We are proud to announce that our co-founder Dr Inas Ismail has been awarded Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Award 2022/23. She is 1 of 50 nationwide award winners chosen out of 900+ highly skilled applicants. Dr Inas Ismail, the co-founder of Sutton, Surrey healthtech startup Autsera, received the award for her innovative digital product concept, to identify children with a high likelihood of autism diagnosis.
Innovate UK’s Women in Innovation Awards recognises women with innovative, high-potential ideas and ambitious plans that will inspire others, and includes a cash injection of £50,000, tailored business coaching, networking and training opportunities.
- ‘’It honours and excites me in equal measure, to be a champion for equality, diversity and inclusion, and a role model for other women.’’ said Dr Inas Ismail, co-founder of Autsera, on winning the Women in Innovation award.
The main drive behind Inas’s award-winning concept is to increase autistic children’s access to early diagnosis. Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that starts in early childhood and affects 1-2% of the population. Effective early-years interventions can make a significant difference in autistic children’s lives and prospects. Despite the crucial need for early diagnosis, official data shows that people with autism referrals wait many months, often years, before they are assessed. The delayed diagnosis affects access to care and effective early interventions. Research shows it leads to mental and physical health problems, social exclusion and shorter lives.
The Women in Innovation Award will enable Autsera to develop an experimental proof-of-concept prototype for an innovative mobile app that uses machine learning (ML) technology to identify children with a high likelihood of autism diagnosis. The app includes several engaging game modules that the child can play safely at home, school, or at a healthcare service. This product will help prioritise children with higher needs, and accelerate children’s access to effective interventions.
- ‘’I am determined to make the best use of this unique award, grow personally, develop my business acumen, realise my vision for Autsera, and inspire others to grow and excel.’’ said Dr Inas Ismail, the recipient of the award.
About Autsera
Autsera is a UK-based game studio that combines technology with gamification to create innovative, science-led, and accessible mobile game apps to help children become emotionally intelligent, expressive, and socially engaged. Autsera’s game apps are specifically designed for autistic and special needs children, yet can benefit children of all abilities.
Autsera has been awarded multiple Innovate UK grants and has been supported by Google for Startups first female founders residency, NatWest Business Incubator, Vodafone F-LANE Female Startup Accelerator, Deutsche Bank WeInSocialTech Accelerator, and AWS EdStart EdTech Accelerator.
Autsera’s vision is to become a beacon for innovation that supports children of all abilities and addresses their social communication needs.
