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Annie Martineau

Neuro Solutions Group is a company that brings together 13 employees specializing in multimedia, technology, marketing and health. The company has developed Kairos, a SaaS platform that captures key information about the treatment and behaviour of children with ADHD or ASD. The app combines a virtual coach and a video game designed to help children complete their daily routines while providing a personalized app interface to monitor behaviour and medication information for parents.

Our company’s mission is to improve the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and their family’s.

Tell us about yourself?

Annie Martineau, CEO and founder of Neuro Solutions Group. Before starting this business, I was first a mom of two kids!

From an early age, I quickly noticed that my son, William, was not feeling well. I knew that the separation with his father was not the main cause. Daily transitions and routines were difficult, he had language difficulties and hypersensitivity.

When he was in grade 2, Will was diagnosed with ADHD, like many other young people. It made sense, but I knew there was something else behind his behaviour. For years, I fought against the system to help me pinpoint the problem. Doctors diagnosed him with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) associated with ADHD. From that moment, like all parents who receive a diagnosis, I put myself in solution mode to help Will organize himself and develop his autonomy. It was a defining moment for him and for me.

After trying many solutions, I decided to build one that would be different than everything else I’ve tried: Something that would engage my kid in a fun way and that would put the kid as the stepping stone of the solution.

If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?

I would tell myself to be patient and to make sure to be surrounded with people smarter than I am! I would also tell myself to follow my instincts!

What problem does your business solve?

All kids, especially kids with ASD or ADHD, have a difficult time staying motivated during routine periods. With Kairos, parent and child team up! They start by building the routine together. At the scheduled time, the child receives a reminder and completes their tasks. When the parent validates them, the child receives rewards and progresses in their virtual mission. Kairos, therefore, relies on positive reinforcement to promote autonomy. An integrated parental coach supports parents in managing routines and teaching good habits.

What is the inspiration behind your business?

As explained earlier, my family history was the main inspiration for developing Kairos. I want to make sure that families have fun during the most boring part of the day: Routine!

What is your magic sauce?

Our magic sauce contains two “ingredients”.

First, we provide an experience that is tailored to increase and maintain the kid’s motivation through time. We’ve focussed on making a ‘tool’ that is fun. It is the reason why we can develop a child’s autonomy and help families across the globe.

Second, is that we’ve surrounded ourselves with education and health professionals that help us develop a tool that is adapted and has an impact on both the parents and kids.

What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?

As we’re adding more and more features focused on tracking medication and side effects, we want to be recognized as a fun digital therapeutic bringing together essential information for the treatment of ADHD. We want to bring fun into digital health!

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?

The biggest challenge we have faced was conducting a large scale clinical study with over 200 families during the beginning of the pandemic. In less than 2 weeks, we had to completely shift our strategy to make sure we could still collect the data needed to get results.

Both our team and partners showed incredible adaptability, and I’m really proud of that!

How do people get involved/buy into your vision?

The best way to get involved is to visit our website, www.Kairosgame.com. You can also get in touch with me at contact@kairosgame.com. if you have any questions or want to collaborate on the project!