Professional Contract Services, Inc. (PCSI), a national nonprofit focused on employing people with disabilities, announced the acquisition of CareStarter and Feedback, establishing the foundation for its newly launched innovation unit, PCSIx. The initiative represents a strategic move to expand PCSI’s mission through technology, behavioral science, and integrated innovation aimed at improving outcomes for people with disabilities and their families.
The formation of PCSIx is designed to centralize innovation efforts across the organization by integrating teams, processes, and technology. The unit will focus on identifying systemic barriers, scaling effective solutions, and enhancing how PCSI delivers employment opportunities and support services.
CareStarter, founded in 2013, specializes in automating care coordination and accelerating connections to resources for patients and families. Feedback, founded in 2009, brings expertise in ethnographic research and behavioral science to help organizations better understand human behavior. The two companies merged in 2021, combining human-centered design with behavioral insights to improve service delivery and outcomes.
PCSI identified an early application for these capabilities within the military’s Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP), which supports military families with special needs. The organization sees significant potential to improve how families access disability-related services through enhanced systems and insights. While EFMP will serve as an initial focus, PCSIx is intended to scale beyond a single program and modernize broader public systems.
Founded in 1996, PCSI provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities and veterans, supporting a workforce of more than 2,000 individuals across the United States. The organization continues to position itself as both a service provider and advocate for inclusive employment and policy advancement.
KEY QUOTES:
“With more than one-quarter of the U.S. population living with a disability, the need for solutions that endure is clear. PCSIx reflects our commitment to strengthening the systems that support employment and opportunity, using innovation to expand our mission over the long term.”
Tony Cucolo, President and CEO, PCSI
“PCSIx embodies the spirit of inclusive innovation. By intercepting barriers, harnessing untapped potential and rapidly transforming insight into impact, PCSIx identifies and scales solutions that strengthen how PCSI delivers on its mission.”
Lamarque Polvado, Executive Director, PCSIx
“For change to work at scale, it has to be grounded in how people actually behave. As part of PCSIx, Feedback is a company that analyzes unprompted human behavior across digital environments, generating insights that help organizations shape solutions around real needs and strengthen workforce engagement, service delivery, and community impact.”
Dean Browell, Chief Behavioral Officer, Feedback
