Meet the creative mind behind the world’s first digital vaccine who made healthy eating fun for kids, using interactive play to promote better food choices. Bhargav Sri Prakash is the CEO and founder of FriendsLearn and also serves as the Chief of Product for Fooya!
Can you believe it? Children who played Fooya! for 20 minutes a day quickly started making healthier food choices. What’s even more impressive is that these positive health outcomes continued to emerge in the following weekly sessions.
In simple terms, digital vaccines use artificial intelligence to create a person’s replica for a game in the metaverse. In the virtual world, the person is made to avoid unhealthy habits, and as a result of this neuro-cognitive training, the virtual behavior is translated into real-life implementation.
Born in Chennai, India, @Bhargav Sri Prakash emerged as a prominent figure in various fields. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, he dominated as the nation’s leading junior tennis player and represented India in international tournaments. Garnering an International Tennis Federation world ranking of 761, he showcased his athletic prowess.
Bhargav pursued Mechanical Engineering at the College of Engineering, Guindy, where he played a crucial role in founding the Society of Automotive Engineers Student Chapter.
Furthering his education at the @University of Michigan, he delved into thermodynamics, computational fluid dynamics, and experimental tribology at the Walter E Lay Automotive Lab, eventually earning a master’s degree in Automotive Engineering in 2000.
Launching his maiden venture, CADcorporation, in 1999, while pursuing graduate studies, Bhargav capitalized on math-based simulations for automotive powertrain design optimization.
Following this, he initiated Vmerse in 2005, pioneering a gamified 3D virtual reality simulation platform for college recruitment and alumni relations.
Taking innovation to the next level, he established FriendsLearn in 2011, focusing on neurocognitive computing. This Indian deep tech startup collaborated with Carnegie Mellon University Digital Vaccine Project, producing a milestone in digital vaccines by utilizing a novel technology.
Prakash’s patented methods, encapsulated in the mobile game Fooya!, were tested in clinical trials on children aged three to 18, showcasing positive outcomes in influencing healthier dietary choices.
What sets digital vaccines apart is their implicit learning and neurocognitive training mechanism, with the potential to cultivate biomarker-level changes in individuals, impacting lifestyle habits and reducing disease risks.
Sri Bhargav’s digital vaccines are currently being deployed in selected schools across the world and has applied for patents in India, Europe, China, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
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