This couple's AI chatbot helps people overcome mental health problems

An anthropomorphised baby penguin uses evidence-based cognitive behavioural techniques, meditation, breathing and motivational interviewing to help the user build emotional resilience

In 2009, Jo Agarwal and her husband Ramakant Vempati decided to leave their high-paying corporate jobs at Pearson Group and Goldman Sachs, respectively, in London to venture into entrepreneurship.

The duo joined the founding team of Silatech, a United Nations-backed non-profit organisation that leveraged technological innovations to train youth on web and mobile-based technologies and provide employment opportunities in war-torn, conflict zones such as Iraq, Yemen and Somalia. Six years into Silatech, both Vempati and Agarwal wanted to return to India to support their ageing parents back home. However, their entry into working on the mental health arena got triggered due