About Us
More About The Founders
The Wingates and the Zimmermans met back in 2016 when the Zimmerman boys entered High School and had Susie as their resource teacher. Little did they know that they would become business partners years later…
The Zimmermans
Marc and TIna Zimmerman are the proud parents of adult twin boys who were both diagnosed with autism at age 3. When the boys turned 9 years old, Marc and Tina left their current careers and founded Brighten Learning which produces engaging animated software that teaches social skills, career development and independent living. Their flagship program, The Social Express, has won numerous awards, used in 700 school districts and has helped thousands of users worldwide.
The Wingates
Susie and Eric Wingate are proud parents of a wonderful young boy with an extremely rare genetic deficiency. One day their son was a healthy 13-month-old headed for fun at daycare. The next day, he was headed for admission to Rady Children’s Hospital with paralyzed vocal cords, he could hardly breathe. Their son was diagnosed with a rare life-threatening, neurodegenerative genetic disorder called Riboflavin Transporter Deficiency (RTD). Life at home dramatically changed for their family from that day on. Susie, a teacher of the year, had to make a hard choice and take a leave of absence from her 16 year career as a special education teacher. Eric also left a very successful career in business management due to the 24/7 care their son required. Their son has inspired them as parents to be advocates and support other families dealing with similar circumstances.
