Picture of William Cerdelli, YAA finalist, on stage talking about his AI robot, STU

William Cerdelli: Bridging the productivity gap for neurodiversity

Italian native William Cerdelli is redefining productivity for the neurodivergent community by turning his personal experience with ADHD into a powerful tool for change.

Claire Dunton

19 April 2026

4 minute read

For the fourth consecutive year, Luminary is proud to sponsor the Young Achievers Award in the Tech Visionary category. This award isn’t just about celebrating the quickest coder; it’s about honouring the disruptors who use technology to solve deeply human problems. In a year where we have received a record-breaking number of entries, more than any other year in our history, the following candidate stands out for his ability to turn a personal challenge into a global solution.

Today, we are thrilled to introduce our final nominee: William Cerdelli, the founder of HeySTU.

A product of lived experience

William is an Italian native who headed straight to Melbourne after he finished high school for what he thought would be a short gap year. He instantly loved the city, and enrolled to study in a double degree of Arts and Business Commerce, where he was selected as one of thirty students to immerse in an organisation and see how startups work. 

William felt in his element in the startup space and was doing this work when he was exploring an ADHD diagnosis. The fact that he felt most himself in a fast-paced and unpredictable environment suddenly made sense; the ADHD brain often craves these environments. After looking around for digital apps, services and platforms to aid his ADHD, William found that the ADHD support space was lacking.

“Struggling with executive dysfunction and being able to build this… sometimes I think I was put here to do this. There is this intersection of learning startups, understanding my own problem, and the technology that advancing so that the solution could exist."

William engaged an old high school friend, Matteo, who was still living in Italy, and they began working on STU, which they hoped would be a digital tool that would support a neurodiverse brain with a different executive function. In those early days, William fielded help from his girlfriend, friends and neighbours, and really anyone willing to pitch in. Before William had decided on how STU would look and perform, he worked on several prototypes, with his apartment looking like a 3D printing factory as he made STU with his bare hands.

Picture of Williams friends helping construct STU

What’s special about William’s story is that he didn’t just stumble upon the idea for HeySTU; he lived it. As someone with ADHD, William understood the "invisible wall" that often stands between a brilliant mind and a finished task. Sure, ADHD can bring an intense hyper-focus, but there is no way to channel it.

For people with ADHD, the struggle isn't a lack of talent or ambition; it’s a struggle with executive function—prioritising, starting, and staying on track. William realised that most productivity tools were built by neurotypical people for neurotypical brains. They were often too rigid, too cluttered, or simply ineffective for those whose minds work differently. Just like buying a yearly planner each January, only to stick with it for a couple of weeks before abandoning it, there needed to be something specific that would address how a neurodiverse mind works.

Picture of William and the HeySTU customers

How does HeySTU actually work?

STU is a physical product, a desk robot and an AI companion. It is designed to act as a "neural prosthetic" for focus. It moves away from the overwhelming "to-do list" culture and instead utilises intuitive workflows that mirror how an ADHD brain actually processes information. By breaking down daunting projects into dopamine-friendly milestones and providing gentle, non-intrusive nudges, HeySTU helps users maintain momentum without the burnout.

HeySTU is a cute little digital device that sits on the desk, ready to break down any complex tasks into manageable steps and have them reflected in a desktop or mobile app interface. On the HeySTU website, William does a demo with Stu where he tells STU he needs to make spaghetti, and then STU breaks down that task into four manageable steps (boil water, cook pasta, prepare sauce and serve and enjoy). William also asks STU to set timers and tick off tasks as he finishes them. More complex tasks include scheduling meetings and events, organising brain dumps into clear tasks and outcomes and setting up reminders for STU to nudge the user. One of the more popular uses for STU is to be a study mate, with William demonstrating in the demo that you can upload study documents and readings and have STU quiz the user on these concepts verbally or through the interface chat.

"I wanted to build something that didn't feel like a boss, but like a partner. When STU was put online, I received so many messages from so many people. I got 300 long emails from people telling me their life story and how this program resonated so much with them. It really created a bond between the users and me. I started calling everyone to learn about their experiences and their lives. ”

The social impact of inclusivity

At Luminary, we believe that a "Tech Visionary" is someone who looks at a marginalised group and builds a bridge to inclusion. William’s work with HeySTU does exactly that. By helping neurodivergent individuals stay on track with their work, he is directly impacting their career longevity, academic success, and mental well-being.

William is proving that ADHD is not a deficit to be cured, but a different way of thinking that—when supported by the right tools—can lead to extraordinary creativity and productivity.


Stay tuned as we announce the winner of the Young Achievers Award. Will William’s vision for a focused future take home the trophy?

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