broadens

Autism Impact Fund (AIF) was a pioneer when it emerged in 2021, three years after the son of its co-founder and managing partner, Chris Male, was diagnosed with ASD. A joint effort of Male and others, its ambition was to become “the investment and innovation arm of the autism community,” Male told TechCrunch. Since then, startups in the neurodiversity space gathered momentum, and so did AIF, which recently closed its first fund at $60 million. AIF’s decision to broaden its scope has to do with autism itself, Male said. It’s also global, with healthtech Genial Care raising $10 million to help kids with autism and their families in Brazil.