In the photo, Leandro Mattos and Andressa Roveda, partners and founders of CogniSigns, a social impact startup focused on diagnosing complex disorders, focusing on the Autism Spectrum.
CogniSigns is a social impact startup aimed at assisting in the screening, diagnosis and treatment of complex mental disorders, today focused on possible individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (TEA), and adds in its trajectory passages through the three main acceleration programs for impact of Brazil and the world: Artemísia Lab Saúde, the Accelerate 2030 of the UN and the Innovative of Impact, of the Federal Government.
“Our solution is called VERA (Virtual Empathic Robot Assistant) which, via biosensors and artificial intelligence, promotes recognition of emotional and behavioral reactions that, being universal to all human beings, can be easily applied in any country, without language barriers or culture, facilitating our internationalization ”, say Leandro Mattos and Andressa Roveda, co-founders of CogniSigns. “Our chatbot, which is responsible for VERA's interaction with users, digitizes and democratizes the beginning of the diagnosis of autism, and is already adapted for international use”, they add.
The Santa Catarina ecosystem as a driving force
Experts in science, business and technology, Leandro and Andressa say that the Santa Catarina ecosystem was a fundamental element for the company's success. “We were born at MIDITEC, an incubator managed by the Catarinense Technology Association (ACATE) and, because of the connections made here, we decided to establish CogniSigns in Florianópolis”, they state.
A recent recognition of this health tech solution was the selection of CogniSigns to participate in a mission in China (Shanghai and Hong Kong), organized by StartOut Brasil, the main program of the Brazilian Federal Government for startups that want to internationalize their solutions. The trip took place in December 2019 and the company's managers were able to participate in events and interact with investors, technology suppliers and potential customers. The delegation, which had 16 more Brazilian startups, had a Chinese representative who acted as a matchmaker, identifying the startups' solutions and making the connection
“During the last edition of the Startup Summit, held by Sebrae / SC in Florianópolis, one of the StartOut instructors called André Rizzo, was present and visited our stand, giving suggestions and tips about our adherence to the program. Of course, what counted for the selection was the potential of our solution, identified from issues relevant to the business, with product demonstration, startup and team. However, being at an event that provides this visibility was also enriching ”, he adds.
Another meeting provided by the Santa Catarina ecosystem was with the Federal Government's Special Secretary for Productivity, Employment and Competitiveness, Carlos Alexandre da Costa, and his team, responsible for the development of StartOut. “During a visit to ACATE, the Secretary showed interest in visiting the headquarters of the startup that won the program, which made us a very special visit and with which we were very honored”, they conclude.
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