Our story
Built from listening.
Guided by research.
Designed for dignity.
Every day, people move through their cities feeling overwhelmed. Noise exhausts. Crowds suffocate. Uncertainty turns simple outings into stressful decisions.
For many neurodivergent individuals, including autistic people, those with ADHD, sensory processing differences, anxiety, and related conditions, everyday places are not neutral. They can feel unpredictable, overstimulating, and unsafe.
MindHaven exists to change that. One activity, one space, one neighbourhood at a time. Beginning in London.
How it started
The idea began during the Enactus iTwin4Good challenge. Sai was asked to identify a real problem close to home. He started by listening to his brother, a care worker supporting autistic people, and to his teammate Boudica, a neurodivergent parent and peer supporter.
A pattern became impossible to ignore. Activities existed. Funding existed. Community support existed. Yet families still struggled to find places that felt calm and manageable. The barrier was not opportunity. It was uncertainty. There was no clear way to understand how a place might feel before arriving there.
That question became deeper and more personal. How do we reduce uncertainty in a way that is fair, transparent, and scalable?
“To build cities that truly care for people, we must first learn how to measure what makes them overwhelming. MindHaven is not about making cities smarter. It is about making cities kinder.”
– Dr Sai Raj Ali, Founder
That conviction led to Sai’s MSc research at Middlesex University London. He developed a reproducible, open data framework to assess structural urban environmental comfort without using surveys, behavioural tracking, or personal data.
No tracking. No personal data. No surveillance.
The ComfortScore Engine
At the heart of MindHaven is the ComfortScore Engine. ComfortScore expresses structural environmental comfort as a percentage from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate calmer, more supportive surroundings. Lower scores reflect areas with higher noise exposure, limited greenery, greater crowd pressure, or weaker accessibility signals. ComfortScore does not measure personal happiness or health. It measures the structural conditions of a place, so uncertainty can be reduced before someone arrives.
The score combines four transparent components:
Road noise
Long term structural road traffic noise exposure derived from open environmental monitoring data.
Green space
Vegetation presence and proximity to parks and open spaces using open geospatial data.
Crowd pressure
Structural activity density derived from open spatial proxies. No personal tracking involved.
Accessibility support
Basic open infrastructure indicators including step-free access tags and facility data.
Every score is explainable and auditable.
Recognition and partnerships
MindHaven is built on academic research, community validation, and responsible entrepreneurship. The work has been recognised and supported by the following organisations.
Global Entrepreneurship Week Winner
First place at Middlesex University London GEW Business Pitch Competition 2025.
Highly Commended – Bentley iTwin4Good Developer Programme
Highly Commended at the Bentley iTwin4Good Developer Programme for innovation, impact, and effective use of digital twin technology.
Santander X Explorer – Top 15
Selected as one of the Top 15 projects from over 3,000 applicants worldwide through the 12-week Santander X Explorer programme, drawing participants from Spanish, Portuguese, and English-speaking countries.
Enactus UK and Ireland – National Top 20
Reached the national semifinals at Enactus UK and Ireland Nationals 2026, placing MindHaven among the top 20 student enterprise projects from over 60 competing universities across the UK and Ireland.
Academic foundation
MSc Data Science, Middlesex University London. The ComfortScore framework was developed through postgraduate research focused on reproducible and explainable urban environmental analysis using open data only.
Supported by
Enactus MDX
Middlesex University London
Enactus UK and Ireland
Social entrepreneurship network
Currently working with venues and community spaces across North London, with structured pilots planned.
The team
MindHaven brings together lived experience, academic research, and professional expertise. Several team members are neurodivergent. That lived perspective shapes every product decision.
Dr Sai Raj Ali
Founder and Project Lead
PhD in Physics and MSc Data Science, Middlesex University London. Designer of the open data ComfortScore framework.
Francisca Ndiwe
Operations Lead
Leads project management and operational coordination across the MindHaven programme.
David-Alexander Oprea
User Research Lead
Leads interviews and storytelling to ensure neurodivergent voices shape platform development.
Yhuela Fernandes
Marketing Lead
MSc Digital Marketing. Leads community and content strategy with clarity and dignity.
Yamin Htike
Content Creator
Leads community engagement and social media to grow MindHaven’s presence with authenticity.
Syeda Kanwal
Community Outreach Lead
Builds relationships across SEND and disability networks to ensure MindHaven reaches those who need it most.
Raveena
Impact and Evidence Lead
Leads data collection and reporting to evidence MindHaven’s social impact rigorously and transparently.
Dr Christopher Moon
Academic Mentor
Senior Lecturer in Eco-Entrepreneurship. Provides academic guidance and strategic mentorship.
Boudica Atheldene
Neurodivergent Adviser
Peer Support Worker and member of Autistic Parents UK. Ensures lived neurodivergent experience guides every decision.
What we believe
Dignity first
We design for autonomy and confidence. No one should have to justify their sensory needs in order to feel safe in a space.
No personal tracking
We use only open environmental and infrastructure data. Privacy is not a feature. It is a principle we will not compromise.
Community-led
Major decisions are shaped by neurodivergent voices before anything goes live.
Cities can be kinder
Sensory comfort is not a luxury. It is measurable, it is improvable, and every city should plan for it.
Get notified when we go live
Be first to access personalised comfort scores, curated activities & neuro-friendly spaces.
Join us in making cities kinder
Whether you are searching for calmer spaces, supporting a family member, or shaping policy within your organisation, there is a place for you here.
Get in touch with our partnerships team.