Spoony: Redefining Social Connection for the Neurodivergent & Chronically Ill

In a world where social media can often feel noisy, overwhelming or unsafe, a Melbourne-based startup Spoony is quietly building something rare. A social app that feels like home for the neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled community.

The Problem with “Mainstream” Social Media

For millions of people living with chronic illnesses or neurodivergence, the internet can be both a lifeline and a minefield. While social media promises connection, its reality often excludes those whose needs don’t fit its default settings, overstimulation, inaccessible design and unmoderated spaces that can amplify stigma rather than compassion.

Platforms built for attention and virality rarely accommodate those who need slower, calmer or safer forms of digital interaction. For neurodivergent users, features like infinite scroll or algorithmic unpredictability can trigger sensory overload. For chronically ill or disabled people, the lack of accessibility tools (from captioning to screen reader support) can make engagement exhausting. And that’s where Spoony steps in.

Born from Experience: The Story Behind Spoony

Founded in Collingwood, Victoria, Spoony describes itself not just as a startup, but as a movement redefining what it means to be neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled in the digital age. Its mission is deeply personal. Spoony was conceived as a response to the gaps in existing social media, a platform designed by those who have lived through these experiences, not simply for them.

As the team explains on its website, “Spoony is the social app for neurodivergent, chronically ill and disabled people. It’s a safe, stigma-free space to make friends and find support.”

The app’s name comes from the “Spoon Theory”, a metaphor widely used in chronic illness and disability communities to describe limited daily energy, a way of saying, “I only have so many spoons today.” In that sense, Spoony isn’t just a platform name; it’s a cultural shorthand for shared understanding.

Designing for Real Life, Not for Algorithms

Spoony’s design philosophy has already drawn international attention. In 2025, the startup was awarded Gold at the Good Design Australia Awards, one of the country’s most prestigious recognitions for innovation and design excellence.

In his public statement, CEO Nicholas Carlton emphasized that in an era of “AI slop” and impersonal automation, Spoony’s success lies in something deliberately human: empathy.

“Good design is fiercely human,” Carlton wrote. “AI can mimic patterns, but it can’t know what it’s like to struggle with inaccessible design or be shut out of a world not built for you.”

Spoony’s interface was crafted by design studio Shadowboxer, led by Emma Park and Anja Hoffmann, both recognized for their ability to merge lived experience with accessible design thinking.

Rather than forcing users to adapt to software, Spoony adapts to users. Color contrast, typography, pacing and notifications are intentionally calibrated for comfort and calm. The result is a space that feels both gentle and functional, a design that listens instead of shouting.

More Than an App: A Movement for Belonging

What makes Spoony stand out isn’t only its design, it’s its ethos. The startup describes itself as “building the world’s first social health platform”, where the digital community meets therapeutic care and AI-powered health insights. Spoony’s goal is to help users build meaningful relationships and find peer support without fear of judgment. It also envisions integrating accessible services and partnerships that extend beyond the screen.

Already, Spoony has partnered with Uber to support accessible transport initiatives, reinforcing its commitment to inclusion both online and offline. The app is available on both Apple’s App Store and Google Play, making it widely accessible to users seeking a safe, stigma-free community wherever they are. Spoony is backed by Antler, Trampoline Ventures and Melba Support, a leading Australian disability services organization, each aligning with the startup’s mission to create technology rooted in empathy rather than efficiency alone.

Spoony’s impact is already tangible. In late 2024, the app ranked #15 in the Social category on both the App Store and Google Play, an extraordinary milestone for a platform serving such a specific, often underserved audience.

Technology with Empathy: Inside the Spoony Platform

Spoony’s functionality blends the familiar with the innovative. Its core features include:

• Community circles where users can join groups based on shared interests or diagnoses.
• 1:1 and group chats built with strong privacy controls.
• Calm design modes and sensory-friendly interfaces that minimize overstimulation.
• A roadmap for AI-powered health insights, focused not on diagnosis but on pattern recognition, helping users track emotional well-being, sleep or energy levels safely and anonymously.

The app’s developers call this integration of technology and empathy a “social health system”, a hybrid between traditional online communities and modern digital health tools.

Crucially, Spoony’s AI is built to support, not to surveil. Its machine learning features are optional, transparent and privacy-first, a deliberate rejection of data extraction models that dominate mainstream platforms. This positions Spoony as part of a new wave of ethical tech startups, where innovation is measured in emotional + social outcomes and not just in efficiency.

Reclaiming Space in the Age of AI

Spoony’s rise is happening against a cultural backdrop where much of the internet feels increasingly impersonal. From AI-generated content to algorithmic feeds, the web can feel automated and extractive designed to capture attention, not foster connection.

Spoony flips that narrative. By centering design around lived experience, it transforms accessibility from a checklist item into a creative advantage.

Its Gold Design Award was for philosophy not aesthetics. As Carlton said, good design “comes from designers who’ve lived through these friction points and can translate that understanding into solutions that actually work for humans.” In an era where most platforms are built for scale, Spoony’s greatest achievement might be its focus on depth, building a space where people can actually breathe, connect and be seen.

The Future of Inclusive Design

As Spoony continues to grow, its ambitions stretch beyond social networking. The company plans to expand its social health ecosystem, integrating AI-guided care, therapeutic content and tools that help users manage daily life alongside their conditions.

For Spoony, success isn’t measured in user numbers or viral moments. It’s in quieter victories. When someone finds a friend who truly understands them or feels safe enough to share a story they’ve never voiced before. That’s the kind of connection the internet once promised and Spoony is working to rebuild it with care and intention.