Teenagers Launch $12.5 Million AI Startup To Monitor Brain Health

While many of their peers were spending summer vacation at the beach or catching up on sleep, two ambitious high school students were busy hatching a startup that could transform the way doctors detect cognitive decline in older adults.

Rohan Kalahasty, 18, and Sai Mattapalli, 17, first connected several years ago as freshman attending one of the top high schools in the United States, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. The two bonded over their shared interest in technology and artificial intelligence. That connection would eventually blossom into Vytal, a company aimed at making technology easily accessible for identifying ocular biomarkers that may signal Alzheimer’s or other forms of neurodegenerative disease.

"Eye tracking for brain health is not new," said Kalahasty, citing existing—albeit expensive—technologies that track eye movements to monitor cognitive function. What makes Vytal's approach novel is its simplicity and affordability.