Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli: Indian-American teen’s nonprofit empowers the visually impaired
Compiled by: Team GI Youth
(November 17, 2023) He was just 14 when Portland-based Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli embarked on a journey to cultivate his interest in social justice and human rights, especially focussed on advocating for the visually impaired. It began when he flew down to India for his Christmas break, and visited a blind school in a quaint little town of Kakinada where his parents volunteered. “It was then I realised I should also do my best to give something back to society, and do something for the underprivileged,” he said in an interview.
Upon his return to the US, the Indian-American, whose parents migrated from Vishakapatnam, was keen to make a change and soon organised a cultural night. From this, he raised $4200 which he used to start a non-profit The I Mission in 2016. Explaining the mission of the NGO, he said, “What we do is we gather many patients together and we do screening examines and we have eye camps to test whether they are ready to go through the cataract and retinal surgeries that our partners and the people that we work with offer.”
Sai Hitesh Vavilapalli is an Indian-American changemaker
The next year, he returned to India with a vision to help the poor. It was with the help of Sankar Foundation Eye Hospital that he organised a couple of free eye camps in Vishakhapatnam, and also helped perform about 500 free cataract surgeries. Moreover, The I Mission also donated two Perkins mechanical braillers to a rural south Indian school in order to provide support for visually impaired female students in their pursuit of reading.
.Seeing the impact that his work was creating, he continued returning to India every year to help visually impaired people. On his next trip, The I Mission coordinated and funded a total of 48 cataract surgeries for underprivileged individuals, in addition to one retinal surgery. They also took on the responsibility of supporting three blind schools in the region. Initially, individuals in need of cataract or retinal surgery were identified through comprehensive screening tests conducted during eye-checking camps.
Sai Hitesh Vavilapali is an Indian-American changemaker
Beyond providing essential eye health check-ups and surgical interventions for visually impaired individuals in rural India, The I Mission also conducts educational workshops. These workshops are designed to empower students, enhance their mathematical skills for competitive platforms like MathCounts, improve their public speaking abilities, and develop their reading comprehension. The workshops are structured to be both enjoyable and educational, offering engaging activities tailored to the varying levels of receptivity among the students.
In the last few years, The I Mission has supported over 5,000 free eye screenings, 1,719 cataract surgeries, and 13 retinal detachment surgeries, besides adopting three blind schools in India. “To fund the camps, we not only conduct cultural events but have also tied up with brands like Nike and Intel. We intend to approach some more corporate firms in the coming years,” he added.
Hitesh, who plans to become a doctor, is working with a professor as a research intern at Oregon Health Science University, with a focus on discovering potential remedies for cataract and other eye-related issues prevalent among the tribal communities residing in the Eastern Ghats of India. He plans to take the nonprofit to the next level in the coming years by spreading its wings across the world.
(February 8, 2023) “India, this is for you,” tweeted the overjoyed captain Shafali Verma after lifting the ICC Under-19 Women's Cricket World Cup on January 29, 2023. It was a landmark day in the history of women’s cricket in India, and Shafali was teary-eyed. With matches in the Twenty20 cricket format, the tournament organised by the International Cricket Council was the first in the women’s category, even though the Under-19 World Cup in the men’s category is being played since 1988. [caption id="attachment_27285" align="aligncenter" width="898"] Shafali Verma[/caption] Under Shafali’s leadership, the Indian team defeated England by seven wickets in the exciting finals held at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom in South Africa. India emerged a winner amongst sixteen teams that competed in the tournament. Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, “the win would inspire a whole generation to take up sports". Not unlike other cricketers it was Tendulkar who had inspired Shafali Verma, the Haryana girl from small town Rohtak, to take up the sport. Global Indian takes a look at the extraordinary journey of this brilliant, young player who is basking in the glory of bringing the maiden Under-19 Women's Cricket World Cup trophy home. Rohtak girl’s foray in the world of cricket She
n data-contrast="auto">Under Shafali’s leadership, the Indian team defeated England by seven wickets in the exciting finals held at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom in South Africa. India emerged a winner amongst sixteen teams that competed in the tournament. Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar tweeted, “the win would inspire a whole generation to take up sports".
Not unlike other cricketers it was Tendulkar who had inspired Shafali Verma, the Haryana girl from small town Rohtak, to take up the sport.
Global Indian takes a look at the extraordinary journey of this brilliant, young player who is basking in the glory of bringing the maiden Under-19 Women's Cricket World Cup trophy home.
Rohtak girl’s foray in the world of cricket
She was quite young when she first stepped on a cricket pitch. Disguised as her brother, who was sick, Shafali Verma played at the under-12 national school championship and ended up winning the Player of the Match award. A first-class cricketer today, this Haryana girl has carved a niche for herself in the world of cricket. The youngest Indian cricketer to play in an international match, Shafali was just 15 when she was selected to play at the Women’s 20 International Series.
Interestingly, the teen prodigy became the youngest Indian half-centurion while playing against West Indies during her debut series. Her first international series turned out to be a great one. Scoring 158 in just five matches, she became the player of the series, garnering lots of attention for her fantastic performance.
By 2021, the 2004-born had built a good repertoire – becoming the youngest player to represent India in all three formats of international cricket at the age of 17. Her brilliant performances earned her a place in the Indian team for the 2022 Women’s Cricket World Cup and subsequently made her the strongest contender to be the captain of the Indian team at the under-19 world cup.
Off the bat
Daughter of a jewellery shop owner, Shafali has been playing cricket since she was just eight years old. The young cricketer was trained by her father, Sanjeev, who once aspired to be a cricketer himself.
[caption id="attachment_19207" align="aligncenter" width="825"] Shafali Verma in action[/caption]
A strict mentor, Sanjeev devised a rigorous training schedule for his daughter. However, he would also give her a reward of ₹5 whenever Shafali hit a sixer at the local ground. Recognising that Shafali could make an excellent cricketer, her father later made her join the Ram Narayan Cricket Club, Rohtak.
Crediting her father for her success, Shafali wrote on social media, “I am who I am today because of my father. He has always been the most supportive and friendly dad in the world.”
An eventful journey
The alumna of Mandeep Senior Secondary School, Rohtak has set quite a number of records. In June 2021, she became the youngest player, male or female, to represent India in all three formats of international cricket. In October 2022, she became the youngest cricketer to complete 1000 runs in T20 internationals. She also became the youngest cricketer ever to play in the final of the Women’s World Cup.
Even though she is quite busy, the sportsperson always manages to find time between matches and practice sessions, to connect with her fans through social media.
Like other cricketers, Shafali too idolised one of the greatest cricketers of all times, Sachin Tendulkar. “The reason I took up cricket is because of Sachin sir. My family has just not idolized but worshipped him,” she had once mentioned in a post.
(February 25, 2023) The news was as exciting as it was historic. One of the most prominent basketball teams in the USA, Dallas Mavericks, had picked Satnam Singh to be their team member, making him the first Indian-born player to be selected in an NBA draft in 2015. Little did the world know that Satnam's entry in the NBA would open doors for an aspiring Indian American basketball player, Ryan Agarwal, who at the time was just another sixth grader at a Dallas middle school. Now a Stanford freshman, Ryan is one of the only Indian-American players on the Division I level and wishes to represent India in the American basketball landscape. "Even as I play today, I just have to keep in mind the fact that I help represent such a big community, and only a few people have the ability to do what I’m trying to do,” the basketball player said in a recent interview, adding, "It’s amazing to see how many people support me and have my back." The Stanford player, who is also deemed as the rising star of US basketball, is fully aware that his game could push him to be greater on the court,
ing, "It’s amazing to see how many people support me and have my back." The Stanford player, who is also deemed as the rising star of US basketball, is fully aware that his game could push him to be greater on the court, but it doesn’t pressure him. "Basketball is just kind of fun for me. I don’t really feel like it’s a burden on me," the Global Indian shared.
A star in the making
Ryan's parents had emigrated from India, and he was born in a Dallas suburb. While the young kid never saw someone playing basketball or considered it as a career path, it was the selection of Satnam in the Dallas Mavericks that encouraged him to start playing. In 2017, Ryan and his cousin had a chance to watch Satnam in an NBA G League game, and it was there that Ryan realised he wanted to play just like him. And once he had made up his mind, there was no looking back. The youngster started playing at his school and was soon picked up to be a part of the local team. Standing at 6’7 and a slender 175 pounds, the Indian American player is a certified bucket.
[caption id="attachment_27827" align="aligncenter" width="651"] Ryan with his family[/caption]
While he loved playing the sport and spending several hours mastering the skill, Ryan credits his parents for supporting him throughout the journey. Even though they were initially unsure about the rigorous world of recruiting and elite sports, watching their son play gave them immense confidence. Eventually, Ryan shared, that several families started reaching out to them to ask for advice, partly on how to encourage their children in sports and get them noticed by college coaches. "I’m blessed with the parents I have, because they put me in every sport possible to just try to see what I love, which honestly, not a lot of Indian parents do,” Ryan said, adding, "I think that’s the biggest thing for me. If it wasn’t for the support from my parents, who knows where I would be.”
More mountains to climb
The 18-year-old, who is a part of the Standford team now, understands how rare it is to see Indian basketball players playing at the Division I level and also realises his responsibility to encourage other South Asian kids, who aspire to be basketball players. "We didn’t really have a lot of players that were Indian-American playing Division I basketball that we could all look up to,” Ryan told in an interview, adding, "In AAU travel ball, I didn’t see any Indians at all. Even in Texas, playing travel ball against other teams, I didn’t see a lot. It was just kind of on my own team if anything.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acCnKfoOb-U
However, the teen player didn’t shy away from a certain amount of pressure that comes with people judging an entire culture based on his play. In fact, a few months back, Ryan also shared a video highlighting the efforts of his coaches and relatives who helped him during his journey, saying that he wants "to set an example for a whole heritage and prove that we can do it, too.”
So far this season, Agarwal has come off the bench for Stanford in nearly two-thirds of its games, averaging roughly eight minutes when he plays. Rivals.com once ranked Agarwal as a top-20 shooting guard, but Stanford Coach Jerod Haase believes that Ryan is a more complete player because of his size at 6-foot-6 and his passing ability. "I want to continue getting better and better and ready for the next level. I’ll be in the gym probably more than ever with my trainers and by myself," the player shared.
(March 26, 2024) Some people love him, some hate him, others love to hate him. Whatever category you might be in, Ajey Nagar makes sure you just can't ignore him. Best known by his stage name, Nagar, who will turn 25 this year, is India's most followed YouTube personality in 2024, with a whopping 41.6 million subscribers on his channel, CarryMinati and another 12.1 million on his livestream gaming page, CarryisLive. This month alone, CarryMinati ranked 36 in YouTube Entertainment and 84 worldwide. In 2019, he was named one of the Next Generation Leaders by TIME Magazine, and at the age of 20, was one of the youngest on the list. CarryMinati is slapstick, very loud, and often downright silly, with his over-the-top takes on "cringe-worthy" videos he finds on Facebook and TikTok. Behind the camera, though, Nagar is an astute and savvy creator. Born and raised in Faridabad, Nagar always steps out of the house in a black hoodie, even in peak summertime, to avoid being recognised by his legion of fans. "I can't go to malls or restaurants," he told TIME. [caption id="attachment_36840" align="aligncenter" width="382"] Ajey Nagar, aka CarryMinati[/caption] In 2019, CarryMinati found worldwide fame when he dissed
In 2019, CarryMinati found worldwide fame when he dissed Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie), another controversial star of content. At the time, PewDiePie was locked in a subscriber race with T-Series and released a video that mocked an Indian man speaking broken English. CarryMinati came to the rescue on January 1, 2019, with a Hindi rap video called ByePewDiePie, where he says, "one day, India will rule the world." These days, the Global Indianproduces videos only in Hindi, targetting a large chunk of India's 462 million YouTube users (India has the world's largest YouTube audience, with the US a far second at 239 million).
The CarryMinati method
Ajay Nagar began making video content when he was eight years old. And the more he did it, the surer he was that it would be his life. When he completed 10th grade, his mother hoped he would prepare to study medicine, "but I knew I couldn't do it," Nagar told the Hindustan Times. "I said, 'Buy me a PC', and chose arts," he added. It was a big move for Nagar, who comes from an established, and highly educated family. His mother is a doctor, his father a lawyer and his grandfather (late Shri Gajraj Bahadur Nagar) was a Cabinet Minister in the Haryana government.
When he started out, he ran many different channels, but around 2016, focussed his attention on one of them, where he felt he had found a niche. Back then, he was just a school kid playing video games and trying to make his friends laugh by mimicking and roasting celebrities - at the time, it was Bobby Deol. Deol went by CarryDeol and would inspire Nagar's own online name, CarryMinati.
However, the process has remained the same, even though his team has grown. The first, and most time-consuming step, Nagar says, is to find the content. And it could take more than three or four days at times. "Then comes the scripting part, it is the most fun part. I lock myself up in my room for two days and focus on the script." Then comes the shooting and editing, which takes another four days. Viewers send him ideas too, his inbox is always full with links to cringe videos. In 2018, after his team "worked day and night, to get him an opportunity," CarryMinati interviewed Tom Cruise and the team of Mission Impossible 6, and that video has received 33 million views to date.
"My expectations were nothing. I only wanted 50k subscribers, a room to play my games in and to make enough money to be able to buy new games and create content," he said. His channel grew beyond his wildest dreams, though, and time and time again, Nagar, who has also matured over the years, has re-evaluated and re-strategised his offerings. He's always the over-the-top goofy kid, though but these days, he does have to be careful of what he says, given his massive reach.
Being Ajey Nagar
In front of the camera, CarryMinati is brash and unapologetic. Behind the scenes, Ajey Nagar struggles with the weight of his fame, and of catering to expectations. "I struggle with that, as I do with getting out of the house. I have the fear that once I am outdoors, I will be judged, or that even if I eat, I will ahve 10 people staring at me." He has also admitted that he struggles to walk up to strangers, even at a party, and make conversation, and is happy when they come up to him. That said, relating to people is a crucial part of what he does, because that's the source of his content. It's also essential to him having some normality in his life. "Honestly, there has been a time when I sat down and started feeling bad about myself thinking, 'Oh, poor me, I've missed out on so many things'. The love of my friends, late night rides on scooties and eating junk food at the nearby 24x7. But take a look at my life, it's not bad at all," he said in an interview.
There's also the struggle of expectations and insecurities. "When I'm working on my videos there are moments when I scrutinize my jokes, especially if I like them because I'm worried about whether the audience will find them funny or not," Nagar says. And it's a valid concern, because with his outspoken ways and his incredible reach, controversy follows him around. Just the other day, he found himself in hot water for his supposed mocking of cricketer Virat Kohli for not having an IPL trophy in his collection. RCB supporters were furious and the YouTuber went on to issue a quick clarification, saying it was merely a promotional skit where he was doing a parody of RCB fans. However, in a profession like this one, learning to deal with criticism comes with the job description. “I take criticism seriously, but only if it has value to it. Otherwise, I just really don’t have the time,” says Carry, adding, “The amount of criticism I receive, I criticise myself 10 times more for the same thing," he told Hindustan Times.
Tips for aspiring creators
Learn by observation, CarryMinati advises. "Don't observe it like an audience, rather do it as if it's your job. Observe the little things, then you will understand how someone does that stuff, then your mind will open up." When you're watching a video, he says, try and think about what went into making it - from the thought process to the methods of shooting. And, he adds, it's very slow going. Nobody is going to make a million subscribers in 100 days. "The main thing," he says, "is to keep doing it." Evolving and changing with the times is also crucial. Change and uncertainty are the only constants, and Nagar is always prepared for eventualities. "Evolve the content, figure out what works and figure new things in life. And be yourself because nobody can be you."
(March 1, 2023) "Picture this - climbing a flight of stairs without the gift of sight. Can you imagine it? It seems impossible, right? But what if I told you that today, my 13 incredible kids from the Government School for the Visually Impaired in Trivandrum, India, accomplished something even more remarkable - they built, assembled, and launched FIVE model rockets," wrote an ecstatic Aathira Preetharani on her LinkedIn. The Canada-based citizen astronaut, who was selected by International Institute for Astronautical Sciences for astronaut training last year, made the "impossible" possible when she mentored visually-impaired kids to build and launch model rockets. It was at the end of November 2022 that Aathira found herself in the company of some immensely talented kids when she was invited as a chief guest for an UN-affiliated program at the Government School for Visually Impaired in Trivandrum. Some questions hurled at her in that first meeting were, "How does a rocket look?", "Have you been on a rocket?" Seeing their curiosity, Aathira promised to teach them how to build and launch their own rockets. [caption id="attachment_27957" align="aligncenter" width="579"] Aathira Preethranai is a space entrepreneur.[/caption] "I began reaching out to my contacts in space agencies,
23/02/aathira2.jpg" alt="Aathira Preetharani | Global Indian | Space Entrepreneur" width="579" height="870" /> Aathira Preethranai is a space entrepreneur.[/caption]
"I began reaching out to my contacts in space agencies, however, everyone told me that there is no technology to make rocketry available to these kids. That pushed me to stay back, and work on delivering what I had promised," she tells Global Indian, adding that she started researching accessible ways to make rocket science and STEM education available to the visually-impaired kids. "It took a lot of redesigning but a month and a half later, I was ready with the concept and design, after help from the Rocketeers Research Institute, who provided adaptable materials that could fly while keeping safety as the priority," she adds.
The students picked up fast. In two months, they were ready to launch their model rockets, creating a history of sorts in India - giving hope to 9.3 million visually impaired individuals in the country. "Until a couple of years ago, visually-impaired kids had no access to science beyond 10th grade in India as the notion was that such kids won't find jobs. That's what I want to change by making free space education accessible to everybody in India," reveals Aathira, adding that people don't understand the importance of space. "We use space for weather, GPS, agriculture et al. In fact, by 2040, the global space industry's annual revenue could cross $1 trillion, thus helping create more jobs and a better economy. If India has to establish itself as a global power, the government will have to provide free and quality job-related space education."
[caption id="attachment_27958" align="aligncenter" width="744"] Aathira Preetharani with the students of Government School for Visually Impaired.[/caption]
A slum dweller aiming for the stars
For someone who was born in a slum, Aathira had to face immense struggles, and now, as a woman undergoing astronaut training at the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences, she understands the importance of the right education. "Despite the abject poverty, my parents were adamant that we slept on a full stomach and had a quality education. My father would often burn the copper wire and trade the copper for food. My mother even sold off her tali (necklace) to get me admission to a private school," Aathira recalls. However, things started to look up when her father moved abroad to find a job at an airport. Being a studious child, she would spend most of her time in her school's library, getting her hands on any piece of education. "Due to limited resources, the library became my place of knowledge."
By the time she turned 18, she knew she wanted to be a fighter pilot and an astronaut. But till 2016, women were not inducted into the Indian Air Force, and upon research, she found that she could make her dream come true in Canada. She enrolled in Algonquin College in Ottawa following two scholarships and started learning robotics. However, she soon switched to studying business as she was keen to start her space company. Amid this, her real reason for moving to Canada - to become a fighter pilot - was put on the back burner. But a Malayalam film Uyare turned out to be that nudge. "I remember travelling from Ottawa to Montreal to watch the film which is about a woman who wants to be a pilot. That one film made me resolve to work harder and realise my dream. I worked three jobs and saved enough money to pay for my flying introductory class at the end of 2019."
A space entrepreneur on a mission
The flying sessions were accompanied by baby steps into the world of entrepreneurship with her space company ExoGeo Aerospace, which she formally launched in 2021 along with her husband Gokul Das Balachandran, whom she met in Aastro - an astronomical group in Trivandrum. "I was 12 when I first learnt about the group, and it played a pivotal role in aspiring me to become an astronaut. At 18, I met Gokul at Aastro, who was then a rocket scientist with ISRO, and within a year we got married."
Always interested in space debris, she started working on building her company which specialises in building space tugs to help service satellites and resolve the problem of space debris in earth's orbit. Explaining further, she adds, "Rockets are made to send satellites to orbit. Once the satellites run out of fuel, they aimlessly stay in the orbit forever. And we make another satellite and send it. This has been happening ever since rockets started launching. This is what we call space debris (space junk) that's rotating in the orbit at a very high speed, thus having a high chance of collision with other satellites, which could eventually lead to million pieces."
At ExoGeo, she is working on sending satellites that could refuel the satellites, so that they don't become redundant, and don't add to space junk. "Also, we are working on moving the redundant satellites to graveyard orbit by building space tugs." ExoGeo has already finished working on the preliminary design of space tugs and the demonstration is expected to happen by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
An astronaut in the making
While her entrepreneurial goals metamorphosed into reality, she also gave wings to her childhood dream of becoming an astronaut when she was selected under Project PoSSUM by the International Institute of Astronautical Science in 2022. "It trains people to become citizen astronauts so that one doesn't remain a mere passenger when they go to space, instead they carry valuable research activities," says Aathira. Training that's jointly supervised by NASA, the National Research Council of Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency can take up to five years to complete. This April, Aathira will be flying to Poland for the next part of her training. "I'd be permitted to access the Polish army airbase which is known for state-of-the art training," reveals the Kerala native.
The last year was a roller coaster for Aathira. If she has inched closer to becoming an astronaut, she has also received threats from people for being bisexual. It was last year that she came out, and it has been an uphill task for her ever since. "One country denied me training because of my sexuality. I was very excited to train there because of their state-of-the-art facility but they wrote to my trainer stating that their country's laws are against homosexuality." The 24-year-old says that being openly bisexual has had an impact on her career as "the discrimination is subtle." She adds, "When people say things behind your back, you don't even know how to deal with it. Every time they make it hard for me to go to space, but that's not my end goal. I truly want to make space education more accessible to people."
Aathira, who loves reading, painting, and writing poetry, is on a mission to improve people's standard of living through space technology. "I want the benefits of technology to reach the common man. Though I am working on a small scale, I want to make a difference with my work," she signs off.
(January 11, 2024) Even though one in every 100 children has autism, the disorder continues to be one of the most ignored medical conditions in the world. As the world grapples with the rise in cases and a severe lack of caregivers, an 18-year-old college student has become a beckon of hope for several autistic kids across the globe. Diana Award-winning Anshul Gupta has emerged as a trailblazing social entrepreneur, co-founding 'AUesome', a visionary social enterprise dedicated to breaking down barriers in autism therapy accessibility. A bachelor's student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Anshul aims to bridge the digital and physical world of at-home therapy for neurodiverse children. "Our mission is to make therapy accessible and affordable," explained the young entrepreneur, adding, "At AUesome we have iterated hundreds of kit designs, which include instructional videos, and apps that simplify the at-home therapy process for parents of children with special needs. We hope to eliminate the physical and financial barriers to receiving therapy." The impact of Anshul's innovative approach is already evident, with the AUesome team successfully designing and distributing 17,500 therapy resources to fulfill 550 kit requests globally. Everything Is AUesome Born and brought up in the lush green
The impact of Anshul's innovative approach is already evident, with the AUesome team successfully designing and distributing 17,500 therapy resources to fulfill 550 kit requests globally.
Everything Is AUesome
Born and brought up in the lush green locality of San Jose, California, Anshul started volunteering at various organisations a quite a young age. An alumnus of Archbishop Mitty High School, the young entrepreneur was also the president of his school's Computer Science Club. It was, however, his personal experience of receiving therapy and working with neurodiverse individuals, that motivated Anshul to establish a company that uses technology to make educational and therapeutic resources more accessible to children with autism.
[caption id="attachment_35175" align="aligncenter" width="556"] Anshul delivering kits to elementary and KIPP schools[/caption]
Talking about the ground reality of autism, the entrepreneur said, "According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are one in 44 children having autism spectrum disorder in the US alone, and about half of those with severe ASD only have access to school-based treatment. Of these kids, about 17 percent have no access to any treatment whatsoever, with these numbers growing drastically. While I and a few of my classmates were working with individuals with special needs, we recognised the inaccessibility, lack of continuation, and low parental involvement for autism therapy services. And that is what became our motivation to establish AUesome."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OodlnvwI3Kg
So, what is it that AUesome does? "We improve upon existing therapeutic constraints by reimagining the therapy process through the utilisation of a therapy kit, augmented by a digital guidance platform and app," shared the entrepreneur, adding, "First, we curate clinically proven therapy tools and activities used by therapists – such as flashcards to train communication skills and clothespin activities for fine motor skills – into a therapy kit, delivered to parents and educators. Next, the kits are paired with an instructional platform, where parents can access guidance resources for each activity to educate themselves on how to conduct therapy with their child. Finally, after three iterations, we developed an accompanying app, which provides cognitive games and instructional videos that accompany the activities in the physical kit and recommends a daily schedule, quizzes, and ideas for customisation.
Road to expansion
The entrepreneur has distinguished his company through a unique pricing strategy. Rather than conforming to market trends, the company determines product prices through a combination of production costs and thorough market research. With costs as low as $10-15, AUesome provides an economical alternative to existing therapy systems, which can often demand upwards of a quarter-million dollars for individuals between birth and age 18.
[caption id="attachment_35176" align="aligncenter" width="552"] Fundraising initiative by AUesome[/caption]
"One of the key parts of our daily work is to receive user feedback. I believe they embrace both positive and negative input to improve our product continuously," shared the Global Indian, adding, "This market is worth $2.01 billion and is projected to grow 7.9 percent in the next couple of years. So, even from a business perspective, there is an emphasis on the importance of seizing opportunities as students and building a network of like-minded individuals who can support and contribute to their projects ensuring the sustainability of such innovative ideas."
Aside from therapy kits, AUesome has also initiated chapters. These chapters provide high school and college students with materials for leadership, networking, advocacy, and spreading awareness about neurodiversity and the necessity for therapy. So far, the organisation has 17 chapters around the globe. "We’re also hoping to expand more across the world through our global outreach initiative,” Anshul shared, "We’re currently working with the Brazilian government, Ukrainian hospitals, people in Canada, India, and beyond, to make a bigger impact beyond just in the United States.”