHD didn't begin as a business idea; it began with listening to people. Before we wrote a single line of code, we spoke with dozens of individuals, and the concept kept reshaping itself around their lived experiences with autism and ADHD. My previous career taught me two critical lessons. First, you must always start with the real, pressing problems of your users, not a solution you've imagined in a boardroom. And second, it highlighted just how few ventures are truly dedicated to improving a person's fundamental quality of life. That realization wasn't just an observation, it was a call to action.

Your focus on neurodiversity feels incredibly specific and passionate. Can you trace the origins of this commitment back through your personal and professional life?

It really started when I was a journalism student working on a project about a community for children with autism. I was completely blown away by their talents. Some were brilliant pianists, others created the most incredible drawings. But it was heartbreaking to see how the system was failing them, focusing on making them more 'convenient' or 'uniform' instead of nurturing their unique gifts. Fast forward nearly 15 years, I moved to Luxembourg and met my co-founder, Joël. He completely shattered the stereotypes I, like many, held about autism, which were largely shaped by films like 'Rain Man'. Getting to know Joël, this incredibly smart and funny person, I saw how society's narrow view persists. The challenges don't just disappear after childhood; they follow people into universities and workplaces, where they are again pressured to fit into rigid boxes. What struck me was that despite the time and geography, the core problem was the same. That's why this mission is so urgent. We’re not trying to 'fix' anyone. We’re trying to change the world so their strengths can be fully recognized and celebrated.

Neurodivergent people don’t need to be 'fixed' - the world needs to change so they can be fully seen and valued.

Drawing on your experience catalyzing innovation across different ecosystems, what foundational changes do you believe are essential for society to better support neurodivergent adults?

The most critical systemic change we need is a revolution in awareness. Society still tends to frame neurodivergence as a childhood issue or a deficit that needs correcting. We need widespread education and policies that normalize it as simply a different way of thinking, one that comes with incredible strengths. The second piece is access. Right now, adults with autism or ADHD often have little to no access to affordable coaching, tools, or adapted work environments. Digital solutions like ours should be recognized and reimbursed by insurance systems, making support a right, not a privilege for those who can afford it. Finally, our workplaces require structural change. Things like flexible hours, remote work options, or redesigned roles shouldn't be seen as special accommodations. They are necessary adjustments that allow a huge segment of the population to contribute their best work. These aren't perks; they're prerequisites for true inclusion.

The challenges for autistic people don’t end with childhood.

A cinematic shot focusing on a solitary, vibrant yellow swing in a children's playground. The background is slightly out of focus but clearly depicts the rigid, geometric lines of a modern, imposing glass and concrete office building under a muted sky. The image evokes a sense of transition and the continuation of challenges from one stage of life to the next.

Transitioning Worlds

As you build AutiHD, what is the core message you want to convey, and what are your immediate priorities for bringing your vision to life with the Mindory app?

Our central mission is to build a truly inclusive world where every individual has the support they need to develop their unique talents. Inclusion isn't just about opening a door; it's about creating a space where people can genuinely thrive. A huge part of that is education and raising awareness about what neurodiversity actually means in practice. For our app, Mindory, our focus for the next six months is twofold. First, marketing to get it into the hands of those who need it. Second, obsessively improving the iOS version based on user feedback. We believe that by listening intently and making incremental adjustments, we can build something that doesn't just function well, but truly makes a difference in people's lives.

A beautifully crafted, vintage brass compass rests on an old, creased map. The dense, illustrated city block on the map, labeled 'Corporate District,' is behind the compass. The needle points firmly towards a large, uncharted area of forests and rivers, symbolizing a deliberate and courageous pivot towards a new, more meaningful venture.

A change in direction from a corporate path to a purpose-driven mission.

Building the Mindory Toolkit

You're leveraging AI to provide support, which involves highly sensitive data. How does Mindory's AI actually work, and what is your framework for building unwavering trust with your users?

Our AI is designed to be a personalizing engine. It detects potential stress triggers by looking at signals like sleep patterns, step count, calendar density, and even ambient noise levels. Based on this, it might suggest a tailored coping strategy, like a specific breathing exercise, a micro-break, or a way to reframe a task. For neurodivergent users, trust is everything, so we operate on a principle of 'explainable AI.' Every suggestion the app makes can be traced back to the signal that prompted it. Transparency is non-negotiable. Users have granular control to opt in or out of data use at any time, and all health-related data is stored in strict compliance with GDPR. We are crystal clear about what we collect and exactly why we collect it.

With a hybrid B2C and B2B2C model, what is your go-to-market strategy, and what early signals are validating that you're on the right path?

Our model is designed for accessibility. Individuals can subscribe directly through a B2C model, but we also partner with employers and institutions to provide vouchers for their staff or patients via a B2B2C channel. This ensures we can reach people through multiple avenues. The early traction has been really encouraging. Our user retention is currently at 58%, which is a strong signal that people are finding ongoing value. The most-used features are consistently our AI support chat and the organizer tool, which tells us we're solving core daily challenges around structure and immediate support. These metrics guide our focus for the next six months.

It’s not only about adoption through the healthcare system but also about working directly with employers who see the value of supporting their neurodivergent employees.

Launching in Luxembourg seems very deliberate. How are you using this unique ecosystem as a strategic launchpad to build a scalable, pan-European company?

Luxembourg is the perfect starting point for us. It’s compact, multilingual, and incredibly well-connected, which allows us to test, learn, and adapt very quickly. We're receiving direct feedback from the market, including from institutions that work closely with autistic people, and this allows us to implement changes rapidly. Looking ahead, a cornerstone of our strategy is reimbursement. We're actively working towards having our solution covered by insurance, which is becoming more feasible as European countries adopt flexible policies for digital health tools. This path allows us to scale accessibility alongside our business. We’re combining this with building direct partnerships with companies that are serious about workplace inclusion, giving us a powerful, dual-channel approach to the European market.

What helps one person can be overwhelming for another.

A macro shot of a complex, beautifully engineered instrument panel with numerous brass dials, switches, and gauges. The focus is on a single, uniquely shaped key being inserted into a custom-fit lock, suggesting that out of immense complexity, a personalized, precise solution is the only thing that works.

Personalized Solutions

Looking beyond the current app, what are the next critical user challenges on your product roadmap, and how do you envision the workplace of the future adapting to neurodiversity?

Our immediate roadmap is driven by direct user needs. We plan to launch an Android version in 2026 and are already expanding our language support. Accessibility is paramount, so we're building features like customizable visuals and simplified onboarding. The next big problems we're tackling are helping with task initiation by breaking down complex projects into micro-steps and creating smarter notification management to prevent overwhelm. I believe the future workplace will be inherently more flexible and human-centered, where neurodiversity is simply a part of the human fabric, not an exception to manage. Our role in that future is to be a daily companion. By helping people manage stress and organize their routines outside of work, they can bring their full, confident selves to their jobs. A person who feels in control of their day is a person who can share their greatest strengths, and that is what will truly create inclusive and innovative teams.