Understanding Zoe

What Understanding Zoe does

Understanding Zoe Pty Ltd is a Sydney-based healthtech SaaS company founded in 2021 by Laetitia Andrac (CEO) and Johan Erchoff (CPO/CTO), parents of an autistic daughter, to address the administrative and emotional load carried by families raising neurodivergent children. Its core product is the Understanding Zoe mobile app, which centres on 'Pip', an AI-powered neuroaffirming coach that ingests voice notes, text, clinical reports, journal entries, and uploaded PDFs to generate personalised strategies, create observations, set reminders, and identify patterns in sleep, behaviour, and therapy data. The underlying stack combines Anthropic's Claude large language model, Voyage AI embeddings for retrieval-augmented responses, ElevenLabs voice synthesis, and Supabase on AWS (Sydney region) for data and authentication; ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification governs the data layer, and the platform is GDPR-compliant and aligned with Australian Privacy Principles.

The company serves four primary segments: parents of neurodivergent children (the dominant consumer base), teachers and educators, allied health therapists, and — increasingly — employers purchasing caregiver-support benefits. Revenue is generated via a single flat consumer subscription of A$15/month or A$120/year with no tiers or add-ons, plus an emerging direct enterprise sales motion for workplace wellness. An additional Australian funding pathway is provided by NDIS claimability under three categories (Core Supports - Consumables, Capacity Building - Improved Daily Living, and Assistive Technology - Low Cost AT). Distribution combines product-led growth through the App Store and Google Play with seven-day free trials, an enterprise field-sales motion for B2B, and a 30+ partner ecosystem across paediatric occupational therapy, speech pathology, disability advocacy, and outside-school-hours care. The company graduated from Techstars in 2024, secured a A$499,250 seed round from Verge HealthTech Fund in November 2025, and was named a 2025 Global Social Impact Award winner by Australia's Technology Competition.

Name

Understanding Zoe

Legal name

Understanding Zoe Pty Ltd

Website

https://understandingzoe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neurodivergent Family Care Software

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Special Needs Skill-Building & Therapy Learning Apps (Autism, OT/PT, Life Skills) (EDAFAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parenting Education for Special Needs & Developmental Differences (EDACALAK)

Keywords

• Neurodivergent family support
• AI care coaching
• Neuroaffirming platform
• Special needs parenting
• Collaborative care coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Monthly: Monthly subscription at $15 per month. Includes full access to all features, support village, and unlimited children.
2. Subscription - Annual: Annual subscription at $120 per year (save $60 vs monthly). Single payment for 12 months.
3. NDIS Claims: Understanding Zoe is NDIS claimable under Core Supports - Consumables, Capacity Building - Improved Daily Living, and Assistive Technology - Low Cost AT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Understanding Zoe is a neuroaffirming SaaS mobile and desktop application that helps families coordinate care for neurodivergent children. The platform combines an AI-powered personal coach called Pip (built on Anthropic's large language model) with a unified journal, a collaborative care network (Support Village) connecting parents, teachers, and therapists, and a personalised strategy library. It is delivered as a single subscription ($15/month or $120/year) with unlimited children and unlimited support network members, available on iOS, Android, and Mac, and is NDIS-claimable in Australia.

Product overview

Understanding Zoe is a single, unified SaaS platform (Understanding Zoe app) for neurodivergent family care coordination, combining an AI-powered personal coach (Pip), a collaborative care network (Support Village), a unified journal with pattern-detection insights, and a curated strategy library. All capabilities — AI coaching, journal tracking, team collaboration, and resource access — are delivered within one product (no tiers, modules, or add-ons); pricing is a single subscription covering the full platform with unlimited children and support network access. The platform is available on iOS, Android, and Mac, and is NDIS-claimable under multiple categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Neurodivergent Pulse Podcast: Conversations with experts, parents, and the Understanding Zoe team about neurodiversity and parenting. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Products and services

• Understanding Zoe App Neuroaffirming SaaS application for iOS, Android, and Mac that helps parents, educators, and therapists coordinate care for neurodivergent children. Centralises observations, reports, medications, goals, and appointments; provides AI-powered personalised guidance via Pip; enables collaborative care through a shared Support Village; and offers real-time pattern insights. Available as a single subscription with unlimited children and unlimited support network members.
• Pip AI Coach AI-powered personal coach integrated into the Understanding Zoe app. Processes family data (voice notes, text, clinical reports, journal entries) to deliver 24/7 neuroaffirming guidance, create observations, set reminders, log appointments, track goals, and identify patterns in sleep, behaviour, mood, and strategy effectiveness. Powered by Anthropic's large language model with Voyage AI embeddings for retrieval.
• Neurodivergent Pulse Podcast Podcast series featuring conversations with experts, parents, and the Understanding Zoe team about neurodiversity and parenting. 38+ episodes covering topics such as PDA, ADHD, autism, ARFID, co-regulation, and inclusive education. Available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
• Making the Invisible Visible Whitepaper 2025 research report produced in partnership with Sunday Insights and PureSpectrum, based on a national survey of 1,091 Australian parents. Documents the invisible load carried by caregivers of neurodivergent children, the effectiveness of neuroaffirming approaches, and systemic gaps in education and workplaces.

Quantifiable outcome

• Parents save an average of 3 hours per week by letting Pip handle the mental load
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

32 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Supabase (on AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationPrimary database and backend services provider running on Amazon Web Services. Cloud platforms host databases, file storage, authentication, and backend services with primary data hosted in Australia (Sydney region).
• AnthropiccoreTechnology or IntegrationAI provider powering the Pip assistant with large language model capabilities. Processes messages and relevant context to generate neuroaffirming responses. Does not train models on user data.
• Voyage AIcoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides embeddings used to enable search and retrieval functionality within the platform.
• Stripe and RevenueCatcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayment processing providers handling in-app purchases, web purchases, and subscription management. No credit/debit card numbers stored.
• Apple and GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationApp Store and Google Play platforms for mobile app distribution and in-app purchase processing.
• Camp AustraliaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustralia's leading outside school hours care provider. Partnership provides neurodivergent family support integration for children using their services.
• Parents at WorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkplace wellbeing partner supporting neurodivergent families. Partnership focuses on employer workplace wellness programs.
• Autism SwimminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusive swim education partner for neurodivergent children. Provides resources and support for water safety.
• LOAPACminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLived experience advocacy organisation partnering to support neurodivergent families with authentic advocacy.
• Belongside FamiliesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodivergent family support organisation providing peer support and community connection resources.
• ActiveOT4KidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaediatric occupational therapy partner providing expertise for neurodivergent children support.
• Whole Body NutritionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodiversity-affirming nutrition partner providing dietary support resources.
• Eating and FeedingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeeding therapy partner for neurodivergent children providing specialised support resources.
• NeuronurtureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodevelopmental support partner providing expertise in child development.
• Keeley's CauseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisability advocacy organisation partnering to support neurodivergent families.
• KiddominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's activity and support platform partner connecting families with activities.
• Tender Loving Care Disability ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisability support services partner providing care coordination resources.
• Autism Community NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutism community support organisation providing peer support and advocacy.
• WondiverseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodiversity celebration and support partner providing community resources.
• Newcastle Speech PathologyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeech pathology partner providing communication support expertise.
• Ta'leem ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInclusive learning programs and workshops partner supporting neurodivergent education.
• Cathartic CollaborationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodivergent and LGBTQIA+ affirming services partner providing professional supervision and training.
• EverbilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDocumentation support partner helping professionals complete documentation 5x faster.
• Kids SpotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's support services platform partner connecting families with NDIS providers.
• Free To Be Me Speech TherapyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpeech therapy partner providing communication support for neurodivergent children.
• Amanda Lee ConsultingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsulting partner providing strategic support services.
• Divergent EducationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner focused on neurodivergent learning approaches.
• Neuro ThriveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodivergent support partner providing educational resources.
• KinhubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport platform partner connecting families with neurodivergent resources.
• Mycomms (Communication Spectrum)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunication support partner providing AAC and alternative communication expertise.
• TravellersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTravel partner providing accessible travel experiences for neurodivergent families.
• NeuraffirmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodivergent affirming support partner providing resources and community.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Calm: Calm is a consumer and B2B mental wellness subscription with content, sleep, and meditation features. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Understanding Zoe's wellness-angle positioning for parents and employers seeking stress-reduction resources.
• Modern Health: Modern Health is an employer-paid mental health platform combining therapy, coaching, and digital self-serve content. It is comparable to Understanding Zoe's enterprise offering as a broad incumbent competing for the same HR/wellness procurement budget.
• Lyra Health: Lyra Health provides employer-sponsored mental health care, including therapy, coaching, and neurodiversity support. It is comparable as a larger incumbent pursuing the same employer caregiver/wellness benefit motion that Understanding Zoe is pursuing with its enterprise sales GTM.
• Spring Health: Spring Health is a global workplace mental health and neurodiversity benefit platform that employers purchase as a wellness benefit. It is explicitly referenced in Understanding Zoe's enterprise materials and represents the incumbent B2B channel the company is targeting.
• BetterHelp: BetterHelp is a large online therapy marketplace connecting consumers to licensed therapists. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Understanding Zoe's therapist-facing workflows and care-coordination value proposition for families.
• Headspace Health: Headspace (combined with Ginger) offers consumer and employer mental health, including content, coaching, and therapy. It is a broad incumbent comparable to Understanding Zoe's combined consumer-plus-employer wellness motion.

Direct peers

• Cognoa: Cognoa builds AI-driven diagnostic and therapeutic software for pediatric neurodevelopmental conditions including autism. It is a direct peer because it targets the same intersection of AI, neurodivergent children, and clinical-grade support that Understanding Zoe addresses.
• Wysa: Wysa is an AI conversational coach for mental wellbeing, available via consumer subscription and B2B channels. It is comparable to Understanding Zoe's Pip as an AI companion that delivers personalized guidance, with similar enterprise health-and-wellness positioning.
• Mightier: Mightier is a subscription app that helps children regulate emotions through gameplay, with parent and clinician dashboards. It is a direct peer to Understanding Zoe in delivering an app-based, family-and-clinician-facing support product for neurodivergent children.
• Woebot Health: Woebot delivers an AI chatbot for mental health support across consumer and clinical channels. It is a direct peer to Understanding Zoe in using a domain-specialized conversational AI to deliver ongoing, personalized emotional and behavioral support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/understandingzoe
• Instagraminstagram.com/understanding.zoe?igsh=cjNwZzEyaWNhanM4

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Understanding Zoe