Highlights:

  • The company targets startups and small to mid-sized businesses, especially those employing individuals with neurodivergent conditions like dyslexia, ADHD, and autism.
  • Leantime’s redesigned platform prioritizes simplicity, employing OpenAI’s AI technology to transform complex project documents into digestible components.

Hyve5 Inc., operating under the name Leantime, has unveiled a revamped interface for its open-source project management platform. The new design integrates artificial intelligence features tailored to enhance the experience for its primary user base, neurodivergent workers.

The company, established 18 months ago, concentrates on serving startups and small to mid-sized businesses, specifically focusing on those employing individuals with neurodivergent conditions such as dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism. Despite neurodiverse individuals constituting approximately 20% of the population, a significant challenge persists, as 40% of them are unemployed, a statistic that escalates to 85% for individuals with autism.

Despite that, the youngest group of workers views neurodivergent individuals as highly creative, authentic, and diligent, as indicated by a study of Gen Z professionals conducted by a firm specializing in support services for neurodiverse students. Co-founder and Chief Executive of Leantime, Gloria Folaron, who was diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood, said, “The stats show that upwards of 35% of startup founders and entrepreneurs have some form of neurodivergence.”

Embracing Simplicity

Folaron said, “Over and over again, I’ve seen organizations with four or five different work management tools, and because all our brains are different, it’s hard to find a common language even though we’re all still doing the exact same thing. For someone who has ADHD, sometimes the hardest thing is just getting started, because there are so many tasks that it’s overwhelming.”

The overhauled Leantime platform prioritizes simplicity and leverages generative artificial intelligence technology from OpenAI to transform intricate project documents into easily digestible components.

“Project descriptions tend to be very long, overwhelming and written for either the project manager or for the stakeholder. There’s not a lot of meaning in that, so we use AI to rewrite a personalized version highlighting your role in that work. It’s a high-level strategy overview instead of a 50-page document,” Floran said. According to her, this strategy particularly strikes a chord with younger workers, as they tend to be driven more by a sense of purpose than financial incentives.

The updated platform has the capability to automatically break down tasks into vital subtasks, providing users with a personalized workspace where they can resize and arrange widgets based on their preferences. Integration with personal calendars allows users to schedule tasks by time, and customizable timers serve as reminders for transitioning between tasks. Leantime integrates principles like the Pomodoro Technique for time management and Pareto analysis to assist in prioritizing tasks.

Users can utilize the personal schedule to generate checklists, jot down notes, and arrange project details. Introducing a new project manager facilitates visual organization for individuals facing challenges with reading. Additionally, the company is unveiling a plug-in marketplace to cater to independent developers.

Leantime approximates that its open-source software has been installed in over 25,500 instances, and users have translated it into 19 languages. The startup generated USD 36,000 in revenue last year, relying on a model centered on priority support and fee-based plug-ins, according to Folaroon. The company plans to pursue seed funding later this year.