NSF Awards Grant to Incuentro for Groundbreaking Career Assessment for Autistic Individuals

Adaptive Virtual Reality Assessment System (AVRAS™) Transforms Vocational Assessment for Autistic Individuals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Houston, TX May 5, 2025 – NSF Awards Incuentro LLC Phase I STTR Grant to Develop AI-Powered VR Career Assessment for Autistic Individuals

Incuentro LLC, a women-owned small business based in Houston, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I grant to address one of the nation’s most pressing workforce challenges: the chronic underemployment of autistic adults. With unemployment rates among autistic individuals nearing 85%, this project aligns with priorities to support a domestic workforce, fuel economic prosperity, innovation and opportunity.

Through this award, Incuentro will develop AVRAS™, a patent-pending adaptive virtual reality assessment system powered by reinforcement learning (RL). The platform is designed to revolutionize vocational assessments by providing a dynamic, data-driven method to evaluate skills and identify career pathways. “Traditional vocational tools often miss the mark for neurodiverse populations,” said Principal Investigator Brandi Timmons, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA. “By integrating reinforcement learning with immersive VR, we are creating a responsive and individualized assessment that highlights strengths and drives accurate job alignment.”

Initial deployment will focus on high schools, workforce training programs, and state vocational rehabilitation systems—sectors eager for scalable, cost-effective innovations to better serve clients.

CEO Wendy Dawson added, “This technology represents a leap forward in supporting the future workforce. AVRAS™ empowers autistic individuals with the insights and confidence they need to pursue meaningful careers—supporting both economic independence and broader opportunity.”

By advancing use-inspired research at the intersection of AI, VR, and workforce development, this project exemplifies a vision for translating emerging technologies into impactful tools that expand opportunity and improve quality of life for all Americans.

Patent pending. Commercialization anticipated in 2026.

For media inquiries or more information, contact: Wendy Dawson | wendy@incuentro.com | 281-826-6020

About America’s Seed Fund
America’s Seed Fund powered by the National Science Foundation (NSF) awards $200 million annually to startups and small businesses, transforming scientific discovery into products and services with commercial and societal impact. Startups working across almost all areas of science and technology can receive up to $2 million in non-dilutive funds to support research and development (R&D), helping de-risk technology for commercial success. America’s Seed Fund is congressionally mandated through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The NSF is an independent federal agency with a budget of about $9 billion that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. For more information, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.