Specialisterne Australia

What Specialisterne Australia does

Specialisterne Australia is a not-for-profit social enterprise established in 2015 to help employers and government agencies build neuroinclusive workplaces and to create meaningful employment pathways for neurodivergent individuals. It operates from a head office in Richmond, Victoria (hosted by Infoxchange) and, since December 2023, has functioned as the Asia Pacific Hub of the Specialisterne Global Network, a Danish-founded group operating across 26 countries. The organization employs approximately 16 staff and reports creating over 500 jobs for neurodivergent people in Australia and training over 15,000 employees under inaugural CEO Julie Robertson's tenure.

The service portfolio spans four integrated streams: (1) neurodiverse hiring programs built on the proprietary Dandelion Methodology — a strengths-based, task-based assessment that replaces traditional interviews and reportedly delivers a 94% retention rate versus 40–50% for conventional recruitment; (2) workplace support and coaching, including the confidential Neuro-Inclusive Assistance Coaching (NAC) service and Employee Success Plans; (3) training and education, comprising awareness workshops, manager training, and a five-module eLearning series, bundled into the Neuroinclusive Employer Training Pack priced at $9,500; and (4) advisory and consulting, anchored by the Neuro-Inclusive Maturity Framework benchmarking tool aligned to ISO 30415. Customer logos include Westpac, EY, IBM, Australian Taxation Office, Services Australia, Coles, Lendlease, Goldman Sachs, PwC, Xero, Harvey Norman, and Cummins, with distribution delivered through direct enterprise sales, a candidate self-serve portal, and government partnerships including a NSW Government-sponsored Return to Work Pathways Program for neurodivergent women.

The business model is professional-services-led B2B with primarily quote-based enterprise engagements and a small disclosed productized SKU. GTM combines direct enterprise field sales, event-driven demand generation, and community-led referral through the Neurodiversity Network. The organization was recognized on the 2025 Forbes Accessibility 100 list and holds Social Traders Certification as a social enterprise. On 30 November 2025, Specialisterne Australia announced termination of its entire workforce, concluding 10 years of operations as an independent Australian entity.

Name

Specialisterne Australia

Legal name

Specialisterne Australia

Website

https://specialisterne.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Specialisterne Australia is a not-for-profit social enterprise providing neuroinclusion advisory, training, recruitment, and coaching services to employers and government, helping build neuro-inclusive workplaces for autistic and neurodivergent individuals across Australia. Founded 2015; APAC Hub of Specialisterne Global.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neurodiversity Employment Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Autism Executive Functioning & Academic Skills Intervention (EDAKAKAI)

Keywords

• Neurodiversity employment services
• Disability employment programs
• Workplace inclusion consulting
• Neurodiverse recruitment services
• Workplace accessibility training

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Training and Education Services: Specialisterne offers structured training programs including Neurodiversity at Work Awareness Training, Autism and ADHD at Work training for managers, HR workshops, and the Neuroinclusive Employer Training Pack. Sessions are delivered virtually and customized to organisational needs.
2. Neurodiverse Hiring Programs: End-to-end recruitment services partnering with employers to access neurodivergent talent. Includes assessment processes, workplace coaching, and ongoing support for placed employees.
3. Neurodiversity Coaching Services: Individual workplace coaching, Workplace Enablement Packages, and confidential Neuro-Inclusive Assistance Coaching (NAC) services. Delivered virtually using neuro-affirming, strengths-based approach.
4. Advisory and Consultancy Services: Neuroinclusion advisory services including neurodiversity workplace assessments, workplace consultancy, specialist advisory services, and desktop audits to help organisations create neuro-inclusive workplaces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Specialisterne Australia is a not-for-profit social enterprise that helps Australian employers attract, hire, onboard, and retain neurodivergent talent through neurodiverse hiring programs, workplace support and coaching, training and education, and advisory/consulting services. It also sells packaged digital and in-person learning products, such as the Neuroinclusive Employer Training Pack and the Neurodiversity Awareness Certificate, to build neuroinclusive workplace capability.

Product overview

Specialisterne Australia is a not-for-profit social enterprise providing neuroinclusion services as an integrated portfolio of advisory, training, and recruitment solutions. The core offerings include Neurodiverse Hiring Programs (using the Dandelion Methodology), Workplace Support and Coaching services, and Training and Education programs. The company bundles these into structured packages such as the Neuroinclusive Employer Training Pack and Neurodiversity Confident Employer Pack. Additional services include the Neuro-Inclusive Maturity Framework assessment tool, Neuro-Inclusive Assistance Coaching (NAC), and eLearning Modules. The portfolio serves employers seeking to build neuroinclusive workplaces and neurodivergent individuals seeking meaningful employment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Neurodiverse Hiring Programs

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• NSW Government - Women NSWflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 September 2025NSW Government, through the Women NSW initiative, sponsors the Return to Work Pathways Program. This two-year program creates opportunities for neurodivergent women in NSW to build skills, confidence, and meaningful careers while supporting employers to strengthen neuroinclusive practices.
• Specialisterne Global NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2023Specialisterne Australia has formally joined the Specialisterne Global Network and become the Asia Pacific Hub. This enables international collaboration with Specialisterne partners across Europe, Latin America, USA, Canada, and India. The partnership strengthens capacity for increased scale and social impact across the Asia Pacific region, with access to integrated delivery network of 500+ staff globally.
• Goldman SachsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoldman Sachs' neurodiversity hiring program partnered with Specialisterne to source candidates. In 2024, candidates brought forward by Specialisterne achieved a 100% offer and acceptance rate in Goldman Sachs' neurodiversity program, demonstrating the effectiveness of co-designed, neurodivergent-informed recruitment approaches.
• InfoxchangecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInfoxchange hosts Specialisterne Australia's Head Office. Specialisterne conducted a comprehensive neuroinclusion maturity assessment for Infoxchange using the ISO 30415 framework, producing a 58-page report with recommendations. This partnership showcases Specialisterne's advisory capabilities and Infoxchange's commitment to neuroinclusion.
• SuperFriendminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVicky Little, COO of Specialisterne Australia, co-authored SuperFriend's groundbreaking whitepaper on neurodivergence and mental health in the workplace, contributing expertise on supporting neurodivergent employees' mental health needs.
• ABCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVicky Little appeared on ABC's 'This Working Life' program to discuss empowering neurodiversity in the workplace, providing media visibility for Specialisterne's mission and neuroinclusion practices.
• Social TraderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialisterne Australia holds Social Traders Certification, recognising its status as a legitimate social enterprise that creates meaningful employment for neurodivergent individuals while delivering impact for employers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• JobSupport: Sydney-based specialist employment service for people with intellectual disability. Adjacent in mission and candidate-screening methodology, focused on a different sub-population but competing for similar employer relationships.

Broad incumbents

• AimBig Employment: Australian disability employment services provider serving neurodivergent job seekers alongside other disability cohorts. Direct overlap in candidate placement and employer account management.
• MAX Solutions: Major Australian employment services provider with national reach into Disability Employment Services. Adjacent competitor for employer-funded placements and government-commissioned programs.
• Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect): Australia's largest autism-specific service provider offering education, therapy, and employment supports. Overlaps with Specialisterne on the autism-employment target population but is broader in scope, including K-12 and therapy.
• APM Employment Services: Large Australian disability employment services provider with government contracts. Competes on the employer-services side and at the scale-up buyer level, though with a much broader disability remit rather than neurodiversity specialisation.

Others

• National Disability Services (NDS): Australian peak body for disability service providers. Not a direct competitor but a relevant adjacent ecosystem participant: its policy advocacy, training, and industry benchmarks shape the demand environment for neurodiversity employment providers.

Direct peers

• Specialisterne Foundation: Global parent operating the Dandelion methodology framework across 26 countries. Functions as a direct peer and the network hub from which Specialisterne Australia derives its IP, methodology, and client routing.
• Untapped Talent: Australian neurodiversity-focused recruitment and workplace consultancy with a similar candidate-assessment methodology and employer advisory offering. Closest direct home-market competitor for the same enterprise buyer.
• DXC Dandelion (Australia): DXC's Australian arm of the Dandelion program for neurodiverse IT hiring. Direct competitor for the same enterprise IT talent pool and similar employer relationships (IBM, Xero, Goldman Sachs-tier accounts).

Emerging players

• DXC Technology (Dandelion Program): DXC Technology operates the Dandelion Program, a neurodiversity employment initiative built on the same Dandelion methodology Specialisterne originated. Direct overlap in hiring-assessment IP and target employer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SpecInAus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCYQa9_CtrMU6yKODlZO5Lzw/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/specialisterneaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/specialisterneaustralia
• Instagraminstagram.com/specialisterne_australia

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Specialisterne Australia