Sai Narayan Karthikeya Redrowtu had his pick of universities in his home country of India and abroad in the U.S., Australia, and Canada when he was finishing high school, but none promised to help him scratch his itch to create quite like 麻豆传媒.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been deeply passionate about starting something new, particularly building a startup and diving into research,鈥� says Sai.鈥溌槎勾解�檚 emphasis on fostering research and innovation aligned perfectly with my dream of starting my own venture, and the combination of academic rigor and opportunity is what brought me to Halifax.鈥�
Sai, now in his third year of听computer science, has found plenty of opportunities to pursue his dream 鈥� most notably, finding support and funding to launch his startup, .听
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
First, though, he had to adapt to life in Canada. Sai, who is originally from Andhra Pradesh, India, says the transition to life in Canada was not without its stumbles.听
鈥淐oming from Andhra Pradesh, where it鈥檚 sunny almost all year round and winters are nearly nonexistent, it felt like jumping from a hot tub straight into an ice-cold one,鈥� he says. He has since learned the trick to surviving Canadian winters: layering.
There were other adjustments, too, such as living in a city that is much quieter and more spread out than he was used to. Canadian teaching and learning styles also rely more on self-guided learning, which Sai was not familiar with.听
鈥淚t was challenging at first,鈥� he admits, 鈥渂ut I鈥檝e come to really appreciate how it encourages independence and critical thinking.鈥澨�
From science class to startup
These skills have come in handy with the launch of his startup, too.
What started as Sai鈥檚 ninth-grade science project has since developed into a complex platform involving neural schemas, advanced AI (artificial intelligence), and cutting-edge technology.听
Instead of fully hands-off autonomous driving, Acciceptron analyzes data such as the driver鈥檚 preferences as well as behaviour and stress level in real time. It then adjusts its driving assistance, traffic management, and route optimization accordingly, allowing vehicles to offer smart, autonomous-like features, while keeping the driver in control.听
鈥淏y combining AI with personalized insights, Acciceptron makes driving safer, more intuitive, and enjoyable,鈥� Sai says. 鈥淭he result is a seamless blend of human and machine intelligence on the road.鈥�
Acciceptron can help with navigation, monitoring traffic flow to minimize delays, and adjusting to road and weather conditions in real time. Sai says the platform reduces the cognitive load on drivers, who can focus on operating the vehicle without worrying about unforeseen obstacles.听
Support from ShiftKey
Funding was one of the most critical aspects of turning Acciceptron from an idea into reality. While Sai initially started with personal savings and small contributions from friends and family, things took a significant leap forward when he discovered the support available through the Faculty of Computer Science's .听
, a residency program, helps students incubate and accelerate their startup ideas. Not only did ShiftKey Build provide funding for prototyping, but they also offered access to valuable mentorship and resources, which helped Sai refine the startup鈥檚 vision and execution.听
鈥淭heir support was instrumental in pushing Acciceptron to the next level, and I鈥檓 incredibly grateful for their role in this journey,鈥� he says.
The realities of managing a startup
Sai is candid about the struggles he has faced being an international student living away from home, working a part-time job, studying full time, training to join Dal鈥檚 varsity basketball team...all while managing a fledgling startup company.听
鈥淭he pressure sometimes makes it hard to stay motivated and productive, but I鈥檝e learned to take things one step at a time,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e realized that when you鈥檙e working on something big, you鈥檙e bound to face setbacks and difficulties. The key is to learn from these moments, adapt, and keep moving forward.鈥澨�
Over time, he says he鈥檚 learned the importance of work鈥搇ife balance. Time management is a skill Sai has worked hard to master, and he says it鈥檚 been crucial in keeping him focused, motivated, and resilient in the face of challenges.听
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To other students considering a startup, Sai says building the right mindset is an important first step.听
鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid to take the leap if you have an idea whether it鈥檚 destined for success or not. If your idea hits, congratulations, you鈥檝e made it! If it doesn鈥檛, congratulations, you鈥檝e learned valuable lessons on what doesn鈥檛 work and how not to do it again,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he journey is always a cycle of trial, error, and improvement.鈥�