Wable, a social networking app and wellness toolbox for neurodivergent people, is planning to raise $1.5 million to facilitate its international expansion, months after its Australian launch.
Founder and CEO Holly Fowler, who officially launched the first-of-its-kind service in late February 2024, told SmartCompany that after a small capital raise helped Wable with its local launch, the company is now in the middle of its second capital raise as it fast-tracks its global expansion.
With considered tools designed to help initiate conversation, Wable is not only a social networking app for the neurodivergent community to facilitate connections for friendship or dating, but it also gives users access to the in-app psychologist. The platform also provides a venue map for safe and sensory-friendly places and a jobs board showing vacancies at neurodivergent and inclusive workplaces.
“We’re seeking to raise $1.5 million, and we’re going to be launching overseas, but (the funding) will allow us to further develop our app and fast track our expansion plans,” Fowler said.
“We’ll launch in New Zealand this month, and in the US and the UK later this year, in August/September.
“So part of that raise is really supporting a lot of our plans when we do launch internationally, which we’re poised to do and looking forward to.
“After seeing the huge impact Wable has had on the neurodivergent community, it is essential we roll out availability to the rest of the world,” Fowler told SmartCompany.
The app also has plans to roll out in Canada and has a waiting list of people from the worldwide neurodivergent community keen for the app to be made available in their country.
Since launching with Michael Theo from Love on the Spectrum as a brand ambassador, the app has received thousands of downloads from the neurodivergent community across Australia.
Fowler, who partnered with Wable executive chairman and Australian Stockbroking Hall of Famer Craig Mason to develop and build the app, came up with the idea in 2020 while watching Love on the Spectrum during Melbourne’s lockdowns.
“I love the show. I really liked Michael Theo, who was a standout star from the series, and I just thought he gave a really meaningful insight into his journey with dating and some of the challenges faced by the neurodivergent community,” she said.
“It prompted me to have deeper conversations and more thoughts about the people in my life and that was in a time where everyone was sort of feeling disconnected.
“It definitely gave me a greater appreciation for some of the challenges faced by neurodivergent people looking to meet dates or friends in general.
“Wable comes from the words ‘willing’ and ‘able’, which I thought definitely describes the neurodivergent community. I think they’re more than willing and able to be amazing partners, friends and colleagues, and there needed to be a platform that catered to them and some of their specific needs.”
Fowler said Australia was a really good test for Wable to see what people liked about the app and what they wanted to see, with users in every corner of the country.
‘We certainly won’t stop there. That’s only our first phase in international expansion,” she says.
“The sky’s the limit for Wable and there are people all over the world, in every corner of the world, that could benefit from this. Up to 20% of the population is neurodivergent. So the more places we can get to, the more people that we can help and that’s our goal for sure.
“Hopefully we’re putting more stamps in the passport after this year as well.”
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