Software from tech startup Leto helps caseworkers connect clients with community resources

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Professionals at federally qualified health centers, mental health centers, social service agencies, hospitals, institutes of higher education and churches can more efficiently connect clients with community resources using software that functions as a highly customizable electronic version of a social worker’s three-ring binder.

Leto Tech PBC, an Indiana startup and public benefit corporation (PBC), has launched the software system. It enables users to create a customized digital binder that can be searched several ways, including screening questions and key words, searching by name or location, and just scrolling. Users can share resource referrals with clients in a professional document or secure text.

Team member Nicole Adams said, “It provides automated processes to move through enrolling and referring a client to local social services. It can exist as a stand-alone web application or be embedded into electronic health records or student information systems.”

Leto’s system was developed from software created at Purdue University by Adams, associate research professor at the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering; Nan Kong, professor at the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and member of the Regenstrief Center; and Baijian Yang, associate dean for research and professor in the School of Applied and Creative Computing within Purdue Polytechnic Institute.

Adams, Kong and Yang disclosed the software to the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), which has registered a copyright on it. Leto subsequently received an exclusive license from OTC to develop and commercialize the software.

Developing the software, launching the PBC

The software was initially developed for a federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) competition in 2023. It placed second in a field of 134 competitors, demonstrating that it improves care coordination among health centers and social service organizations — a key goal in the HRSA’s objective to improve health nationwide.

The support and feedback from the competition provided the initial drive to move the concept forward. After hundreds of hours of conversations with caseworkers, the software was developed with the support of the Regenstrief Center. It was validated by health care organizations around central Indiana.

In January 2025, Adams partnered with Mike Shepard to start Leto with the mission to improve health care through better resource and relationship management.

Leto’s focus is on helping people; so, it was incorporated as a PBC, which is a for-profit entity that is not driven by profits. While a PBC is not a new concept, its use has expanded over the past several years, and there are now over 10,000 PBCs in the United States.

“We want to make a positive impact on society,” Adams said. “We are here to support the people and organizations that help people live better lives. Many of these organizations are underfunded, and we don’t want a high price tag to get in their way of using our product.”

Why community resources matter

Access to community resources may strongly impact a person’s health. Adams said it is commonly accepted that 20% of health is driven by health care and 80% is driven by the social drivers of health.

“This 80% represents the environment someone lives in and the resources they have, including income, shelter, food, transportation, education and health behaviors,” she said. “For example, it is very difficult to manage your diabetes through diet if you don’t have access to nutritious food.”

About Leto Tech PBC

Leto Tech PBC is a public benefit corporation that offers a technology platform to assist health clinics and schools to support people in need, focusing on three core areas: screening, connection and analysis. To enhance screening, Leto replaces a paper-based system with a digital platform that allows them to quickly screen clients and then match an organization’s resources to a client’s needs. For connection, the platform enables users to develop a deeper relationship with clients by managing engagement through reminders and notes. Finally, for analysis, Leto integrates resource management with client data — including integrations with EMR/EHR systems and 211 services — to help organizations understand what services are working, measure the impact of their resources, and ultimately improve client outcomes such as health metrics or student success. For more information, contact Leto at info@letohq.com.

About Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization

The Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization operates one of the most comprehensive technology transfer programs among leading research universities in the U.S. Services provided by this office support the economic development initiatives of Purdue University and benefit the university’s academic activities through commercializing, licensing and protecting Purdue intellectual property. In fiscal year 2025, the office reported 161 deals executed with 269 technologies licensed, 479 invention disclosures received, and 267 U.S. and international patents received. The office is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation, a private, nonprofit foundation created to advance the mission of Purdue University. Contact otcip@prf.org for more information.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 57,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.