When Katie Jacobs talks about Keikens, she rarely starts with artificial intelligence. Instead, she starts with understanding.
“Our goal isn’t to help machines understand children better,” she says. “It’s to help parents better understand their child.”
That simple idea has become the foundation of Keikens, the Minnesota startup where founder and CEO Katie Jacobs is helping families navigating neurodivergence, disabilities, and learning differences make sense of overwhelming information—and confidently take the next step. While AI powers the platform, its true purpose is far more human: helping parents feel informed, supported, and capable of making the best decisions for their children.
A Founder Inspired First by Life, Then by Business
Long before founding Keikens, Jacobs spent more than 15 years leading growth and innovation initiatives at Best Buy, helping launch new products, expand into new markets, and build businesses from the ground up. She loved creating products that solved meaningful problems, but the values behind Keikens were shaped much earlier.
Growing up, Jacobs watched her father live with multiple sclerosis, learning that a diagnosis may explain something about a person, but it never defines who they are. Her mother, meanwhile, believed experiences mattered more than possessions because experiences shape who we become. Years later, while living in Japan, Jacobs discovered the word keiken, meaning “experience”—which would eventually become the company’s name.
Those lessons became deeply personal when she became the mother of three boys, two of whom are neurodivergent. Like countless parents, she suddenly found herself navigating evaluations, IEPs, therapy reports, specialists, schools and an endless stream of decisions.
“I entered a world where I knew nothing,” Jacobs says. “And every decision felt important.”
Turning Overwhelming Information Into Meaningful Understanding
As Jacobs searched for guidance, she noticed something remarkable. The most valuable advice rarely came from a textbook or website. It came from parents who had already walked a similar path. Their advice was generous and often incredibly helpful—but it was fragmented.
In reality, families are left piecing together reports, emails, recommendations, and conversations while trying to connect information from schools, healthcare providers, and therapists.
“Parents become the integrators,” Jacobs says. “No one hires us for that job, but that’s what we end up doing.”
And parents are often the only ones connecting what happens at home, at school, in therapy, and with healthcare providers. They’re the one person who sees the whole child, because families don’t live inside one system; they live between systems.
Jacobs also realized that some of the most valuable guidance she received came from parents who were just a few years ahead of her. She thought families could benefit from those experiences instead of relying on who they happened to know.
She began asking herself a different question: What if parents could begin with understanding instead of starting from scratch every time?
That question became Keikens.
Today, the platform gives families one secure, living record that grows with their child over time, helping transform information into understanding—and understanding into greater confidence and advocacy. Rather than replacing experts, Keikens helps parents connect what teachers, therapists, and clinicians are already telling them so every new conversation begins with greater understanding—not from scratch.
“Keikens sits between information and action,” she explains. “We’re helping parents turn complex and often overwhelming information into understanding, and understanding into the next step forward.”
AI is the Engine—Not the Product
Although artificial intelligence powers much of the platform, Jacobs is careful not to let the technology become the story.
“AI is the engine, not the product,” she says.
Instead, Keikens is built around three connected experiences that support families throughout their journey.
The Report Interpreter allows parents to securely upload neuropsychological evaluations, IEPs, therapy reports, and other documents, translating them into plain language while always linking back to the original source. The goal isn’t to replace professional evaluations, it is to help parents truly understand them.
The Advocacy Coach builds on that understanding by helping parents prepare for school meetings, organize their thoughts, ask better questions, and even explain a diagnosis to grandparents, siblings, or the child in age-appropriate language. Rather than telling parents what decisions to make, it helps them make sense of everything they already know.
The third component, Experience Match, is currently in development and reflects Jacobs’ original inspiration. It will help families discover schools, therapists, tutors, camps, and enrichment opportunities while learning from other parents whose children have traveled similar paths.
Throughout every stage, parents remain in control.
“We don’t tell parents what to do,” Jacobs says. “We help them make sense of everything they already know.”
One Story, Told Once
One of Keikens’ most compelling innovations is its living record of the child.
Instead of repeatedly retelling their child’s history to every new teacher, therapist, physician, tutor, coach, or camp leader, parents can securely share a continually updated profile with trusted members of their care team. New reports, observations, and milestones become part of a single evolving story that grows alongside the child.
The result is less repetition, stronger collaboration, and more meaningful conversations from the very first meeting. Parents spend less time explaining the past and more time focusing on what comes next.
Building with Families—Not Just for Them
Keikens officially launched in 2025, but Jacobs says the company truly began years earlier through conversations with families.
“I’ve probably talked with over 250 families,” she says. “Every feature starts with a parent problem, not a technology problem.”
That philosophy continues to shape both the product and the company’s growth strategy. Rather than simply marketing directly to parents, Keikens is partnering with organizations that already serve families, integrating the platform into onboarding and support processes so providers begin with a fuller understanding of each child.
The approach complements—not replaces—the expertise of educators, therapists, and healthcare professionals while making life easier for families who often find themselves explaining the same story over and over again.
Growing Alongside MESA
About a year and a half ago, Jacobs joined MESA looking for something different than product validation. She already believed deeply in the problem Keikens was solving. What she wanted was guidance on building a startup. Having spent her career creating new businesses within a Fortune 500 company, Jacobs understood innovation. Building an independent company, however, required an entirely different mindset.
“I wasn’t looking for someone to tell me Keikens was a good idea,” she says. “I was looking for guidance on how to build a company the right way.”
Working with MESA mentor Mike Ducatelli has helped her expand her focus beyond product development to partnerships, go-to-market strategy, prioritization, and long-term planning.
“From our very first conversation, I was impressed by Katie’s vision and conviction,” Ducatelli shares. “The more we’ve worked together, the more confident I’ve become in both her leadership and Keikens’ potential to make a meaningful difference for families. She’s solving a complex challenge with empathy, purpose, and a clear focus on creating real value.”
“Mike doesn’t give me the answers,” Jacobs says. “He asks me better questions.”
She credits MESA with helping sharpen her execution while giving her the perspective that can be difficult for founders to find on their own.
“Building a company can be lonely,” she says. “MESA surrounds you with experienced founders and operators who help you think differently.”
Every Child Deserves to be Understood
Ask Jacobs what she hopes Keikens will ultimately accomplish, and the technology quickly fades into the background. She talks instead about parents feeling less alone. About reducing the cognitive load families carry every day. About helping them move forward with greater confidence.
“I think parents aren’t looking for perfect answers,” she says. “They’re looking for enough understanding to make the next right decision.”
Then she returns to the philosophy that inspired Keikens from the very beginning.
“Every child deserves to be understood before they’re defined,” Jacobs says. “If Keikens can help make that happen, we’ve done something worthwhile.”
