A Tech Startup that Uses Your Eyes as a Window into Your Mind
As more than 4,000 registered teams of high school students prepare their midterm reports and begin placing trades on the stock market simulator in our 2023-2024 Wharton Global High School Investment Competition, many have their eyes on the prize – being named global champions during our competition Grand Finale in April 2024.
Last year’s first-place winning team, DMV’s Finest, worked hard to craft a unique investment strategy and conduct deep analysis on their way to the top. Little did most of us know that one DMV team member was also striving to balance his time between investing greatness and entrepreneurial excellence. That student, Sai Mattapalli, is our guest on this month’s episode of Future of the Business World.
Sai and his classmate Rohan Kalahasty, both seniors at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, U.S., are the founders of Vytal, a technology startup that uses artificial intelligence to detect neurodegenerative disease. Simply put, it’s an app on your phone or computer that tracks your eye movements to help assess brain health. As reported in a September 2023 Forbes magazine article, their business is valued at $12.5 million and is currently in the beta-testing phase, during which real users test the product to detect any bugs or issues before it is released.
Wharton Global Youth caught up with Sai to find out more about his Vytal journey. Be sure to click on the arrow above to listen to our conversation!
An edited version of our conversation appears below.
Wharton Global Youth Program: Hello and welcome to Future of the Business World, the podcast featuring innovative youth with big ideas and even bigger ambitions. I’m Diana Drake with the Wharton Global Youth Program at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. At Global Youth, we have the honor of working with high school students who are aspiring to be contributors to and leaders in all areas of the business world.
We just launched our latest investment competition with more than 4,000 registered student teams from 79 countries, all busy strategizing and analyzing in hopes of reaching the top 50 teams in a few months. Today’s guest, Sai Mattapalli, knows what that feels like. His team, DMVs Finest from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia, U.S., attained Top 10 status in our investment competition two years in a row. And last year, they won the ultimate prize as Global Champions.
Sai, congratulations on that victory, and welcome to Future of the Business World.
Sai Mattapalli: Thank you for having me.
Wharton Global Youth: While it’s true you love investing, today we’re here to talk about your love of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). It’s not every day I can say this about a 17-year-old. But I happened to be reading Forbes magazine last month and learned about the $12.5 million AI business that you started this past summer with your friend and classmate, Rohan.
Your startup Vytal uses AI to help doctors detect cognitive decline in older adults. Your tagline is: Evaluate Your Brain Health with Your Eyes. Please tell us how it works?
Sai: Of course. The fundamental aspect of Vytal is [that] you’re essentially using your eyes as a window into your mind. And the way we are doing this is with eye tracking. For decades, there has been research linking eye movement changes to brain health. However, currently, if a user wants to use their eye tracking or eye movements as a proxy for their brain health, they have to purchase these eye-tracking headsets that can cost upwards of thousands of dollars. So, what we’ve done at Vytal is build a way for people to run through gaze-tracking tests and receive output on their brain health with just their laptop, which has been our main unique value proposition.
Wharton Global Youth: Interesting. And it is about early detection, right? Why is that important for neurological disease?
Sai: Neurological disease is largely a progressive one — as each month goes by, the symptoms can get worse. It also gets a lot harder to come out of or even to treat. I think that’s why early detection is a large factor when it comes to treating these neurodegenerative diseases. So that’s why screening tools like Vytal can play a large role in this, because based on identifying signs of cognitive decline early on, doctors are able to make faster treatments. This can be extremely valuable. There’s recently a case study, I think from the Mayo Clinic, where they’ve shown that early diagnosis can increase the amount of time that a person is able to survive with a neurodegenerative disease by almost three times. So, it can be extremely beneficial.
Wharton Global Youth: How did you and Rohan join forces as teenagers and begin developing this technology? Had you explored the field of neuroscience before? And were you guys interested in entrepreneurship?
Sai: Rohan and I first met in our ninth-grade computer science class, where we both were tasked to work together to build Connect Four using Python. Through this project, we learned that No. 1, we worked really well together. And No. 2, we had the same passion and creativity for computer science. Even with a product as simple as Connect Four, we kept trying to find innovative ways to approach the problem. And even after this experience, we coincidentally took similar paths. We both pursued neuroscience research at universities like Harvard and Georgetown. And we both were able to publish our own research in the fields of machine learning.
We came together in the middle of 10th grade, after all these experiences had concluded, and we realized that a lot of the research we had done had gone to waste. Of course, we were able to improve our own learning experience and produce research that could help the world. But the key thing there is could help the world. Because at the end of the day, a lot of these papers that we were able to publish and the research that we were able to conduct all stopped at the publication stage, never to be used in the real world. That’s when we decided after doing some more research that the only way we can get our product and our research to be used in the real world was through the lens of entrepreneurship. That’s what took us into getting to startups and founding Vytal.
Wharton Global Youth: I want to talk a little bit about how far you’ve come. You’ve raised seed capital from investors, and your startup now is valued at $12.5 million, which I said. I also read that you specifically pitched investors in India taking advantage of growth in international startup funding. There’s a lot to unpack here business-wise. What did you learn about creating a powerful pitch? And can you talk about the process of raising seed capital to help your venture grow?
Sai: I’d say at the start, when we decided to approach venture capital and investors, the first issue that we ran into was [that] a lot of startups tend to pitch prior to building their products, which of course makes sense because a lot of products need capital to first be built. But the beauty of what we’re doing at Vytal is that we were able to build our beta application before we even raised a single dollar. A lot of the money that we needed came at the post-production, the stage where we had to conduct clinical trials, patenting, getting lawyers, etc. I think that’s what really drove our pitch forward is having a finished product. Because even as high schoolers, there’s a lot of skepticism around our ability to create the product that we’re pitching. So having the product be done when we were in that conference room with our investors helped tremendously.
In terms of pitching overseas, around the time we were raising funds this summer, there was a drought in the start-up funding space in the U.S., specifically with health care. After a large boom, when ChatGPT and all these generative AI startups were coming out, a lot of venture capital [firms] exhausted their funds. So they weren’t really keen on investing in other long-term tech startups. That’s when we realized we had to pivot to an international approach. In countries like India, for example, startup culture is at its peak. Indians are just catching onto what it means to build a startup, and more people are willing to leave their comfortable corporate jobs for a startup. Using our connections that we have overseas with our grandparents, we were able to get spots to pitch at India Startup Fest [in Bengaluru, India]. Pitching India Startup Fest was huge for us, because there were a lot of UK investors present as well at the Startup Fest. Presenting at the Startup Fest, we were able to raise about $750,000 of our total $1.3 million that we raised for our seed round. Once you get your initial investors, in any startup, it’s more of a smoother road going on from there, because a lot of trust is added to your startup. Following that, we took the tried-and-true approach of just cold emailing as many VCs as we could and reaching out to investors.
The way we approach that from a pitch perspective is we show them value in their own lives. We made sure our pitches weren’t just talking about the elderly population as a whole. We made sure to direct our pitches toward them. Almost everyone can relate to worrying about the health of their parents, their grandparents, the older people in their family. By directing this pitch toward how we could add value to their lives, we think was very beneficial to raising the money that we did raise.
Wharton Global Youth: You seem very savvy about business and know a lot already. How are you so familiar with the nuances of the business world?
Sai: A big thing for me has been Y Combinator Startup School, which is a completely free seven-week program where Y Combinator, which is one of the most reputable startup accelerators, hosts a program where any founder can pretty much join this program, attend Zoom sessions, [and] talk with other entrepreneurs in the space. This is definitely a very good initial experience for both Rohan and I, which we did the summer before we really took Vytal off the ground.
After that, it’s primarily been talking to as many entrepreneurs as we can. We’ve talked to almost 200 different entrepreneurs in the tech space throughout the last four or five months. That’s where we’ve been able to learn a lot of things that we did about raising money, investing, growing a product, because no book or no online course can really replicate what talking to other entrepreneurs in the space can. That being said, there are some technicalities that can be learned and should be learned online, which is what Y Combinator Startup School, for example, did and I think even a lot of the programs at Wharton Global Youth. They are able to provide more of the technical knowledge behind what it means to be an entrepreneur. And then the more personal element that you can only learn through experience, you’re able to get from other entrepreneurs.
“We realize that it’s not just about the money that comes with entrepreneurship…it’s about getting research out there in the world that truly has an impact on people’s lives.” –Sai Mattapalli, Vytal Co-founder
Wharton Global Youth: It sounds like you got a true crash course in entrepreneurship. You’ve said that doctors are the biggest skeptics of AI on the planet. Why is this? And how are you convincing the doubters of the value of your technology?
Sai: Skepticism around AI in the health-care field largely comes from the value that doctors place on their work. Understandably so, people who have gone through decades of education to do what they’re able to do and really understand the gravity behind the lives that are at stake with their work. It’s definitely understandable from even a layman’s perspective about why doctors may be so skeptical of this technology that might replace their job. I think it’s not necessarily about reducing their skepticism. It’s more so working in alignment with it. Early on with Vytal, we were prioritizing full diagnostics. We were a little bit in over our heads. Our plan was that when you loaded the app to when you left the app, you would be able to know for certain whether or not you had a neurodegenerative disease. That was our initial plan when we were just mocking up the app.
But then we realized after talking to some of our advisors in the health-care space, and other doctors in general, that this was very ambitious, not just from a technical perspective, but also from an adoption perspective. Even from a consumer perspective, a lot of people are not comfortable with downloading an app off the App Store and trusting it with their medical information or trusting it to give an accurate medical diagnosis. So, we pivoted our technology to be more analogous to something like a blood-pressure machine, where all it’s doing is outputting metrics that can then be linked to your cardiac health, but the doctor’s input is still extremely valuable there. So even with Vytal, we’re hoping that there’s going to be a B-to-B element, where doctors are still heavily involved in what we’re proposing and recommending to patients that end up using our application.
Wharton Global Youth: You and Rohan are legit tech entrepreneurs at this point. And you’re still in high school. How are you balancing the demands of beta testing, capital raising and all of it that you’ve been talking about with being a student? Are you enjoying your senior year?
Sai: To be honest, we definitely had to take a lot of shortcuts in high school to balance the work that we do at Vytal. Early on in 10th grade, we both had an interesting conversation where we realized: how much are we willing to sacrifice for Vytal? Are we willing to sacrifice our grades? Sacrifice sleep? How far are we willing to go in order to make Vytal a success? And we found that we both pretty much had the same motivation behind Vytal. We both were willing to sacrifice that one piece of calculus homework to take an investor call or sacrifice those two hours of sleep to finish up beta testing with one user. So after first setting these boundaries between the two of us where we were both on the same page about how much work we were willing to put in, it got easier with time.
In 10th grade it was really hard for us, because we had to skip school a lot to balance the work that we were doing at Vytal, and especially with investor pressure. A lot of these investors come in with the idea that you’re going to work on your startup full-time. So having to navigate the demands that they’ve set for us on a week-to-week basis, while also obviously trying to make sure that we’re still maintaining excellence academically, and making sure that we’re still taking care of our learning was hard in 10th grade. But as we moved into 11th grade, we built a better structure for how we manage our time. And especially now in senior year, we’ve been able to find time to still go to homecoming games, still go to football games every week, set up plans to hang out with our friends from high school. Just to make sure all those connections are still strong as we go into college. It’s a time situation. So to anyone listening who may be worried about going into entrepreneurship as a student in high school, I would say you have to trust the process and hope that over time you sort of grow accustomed to it.
Wharton Global Youth: What motivates you to get this technology to market? Is it money? Or is it something else?
Sai: I’d say any entrepreneur obviously has incentive to make money. That’s what it means to be an entrepreneur. But I think one of my favorite quotes that we heard from another health-tech entrepreneur was that, if you’re in the entrepreneurship space for money, health care is probably the worst space you can be in. If you’re trying to make money in health care, it takes almost three-to-five years just to get your product to the market. And then after that, it can take almost a decade to get people to trust your technology and adopt it at a large enough scale.
That has really resonated with Rohan and I, because we realize that it’s not just about the money that comes with entrepreneurship. Like I said at the start, it’s about getting research out there in the world that truly has an impact on people’s lives. Recently, we’ve been able to partner with ALS India, where we’re able to have 600 people with ALS use Vytal’s technology, with even people as young as 23 years old being a part of the program. [We hope to see] within the next few years how well Vytal is able to track and monitor their progression of ALS. [It’s informative] just having conversations with even two or three of them and having them tell us how grateful they are for technology like ours that’s able to comfort them and even defog the mysteries that can be surrounding years of degenerative disease. Even if you know you have Alzheimer’s, it’s hard to tell how worse it is getting each month, or each year. When should you start worrying more? That’s what we’ve been able to provide — a tangible way for them to assess how their brain health is changing. That has been the most rewarding part of being an entrepreneur for myself and Rohan. That’s what really motivates us to put this into the market. We want as many people as possible in the world to have their hands on our technology.
Wharton Global Youth: How has your experience with the Wharton Global High School Investment Competition informed your journey?
Sai: From a financial perspective, it is slightly different in the way we approached the Wharton investment competition and the way we obviously approach startup funding. I think the biggest way that the Wharton Investment Competition experience has helped has been through communication and pitching. Getting that experience standing in front of a table of four-to-five judges and having to present a solution is very similar to how start-up pitching works. Most VCs (Venture Capital Firms) have about four-to-five members of their investment team attend the pitch. And it’s structured in a very similar way to the Wharton Investment Competition, where you’re called up with the slide show, you’re given a timeframe to pitch and then you go through a rigorous Q&A following the pitch. That experience and even having to think on your feet in the Q&A round specifically, has really helped me with pitching Vytal.
Wharton Global Youth: I want to know your thoughts about the future of AI? Should we be afraid of losing control? We hear a lot of this talk.
Sai: Especially with ChatGPT’s release and a lot of AI advancements having been made in such a short amount of time, in the past few months there’s been a lot of skepticism surrounding it. One thing I would say is that it’s important for people to realize that any time throughout history [when] there has been a new technology that has come about, there have been a lot of skeptics. That’s the nature of technology adoption. [While] it might be hard for me to give a definitive answer on whether or not I think AI might be destructive in the future, I would say it’s important for people, especially people who are skeptical of AI, to take a step back and realize that even when computers were first built, or even when the first electric car was built — with Tesla’s autopilot, for example — there were a lot of people who were concerned that this could be the downfall of humanity. I would say it’s important for people to take a step back, look at it with a more objective lens, before getting influenced by the media and the Twitter posts that they read.
Wharton Global Youth: What is next for Vytal and what’s next for you?
Sai: In terms of Vytal, we currently have our beta application out right now, which we’ve been sending out on a user-to-user basis. On our website, we do have a place for people to sign up for our waitlist, and we pretty much get back to them within a month or two at maximum. Right now, it’s been full beta testing to make sure that we’re accounting for as wide a variety of tests as possible. A big thing in health care that we’ve noticed, at least a disparity in testing, has been factoring in race and gender. So that’s something we’ve been working really hard on with Vytal is making sure that we have an equitable distribution of who we’re testing our application with. There are definitely a lot of changes that we’ve already noticed with eye movements from even a male to a female, or even different races. So, we think that’s something that we’re really going to try and make sure we have a solid understanding of throughout our beta-testing process.
In terms of myself personally, and I’d say this probably relates to Rohan as well, we both are still planning to apply to college this year. A lot of our investors have asked us why we still think it’s necessary to pursue an education in tech or entrepreneurship or neuroscience after seeing the success we’ve already been able to reach with Vytal. A really important part for us has been the community that we’re surrounded by. Going to Thomas Jefferson High School, which is one of the top high schools in the country, has been really inspiring for us because we’re always sitting with our classmates and people around us that are just as motivated and just as driven toward their future. Even from a college perspective, the benefit of going to a top institution like the University of Pennsylvania, for example, would be being surrounded by people who will inspire you to continue working and continue moving, even when you feel like nothing is going right for you.
Wharton Global Youth: All right, well, let’s wrap up with our lightning round. Try to answer these questions as quickly as you can.
What would you be caught binge-watching at midnight?
Sai: The TV show Suits.
Wharton Global Youth: The next thing you hope to learn that you don’t already know?
Sai: How to juggle.
Wharton Global Youth: Something about you that would surprise us?
Sai: Contrary to what Twitter may believe, Rohan and I do find time to shower twice a day, even as tech entrepreneurs.
Wharton Global Youth: A podcast, book, movie or meme that recently inspired you?
Sai: Lex Friedman’s recent podcast with Mark Zuckerberg, which took place completely in the metaverse, was really interesting for us to see, because it’s been the first direct view of the metaverse that we’ve seen.
Wharton Global Youth: The businessperson you would most like to take to lunch and why?
Sai: Nick D’Aloisio. He was a 17-year-old who sold his startup to Yahoo! for $30 million back in 2013.
Wharton Global Youth: Excellent. Sai, I wish you luck with Vytal. Thank you for joining us on Future of the Business World.
Conversation Starters
What is Vytal and how is it adding value and something different to the market?
Sai and Rohan have decided to pursue higher education after high school, even though their startup could prove successful. Would you make the same choice? Or would you go directly into entrepreneurship and forgo college? Why or why not?
In what ways have the Vytal co-founders taken a collaborative approach to developing their technology? How are they working with existing resources, rather than disrupting and displacing them?
Hero Image Credit: Andriyko Podilnyk
The power of youth, creativity, and dedication is an unmatchable force to the strain of skepticism and the fear of the unknown. In the present moment, we cannot answer all our pressing questions about AI and its future legacy. We cannot predict– with utmost certainty— the extent to which AI will revolutionize life as we know it. Nor can we guarantee that this impact will be positive and desirable in all situations. As Sai thoughtfully points out, the development of new technologies has historically been met with varying degrees of criticism and doom-stricken predictions; however, many such technologies have proven themselves otherwise when given a chance. In the spirit of improving the quality of life on Earth for millions, I believe this uncertainty about the future is a necessary risk. Trusting AI and its pioneers means having more start-ups, like Vytal, with the potential to stimulate essential fields, not limited to health care. Funding more AI-based research can present new horizons for human exploration, even if they might not initially seem pleasant. For example, global discussions about privacy protection, digital security, employment, and integrity will not be easy; however, they are necessary to build a better future. Why step back from a moment of global learning and exploration out of the fear that life will never be the same? I admit that I too have shared in the skepticism of AI (largely because a global discussion of AI’s future seems an incredible task amidst other pressing world issues), so I thank entrepreneurs like Sai and Rohan for demonstrating the necessity of positivity and perseverance in everyday life. With such creativity and inspiration, life cannot and should not remain the same. It is only right that humanity embrace the thriving spirit of innovation as a team represented by the voices of diverse individuals, the thoughts of educated minds, and the feelings of millions of ambitious hearts.
I am eternally grateful to Sai, Rohan, and especially Ina’s touching comment. For opening my mind and taking off the glasses with which I used to observe AI, replacing them with new, brighter, and hopeful ones. This comment by Ina was one of the most memorable ones that I have read, one that awakened a positive feeling regarding AI that I had never experienced before, perhaps because falling unconsciously into the thinking that AI is the bad agent, perhaps bias that were supported by my family’s beliefs, yet it was my mind that at some point regarded then as reasonable. This comment switched my mindset in the very instant that I began reading it, beginning with the clever statement, that youth a creativity will be the only ones to put a solution to this current of radical skepticism regarding AI. I have to agree, with Ina, that we could never predict the future performance of AI, nor its benefits or downsides. But the only way to know is by trying, and giving more trust in AI and its pioneers so that we can see the real, and I dare to say optimistic ways, in which AI could benefit us. It is only by letting go of negative priming and switching the glasses with which we observe life, thanks to younger generations with fresh ideas and less cynicism, that we could be encouraged to see how AI could evolve, and how it could paradoxically, benefit us, indeed, like Ina said, not only in the fields of healthcare, which is the example of Sai and Rohan, but in many other fields, for example of economy, education, and even in manufacturing within businesses. I couldn’t be any more in sync and in awen, by Ina’s clever question, of why should we step back from an opportunity of global learning, all because of our fear of change. As it is a global problem, it is also something we need to address individually. Each of us is in charge of changing our mindset and sharing our insights with friends, professors, and families. We are all in charge of pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones and experiencing change, which is the only thing constant in life. With this comment, I realized that we all have a social responsibility to change our mindset and give our trust to new emerging ideas that will improve our quality of life and that of our families and friends. We are all responsible, for getting uncomfortable and discussing and debating the imperative changes in AI and how they could affect us, we are all responsible for helping AI evolve on the right path, even if it means giving up control. It is our responsibility, to educate our minds, inspire ourselves to cultivate ambitious hearts, and adopt diversity and change as an innate part of our beings.
Hello Ina,
Thank you for your insightful comment. Your perspective on how we, as humans, combat the skepticism surrounding the rise of AI and its implications resonated with me. I agree with your point that throughout history, while new technologies have more than often been feared or criticized, they have also often led to life-changing advancements – although both good and bad – in society. For example, the Industrial Revolution is an example that came to mind when thinking about both positive and negative effects on society. It did drive many out of work but also led to an era of extreme economic growth and (later) improved quality of life.
You also emphasize the importance of accepting the uncertainty to combat the fear of the unknown. Similarly to you, I feel that young entrepreneurs like Sai and Rohan are huge inspirations and also the necessary pioneers to lead humanity into new growth. Such start-ups are essential for innovation and for addressing problems faced by society.
I understand that your comment is in response to this article, which specifically focuses on Vytal and AI. However, I think that your ideas can be expanded out of the limits of AI. The fear of the unknown is present in almost every field, and crossing those boundaries with risk is inevitable if humanity is to progress.
Your comment is an accurate reflection of what society needs to do – whether it be supporting start-ups, encouraging young pioneers, or taking risks on new technologies – to thrive.
Hey Inna,
I would first like to appreciate your thoughtful comment on this article. I must say that I was captured by your first few words and am already intrigued to read more.
I agree with your perspective on the power of youth, creativity, and dedication. AI and other emerging technologies indeed bring a mix of excitement but also uncertainty. The historical context you provided highlights that skepticism has always accompanied technological advancements. It reminds me of Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt, which was written during the 1950s when technology barely existed. He wrote about his worries about technology advancing 100 years later (2053). Many of his predictions are even true today as we’ve seen with startups like Vytal, these innovations hold the potential to revolutionize industries, especially health care, by offering new solutions for early detection of diseases.
The example of Vytal’s journey, from high school projects to a business valued at $12.5 million, shows the impact that dedication and creative thinking can have and that everyone can do amazing things. It’s important to support these types of journeys because they shape significant advancements and global improvements. The challenges related to privacy protection, digital security, and ethical considerations are daunting, but that’s the risk and sacrifice to advancing technology and society.
Embracing this uncertainty and working together towards solutions can lead to a better future. It’s not about fearing change but acknowledging it for the good. Like you, I believe that the spirit of innovation is crucial. We should celebrate and support young entrepreneurs like Sai and Rohan. They are a great example to demonstrate that we can tackle these challenges head-on with the right mindset and perseverance and create impactful technologies that benefit society.
Hello Ina,
I felt eager to respond to your comment, especially since my eye caught onto some of the first few words you used: “youth, creativity, and dedication.” These are indeed the necessities of our society that fuel our understanding of technology and drive innovation. I wholeheartedly agree with your perspective that these qualities are powerful forces in overcoming skepticism and pushing boundaries. The story of Sai and Rohan with Vytal is a perfect example, showcasing how young, creative, and dedicated minds can contribute significantly to solving complex problems in healthcare and beyond.
After reading your assertion, I would like to offer a slightly alternate perspective regarding your view that we must accept “necessary risks” surrounding AI in the name of progress. While it’s true that new technologies have historically faced criticism, AI presents unprecedented challenges and potential risks that we cannot afford to downplay. Unlike previous technological advancements, AI has the power to make decisions that could profoundly impact human lives, such as healthcare diagnoses offered by Vytal.
Your suggestion about how we as a society should encourage innovation is one that I cannot deny. However, it made me think about how instead of embracing uncertainty, we should use a more measured approach. More specifically, we should implement robust regulatory frameworks and ethical guidelines to ensure AI development proceeds responsibly. I believe that the progression of AI isn’t about fear or holding back progress; it’s about ensuring that as we advance, we do so in a way that protects human values, rights, and safety. Above all, it can protect human lives.
Your closing thoughts resonated deeply with me. The idea that “life cannot and should not remain the same” encapsulates the essence of human progress and our constant striving for improvement. I particularly appreciate your vision of humanity embracing innovation as a united front, promoting an inclusive approach. It reminds us that innovation isn’t just about technology; it’s about people from all walks of life coming together to shape our collective future. By harnessing this diversity of perspectives, we can ensure that our technological advancements truly serve the needs and aspirations of all humanity, not just a select few.
To add to your thinking, I think it is crucial to foster a global dialogue that includes not just technologists and entrepreneurs, but also ethicists, policymakers, and representatives from various sectors of society. This way, we can work towards harnessing the benefits of AI while mitigating its risks, creating a future where technological progress and human welfare advance hand in hand.
Ina, thank you for your valuable insights to this conversation of AI and its uses for healthcare and beyond. I am excited to see how our society embraces the development of AI, and whether they are willing to take the risks you encourage. I hope they do, for it is worthwhile to explore the unknown.
Hello Ina,
Your perspective and proposition on the rise of AI and its associations is very insightful. Your interesting ideas draw comparisons between revolutionary instances like skepticism, risk, and doom-stricken predictions about technology. The necessity of positivity and perseverance you thank Sai and Rohan for, where we need in everyday life to accept technology rather than refute, provides a new prescription of the way we can view the rise of AI.
However, I’d like to offer a somewhat different viewpoint on your proclamation about the innovation in the AI era through educated minds. You suggest that human capital will be able to reshape humanity with creativity, like trusting Vytal or AI and Its pioneers to stimulate essential fields. While creativity and innovation will undoubtedly play a crucial role in moving towards the future within the AI age, I think it is respectable to point out the limitations of this aspect.
Firstly, this creates animosity on a level of resourcefulness and adaptation which might not be accessible. Not everyone has a stance on equality to education or resources needed to use these skills or to apply innovation creatively. Secondly, it conceivably undervalues the roles and tributes of people who lie outside of this great barrier of creative domains. We need to ensure that we build a future where current workplaces can respect and value an extensive range of skills and talents, not just chosen ones that are most deemed to comply with the AI age.
Your point about funding more AI-based research which can present new horizons for human exploration is quite evocative. As AI technologies began to get funded further and become more efficient and competent, corporations or startup businesses like Sai and Rohan; could leverage these technologies to improve efficiencies within their operations, amplify product quality, and significantly reduce costs, which can positively impact humans for the greater good. In addition, businesses and industries could emanate around AI and create pristine job opportunities. Conversely, the funding and adoption of AI could disrupt markets, causing job displacements and potentially increase income inequality in an already asymmetrical society, similarly if jobs that AI technology creates which requires skills that the already existing workplace does not possess, could be unfavorable to others. In an economy that is already or increasingly becoming knowledge-based, the wealth that AI generates for an already handful of humans could intensify wealth inequality. Therefore, before you change your mind of the skepticism of AI; businesses, corporations, and even us humans need to carefully watch these potential ultimatums.
You mention risks, in the spirit of improving the quality of life on Earth for millions which creates an interesting world to the conversation. Of course, we must consider AI globally, not just locally or specific industries in the economy. But we have to notice the potential “risks” on citizens, economy, and industries of the world because of the implications of AI.
In the quickening, strengthening, future of AI, entrepreneurs like Sai and Rohan will be crucial in creating a better society that AI and humans work perfectly and proactively. However society needs the world to join the conversations, to identify challenges, risks, and impacts that could possibly be detrimental due to AI.
Ina thank you, for the terrific contribution and insight into this discussion, as we and the whole world take a stance on the fast pace, yet exciting future that AI can devise.
Thank you, Diana Drake, for the enlightening article on Sai Mattapalli’s tech startup. This interview by Wharton Global Youth studies the motives, process, and outcomes of Sai Mattapalli and Rohan Kalahasty’s groundbreaking initiative for using artificial intelligence to analyze brain health. What’s especially striking is that both entrepreneurs were only in tenth grade when they launched this multimillion-dollar enterprise.
In today’s widening focus on artificial intelligence technology, innovations like Vytal are crucial for transforming the way we monitor brain health. In my opinion, Vytal represents an extremely innovative approach to this field. I find it remarkable that a teenager designed such a creative idea, although the subsequent profit does not surprise me. As someone very invested in artificial intelligence — currently interning at an AI-centric company and conducting independent research on the impacts of artificial intelligence — I admire how these high schoolers were able to understand and build off of such a complex topic. Not only did both of these high schoolers initially conduct research on machine learning, but they wanted to take their findings even further than publication. They wanted to show that their research is valuable and will change the world.
Another highlight of this podcast is Mattapalli’s acknowledgements of his hardships while starting Vytal in high school. He openly shares how difficult balancing school and his startup are, providing instances where he prioritized meetings over classes. Hearing these struggles only expanded my admiration for his remarkable achievements. His ability to navigate these hurdles while expanding his initiative is truly inspiring.
While I enjoyed all of Mattapalli’s insightful responses throughout the interview, my favorite segment was the lightning round of questions. Despite Mattapalli’s earlier insights, the speed round is particularly impactful: it reveals Mattapalli’s relatability as just another 17-year-old. He lists his favorite TV show, his interest in juggling, and even his showering schedule. These insights into his personal life outside of running a multimillion-dollar company left a lasting impression on me, especially as a teenage reader. They underscore the message that with the same mindset and word ethic as Mattapalli and his partner, anyone can reach their goals.
I hold great admiration for Vytal and its founders, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for these promising young entrepreneurs.
Sai Mattapalli’s journey with Vytal demonstrates the potential of technology to revolutionize healthcare. Sai’s story, from collaborating with Rohan on a school comp sci project, to raising $750,000 at a startup festival, highlights the intersection of youthful ambition and cutting edge technology. It is very inspiring to see how young entrepreneurs like Sai and Rohan are tackling significant health issues through modern technology, and proving that age is nothing but a number for financial success.
I am in love with the Vytal product because it is something that will be used to help save so many people from cognitive deficits/impairments. Nowadays, most startups are all in the artificial intelligence industry, and although those are great, Vytal seems to be one of the few startups that uses modern technology in a way that directly addresses critical health issues.
To answer one of the conversation starters, I think the decision where Sai and Rohan decide to pursue college education makes perfect sense. College provides a strong foundation of knowledge, networking opportunities, and essential skills that can help for long term success. Also, having a degree opens up many different career options just in case Sai or Rohan has a change of plans for their future. Of course there is always an option to drop out of college, however if you pass up on college, it will be very difficult to re-enroll into one after making the decision of forgoing. Although I do understand that going directly to entrepreneurship does seem like a smart idea because Sai and Rohan can work full time on their already-large business venture, balancing out both a successful startup worth millions and a higher education seems like the more strategic and logical decision since there isn’t much risk being taken.
To wrap things up, From a school project with Rohan, to a business valued at $12.5M, Sai Mattapalli’s story is inspiring as he tackles world breaking health issues for older adults, setting apart Vytal, from other typical AI and tech startups. I root for Sai and Rohan and wish them nothing but the best!
The title of the article “A Tech Startup that Uses Your Eyes as a Window into Your Mind” grasped my attention as fast as it took me to read it.
Reading about Vytal and the way Sai Mattapalli and his classmate Rohan Kalahasty found a way to use AI to detect neurodegenerative diseases really shocked me because this sort of use of AI is exactly what reminds us of its potential to be innovative and promising.
It’s incredible to see high school students developing technology that not only leverages advanced eye-tracking software but also has the potential to make a significant impact on early diagnosis and treatment in the healthcare field.
The fact that Vytal can offer insights into brain health using just a smartphone or computer is a testament to how far technology has come and how it can be harnessed for good.
To enhance Vytal’s capabilities, I would have several ideas and suggestions. Expanding Vytal’s use by integrating its software into wearable devices such as smart glasses allows the app to continuously monitor eye movements in real time, which would result in more accurate and complete data.
Taking it a step further, Vytal could add a personalized monitoring feature that includes daily, weekly and monthly reports on subtle changes or significant deviations that may require immediate medical attention. Users would be alerted in time and it would minimize the risk of a medical emergency going unchecked.
Moreover, implementing advanced machine learning algorithms that not only track eye movement but also make use of other non-invasive metrics such as voice analysis, facial expressions or hand tremors could make the app more impactful and offer a more comprehensive assessment of the disease. This could serve as a huge step in identifying neurodegenerative disorders that manifest as speech or voice dysfunctions, e.g. Parkinson’s disease.
Lastly, an app like Vytal has the potential to be more than just a detection app for neurodegenerative diseases. It could serve as a user education, awareness and community support platform. Offering an area within the app where users can get educated on neurodegenerative diseases would raise awareness and make Vytal an all-inclusive package for people with neurodegenerative diseases. A community support feature including lifestyle tips and exercises that may help struggling patients could connect users and caregivers for shared experiences and advice.
By implementing these features, Vytal has the potential to become an even more powerful tool for early detection and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases as it would offer significant value to both users and healthcare professionals.
Sai and Rohan are developing an AI powered technology to detect brain problems through eye tracking. This technology will enable users to detect problems in their health at a more affordable price, making this accessible to more people and increasing the health of the whole population. I see tremendous potential in eye-tracking technology as many health-related measures can be determined through the eyes.
For example, eye-tracking technology can be used to assess basic eye-health like near or far sightedness. Sai and Rohan could create a program to assess eyesight and use AI technology to generate results. First, participants can be asked to read font from the screen at different distances. Additionally, AI features can decipher pupal dilation and sensitivity to light. Eye tracking technology can work to assess eyesight and be a crucial supporting technology for eye doctors.
While individuals can go to an eye doctor to screen their health, it’s not the best option for everyone. It is difficult to find available appointments and the cost of seeing doctors is soaring. According to Vision Monday, 38% of people haven’t gone to the eye doctor in 2 years and eye doctor appointments are the 4th most difficult appointments to get. With advanced eye-tracking technology, people can also check their eyes in the comfort of their own homes at a lower cost.
Eye tracking technology to assess eye health can help doctors without threatening their jobs. This technology can help diagnose patients and urge them to see an eye doctor, but it cannot prescribe treatment options. People with eye problems will still have to visit an eye doctor to get treatment. On the other hand, individuals with good eyesight don’t need to make a trip to the eye doctor, which saves time for doctors and enables them to focus on patients in need of treatment.
All in all, there is a lot of potential in eye-tracking backed by AI technology. On top of detecting brain problems, another related innovation can provide simple diagnosis for eyesight problems. People can receive basic information on their eye health and determine if they need to see an eye doctor. AI eye-tracking technology can change the medical field- it provides early detection for conditions in a more convenient and more affordable way.
Sai and Rohan are developing an AI powered technology to detect brain problems through eye tracking. This technology will enable users to detect problems in their health at a more affordable price, increasing the scope of accessability greatly.
For example, eye-tracking technology can be used to assess basic eye-health, such as near or far sightedness. Sai and Rohan could create a program to assess eyesight, pupil dilation, and light sensitivity, using AI technology to generate results. The results from AI would be more accurate than modern-day optic technology.
While individuals can go to an eye doctor to screen their health, it’s not the easiest option for everyone, with sparse availability and the ever-skyrocketing cost of medical aid. According to Vision Monday, 38% of people haven’t gone to the eye doctor in 2 years! With advanced eye-tracking technology, patients can check their eyes in the comfort of their own homes at a much lower cost.
Sai and Rohan’s project to use AI to detect neurological disorders is an incredible gateway for the medical field, creating thousands of new possibilities with innovative technology, an example being optic health. There is tremendous potential in providing early detection for eye patients, efficiently and affordably.
I was so impressed by the way Vytal was thinking about picking up neurodegenerative diseases using AI-driven eye tracking. The possibility to use a simple laptop for early detection is not just groundbreaking; it can also lead to democratized access and translate brain health assessments around the world.
I would further enhance this great base by adding multi-modal data analysis. By integrating additional health metrics, such as speech patterns and cognitive tests, right into the Vytal platform, we are able to give a far more comprehensive view of their neurological health to the patient. This multimodal approach would help in increasing the diagnosis accuracy, allowing a more comprehensive assessment through the analysis of intercorrelations between various indicators of cognitive decline.
Moreover, a user-friendly interface can guide the patient step-by-step through personalized cognitive exercises on a daily or weekly basis, based on their assessment results, to enhance engagement and offer continuous monitoring. These could be designed in a game-like style to further drive habitual use and for users to better make tracking of brain health engaging.
Additionally, securing the cloud-based platform on which data is to be stored and shared would ensure that more collaboration can be achieved with healthcare providers; hence, real-time data access by doctors would generate better decisions and ones made in a timely manner. Moreover, very stringent data privacy measures will be provided for, in order to gain trust from users and assurance that sharing sensitive medical information over this platform is very safe.
It will allow us to improve early detection and monitoring within Vytal while making this a more interactive, trustworthy platform toward better health outcomes.
I think that Sai’s business idea is amazing. I didn’t even think that such things were possible to create. It’s unbelievable, but there’s one way he can enhance his business, and it is to integrate more with hospitals, clinics, and other institutions by integrating the app into routine work, such as neurological assessments, of these institutions. This will be a win-win situation because institutions have better and more innovative ways of assessing, and Sai will get a broader user base and experience from professionals in the field. Another way he can enhance business is by creating subscriptions with premium features like detailed health reports and so on. But overall, his business idea is amazing, and using these two enhancements, it may be even better.
Off the bat, I’m such a huge fan of Vytal and, of course, its developers. Not only have Rohan and Sai created a tool with potential to be widely accessible and impactful, but they’ve also taken the time to listen to medical professionals and the average person’s concerns.
Interestingly, eyes can show symptoms of many different diseases and health problems, not just neurodegenerative diseases. In an article published by the American Academy of Ophthalmology in April 2024, author Rebecca Mukamal lists twenty different health issues that can be detected in the eyes, including but not limited to diabetes, heart disease, medication toxicities, and autoimmune disorders.
Normally, these signs (swelling, red eye, scratchy cornea, etc.) can either be felt personally or detected by an ophthalmologist during an eye exam. However, accessibility in health care is a huge issue, especially here in the U.S, and as we know, Vytal is in part intended specifically to help address accessibility gaps. By expanding its current functions, Vytal could potentially help screen for even more issues through examining the eyes. If it’s capable of tracking abnormalities in a person’s gaze, it might just as easily be able to determine if there’s a significant departure from how red eyes should be or if there’s any significant bulging due to swelling. It could also combine these observations of symptoms to suggest a possible diagnosis for the user.
Of course, as Rohan and Sai describe, it’s not supposed to be the be-all-end-all diagnostic tool, but it could ease health anxieties if nothing’s truly wrong, help people make the decision of whether to follow up on a possible concerning sign, and suggest possible courses of action. Vytal’s practically made for this—the expansion possibilities are right there!
In any case, I’m excited to see what’s in store for Vytal if and when the technology is fully ready to go. If I see it on the app store, I’ll definitely be downloading it. Although—like any other prospective Vytal user—I’ll be hoping it’s got nothing new to tell me.
“Vytal” is a brilliant merge of technology and healthcare, turning the simple idea of eye-tracking into a powerful tool for detecting neuro/brain diseases. By allowing users to monitor their brain health with just a laptop, Vytal is already changing lives. But as with all great innovations, there’s always a way to take it a step further.
Imagine if Vytal could evolve with each use. Right now, Vytal offers insights based on pre-set algorithms. But what if it could learn from every new set of eyes it analyzes? By allowing the software to soak up data and adapt (with the help of AI technology and machine learning), Vytal could become even more precise, offering personalized feedback. This would not only improve the quality of diagnostics but also allow the platform to adapt to the subtle differences in individual cases, providing more “personalized insights” into each user’s brain health. A great example of an app that “soaks up data and adapts” after each analysis is Spotify; the music streaming platform uses machine learning to analyze your listening habits—such as the songs you play, the artists you like, and even the time of day you listen—and then recommends music accordingly. Similarly, Vytal could leverage a similar adaptive system, learning from each user’s unique data to offer more personalized and precise health insights.
But why stop at the eyes? Though this idea may sound a bit difficult and far-fetched, it could definitely save the lives of many, so do think about expanding on these ideas. The human body offers many clues about our cognitive health. What if Vytal expanded to analyze speech patterns, hand movements, or even the way we walk? Again, the recent evolution of AI technology could definitely make this possible and more efficient to do so. This could paint a fuller picture of our brain’s well-being, catching early signs of trouble that might otherwise slip through. Vytal could evolve from just focusing on the eyes, to an “all-encompassing” platform for neuro-health, giving users and doctors a fuller view of their brain health.
Of course, with the introduction of personalized data collection, privacy concerns might inevitably arise. Users will worry about the security of their health data, especially when the app is gathering detailed information on eye movements, speech patterns, and other personal indicators. The fear of data breaches or misuse of information is a legitimate concern in an era where digital privacy right now is increasingly under threat. To address these concerns, Vytal could use advanced encryption, anonymize data, and provide users with full control over their information. Being transparent about data protection is one of the biggest things to increase a user’s trust in using Vytal.
In a world where early detection—even just a week early—is so incredibly important, Vytal is already a game-changer. However, I believe that by embracing and building onto machine learning and expanding its analytical capabilities, Vytal has the potential to evolve into an indispensable tool for neuro-health. With strong privacy protections in place, users can confidently rely on Vytal, knowing that their data is secure as they navigate the future of their health.
Kudos to Sai and Rohan for their impressive work. I look forward to seeing how they continue to innovate and transform this field!
Sai and Rohan’s startup, Vytal, certainly boasts a bright future as a leading innovation in the healthcare field. Availability and ease of use remain one of the biggest attractive factors in any tech product, and Vytal perfectly captures those values. The accessibility of this API sets it apart from other similar apps, and I believe that they should continue to capitalize on that appeal.
To further consolidate its reputation as an accessible tool, Vytal could expand into other commonly used platforms and devices. As convenient as laptops are, devices that we use every day on the go would appreciate the integration of Vytal. Phones are typically the most favorable device that elderly individuals use daily, and developing compatibility with phone cameras and mobile apps opens up a large market for Vytal. In addition, the tracking system would presumably work extremely well with smartwatches like Fitbits or Apple Watches. Once users align their watch to their eyes, Vytal can collect data and send it straight to an app that consolidates all the measurements. Apple Watches have already proved their compatibility with other wellness apps such as heartbeat and water intake trackers, and Vytal would be a welcome addition to the field. Through these watches, users can perform checkups when out on a morning run with a slight raise of their wrist.
Adding pre-configured real-time analytic tools into the AI could boost its practicality and appeal to developers. All the data that Vytal collects can be a lot to sort through, requiring app creators to design and dedicate software to deciphering those metrics. If Sai and Rohan were to implement entry-level data analysis algorithms into Vytal, developers could invest more of their time and resources into producing more innovative, complex information analysis. This higher-level analysis could stem from integration with other powerful tools like Google or Adobe Analytics, enabling infinitely more eye-tracking applications. Expansion beyond neurological detection could include a presence in e-commerce, gaming, and entertainment.
By gathering data about eye- movement, software developers can tailor adaptable, personalized experiences based on what captures a user’s interest. In cooperation with the advertisement-centric Google Analytics, Vytal could assist in determining what specific features of an ad individuals spend the most time looking at, thus allowing the internet to better cater to their preferences. While this may require extensive research to ensure sufficient security and privacy, Sai and Rohan seem more than capable of handling any potential issues!
In a world where new, groundbreaking innovations are always emerging, Vytal prides itself on its accessibility as a “main unique value proposition”, as Sai describes it. To continue differentiating themselves from competitors, enhancing their ease of integration and use with other products offers an inventive path.