Two summers ago, Trevor Guichel was taking a biology class at Southern Methodist University when he realized he couldn’t understand everything he heard in his professor’s lectures.
He started recording lectures, but quickly realized that it would take a long time to rewatch the videos, create flashcards, and review the content.
So Gicheru, a computer science major, came up with a solution to make life easier for himself. He created Nurovant AI, an app that acts as an artificial intelligence-based learning companion by creating quizzes, flashcards, summaries, and other materials based on audio recordings.
“You can get all these ingredients without having to work,” said third-year student Gichelle, 21.
Gicheru’s free app is now a business venture.
He won an award two years in a row in a campus business pitch competition for developing and growing an AI-powered app, and he says its beta version has about 200 users. He was able to raise over $20,000 from bootstrapping and personal funds. When he’s not taking classes, he’s seeking more funding opportunities.
industry explosion
Gicheru is one of many North Texas entrepreneurs looking to take advantage of AI technology as the industry explodes. Founded in 2017, the Dallas AI Club has attracted over 4,800 members on Meetup and LinkedIn.
One club member is Ronald Chichester, vice president of technology at JBB Advanced Technologies LLC, a Dallas startup. Chichester said it’s the perfect time to enter the field of AI technology.
“We mainly use it just to solve problems,” said Chichester, who works in the energy sector. “We use AI to predict things like electricity consumption and generation.”
This non-profit club aims to help AI professionals and people interested in technology connect with each other.
Broad interest in AI was sparked by the November 2022 release of ChatGPT, the first large-scale language model by OpenAI. This has made the power and potential of AI accessible to ordinary people.
ChatGPT-inspired AI technology products and services are expected to boost global GDP by 7%, or about $7 trillion, over the next 10 years, according to a Goldman Sachs research report.
At SMU, Gicheru’s app is becoming popular among students.
“If I hadn’t used Trevor’s app, I don’t know if I would have gotten as good grades in many of my classes because my study habits in some of them were terrible,” said an SMU student who uses the app. said Precious Onajala, a student.
Onajara started using the app to catch up on what she missed after failing to follow her professor in class. Those points were reflected in study guides created in the app, improving class performance.
raise capital
Like any entrepreneur, raising capital has been Gicheru’s focus since launching Nurovant AI. I reached out to other entrepreneurs on LinkedIn, and finally got a big breakthrough from an alumnus of his school in St. Marks, Texas, who arranged to publish his app for free on a cloud-based server. I did.
When he’s not attending classes, working, or fundraising for his app, Gicheru is on the phone with a mentor with startup expertise. “I also talk to my parents a lot. They are entrepreneurs, so they give me a lot of advice,” he said.
Balancing the demands of school, work and business development has proven to be a challenge for Gichelle, who is also president of the SMU chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers. “I wake up early and stay late, but I’m always like that. It’s hard to balance things. You just have to prioritize those things.”
Gicheru said monetizing the app is not a priority, but he hopes to someday offer Nurovant as a paid service. For now, he continues to plead with his colleagues to use his app when studying for tests and other assessments.
Onajara, who has been using Nurovant AI since the summer, said he believes student-built products provide the best service because he understands the struggles students go through.
“When students think outside the box and use their unique perspectives, they are good for not only improving themselves, but also the other students around them,” she said.