Based in ION India
In a world that is still learning how to understand, include, and value minority neurotypes, community spaces are not just helpful, they are essential. The ION Neurodivergent Founders Club on WhatsApp, has quietly become one of the most vibrant, real-time spaces where neurodivergent founders, creators, professionals, and thinkers connect every day.
It is a living ecosystem of neurodivergent minds supporting each other in real time.
The Neurodivergent Founders Group was created by Midhun Noble from ION India, with a simple but radical belief: neurodivergent people shouldn’t only be prepared for employment, they should also be empowered to build lives and businesses on their own terms.
For years, conversations around neurodiversity have revolved around employability, workplace accommodations, and “fitting in.” But many neurodivergent individuals are not meant to fit into traditional systems, they are meant to design new ones. ADHD entrepreneurs bring unmatched creativity and instinctive risk-taking, dyslexic thinkers excel in strategy and problem-solving, and autistic founders offer analytical depth, pattern-recognition, and a rare sense of justice. These aren’t deficits, they are superpowers for entrepreneurship.
The group also emerged from something deeply personal. Midhun often says he felt like an “average bank employee,” but the moment he stepped into entrepreneurship, he found joy, impact, and a sense of alignment he never experienced in conventional roles. He realised many neurodivergent individuals feel the same way, brilliant minds stuck in environments that don’t understand them. The Neurodivergent Founders Group became a space where ND founders could learn, collaborate, share their struggles, and build solutions that genuinely matter to the world.
Yet, despite global conversations on inclusion, hardly any VC funds, incubators, or startup programs, especially in India, are designed to recognise or support divergent thinkers. The current startup ecosystem still rewards linear thinking, polished pitches, and neurotypical communication styles, often excluding some of the most original creators. This community aims to shift that narrative.
What started as a simple communication channel has evolved into a network of groups where ideas form, problems are solved, friendships begin, questions are asked without shame, and knowledge flows freely. Each group has its own culture, its own conversation rhythm, and its own purpose, yet together they form a web of support unlike anything typically available to neurominority adults.
Today, the Neurodivergent Founders Group isn’t just a network, it’s a quiet movement, proving that when we amplify neurodivergent voices, we create a better, more imaginative world in return.
A Glimpse Into the Groups: What We Talk About and Why It Matters
The groups within the WhatsApp community tell a story, not just of topics, but of needs, challenges, and collective wisdom.
Neurodivergent Founders Club (Main Group)
This is the heartbeat of the community.
Members share personal updates, reflections, wins, struggles, and everyday life stories. It is part emotional support network, part think-tank, and part family chat, in the best possible way.
People show up with honesty.
People engage and interact with understanding.
No one needs to mask.
Memes
Humour is a coping mechanism and a connector. The memes group is where we laugh at ourselves, our quirks, the absurdities of life, and the rollercoaster of being neurodivergent in a world built for sameness.
Laughter is therapy that drives a sense of well wing and belonging.
Pop Culture / TV / Podcasts
A place for exchanging recommendations and discussing stories that resonate on a deeper neurodivergent level. Members talk about characters who feel “familiar,” creators who think outside the box, and narratives that reflect our real emotional architecture.
General Chat
The social café of the community.
The doors are always open.
Anything can be discussed: daily life, questions, random thoughts, global events, or a sudden flash of inspiration.
Mentoring & ND Coaching
Many neurodivergent founders move through their careers without mentorship, without role models, and without the invisible knowledge that neurotypical professionals take for granted.
This group functions as a circular mentorship model, guidance flowing in all directions.
Here, someone can ask:
- “How do I structure my day?”
- “How do I set boundaries?
- “How do I lead while staying authentically neurodivergent?”
And instead of silence, they receive lived expertise.
Medication & Resources
A safe, stigma-free space to discuss experiences with medication, questions around diagnosis, access barriers, side effects, and resources.
This group exists because the world still makes neurominority people feel guilty for seeking help and we refuse to continue that narrative.
Startup Discussions (Ideas & Collaboration)
Neurodivergent founders often think ten steps ahead, but not always in the same direction.
This group becomes the shared workspace for:
- brainstorming
- feedback
- refining ideas
- asking for advice
- finding collaborators
- troubleshooting
It is a space where fast minds find other fast minds.
Politics/Policy
A place for discussing neurodiversity policy barriers, rights, government reform, societal change, and systemic issues that affect neurodivergent lives around the world.
Why These Groups Matter
Many of us are isolated, even when surrounded by others. We often go through life feeling misunderstood, judged, or asked to perform versions of ourselves that are neurotypically socially acceptable but emotionally exhausting.
These groups do the opposite.
They create a neuro-affirming environment where:
✔ We don’t need to translate our thoughts
✔ We don’t need to explain our ways of processing
✔ We don’t need to mask or apologise
✔ We don’t need to pretend to be smaller
Most importantly, members learn that:
You are not the only one, You never were, You just hadn’t found your people yet.
A Call to Come Together
The ION Neurodivergent Founders Club is more than a WhatsApp community.
It is an early blueprint for what a neuroinclusive world could look like when we connect across borders, cultures, and lived experiences.
Now, more than ever, we need to:
• support each other’s ideas
• share knowledge freely
• build platforms that centre lived experience
• create ecosystems where neurodivergent people can thrive
• amplify each other’s voices
• collaborate on solutions that society has failed to build for us
Because the truth is simple:
Neurodivergent people thrive in community like all humans do, isolation and exclusion is detrimental to us.
The Future of the Founders Club
As the network grows, the groups will evolve, with regional chapters, specialised channels, and global projects. But the heart of the community must remain:
A place where all kind of minds feel at home.
A place where brilliance is recognised.
A place where we build together, not alone.
If you’re part of the ION family already, you know the power of these groups.
If not, the door is open and membership of ION and our various online communities and groups is free 🌟
Become a part of the Neurodiversity Founders Club by joining the Whatsapp group, click below to request to join
