Hello
My name is Dan Honigstein and I'm a junior at H. Gunn High School in Palo Alto.
Over the past few years, I've been spending a lot of time around neurodivergent children, whether at home with my brother who was diagnosed with ADHD, or when volunteering with clubs and organizations that pair high school students with special needs children. I learned how important and deeply valuable a "buddy" program was to these children; how it helped them develop skills, make connections and build their confidence. I also thought about how much richer we, the supporting community, are, by being more inclusive of our neurodivergent population.
Living in the heart of Silicon Valley, I couldn't help but wonder how we can help these children -- who are soon to become adults -- thrive in our tech-heavy, uber-corporate, and often cut-throat environment. I was thrilled to learn that a few of the larger companies were already engaged in inclusion and support programs. I then started looking into accommodations and training programs which would be necessary for smaller-scale businesses to attract, support, and retain neurodivergent talent.
At the same time, I realized that there's an incredible lack of neurodivergent entrepreneurs within the tech industry. Neurodivergent entrepreneurs could set great examples within their own companies on how to be more inclusive and accommodating to neurodivergent talent. These entrepreneurs would be natural advocates, raising crucial awareness about neurodiversity by sharing their own stories of challenges and successes, and elevating the immense benefits of inclusivity not only on culture, but performance too.
Building on my experience volunteering in various "buddy" programs, I established Divoco, an insightful and efficient way for neurodivergent enterpreneurs to directly seek consultation and mentorship from knowledgable leaders.