Making human emotion the next vital sign
Founder and CEO, Aware.ai
When David Ajoku (ENG 2021) lost his mother, he was inspired to start Aware.ai — an artificial intelligence-driven platform designed to reimagine pregnancy and post-partum care by turning emotional moments into real support and care for new and expecting moms.
Aware.ai’s flagship product, the Aware Motherhood App, allows moms to speak naturally about what they’re experiencing. Using voice-based AI, the app translates those moments into concrete support by mobilizing help from trusted people in a mom’s life, including partners, family, friends and care providers. By removing the burden of having to explicitly ask for help, the platform lowers one of the biggest barriers to receiving care.
The app is also attuned to emotional signals embedded in a mom’s voice. In response, it can offer gentle encouragement, personalized calming music and tailored connections to real-world support resources, both local and virtual, in real time.
“We believe human emotion is going to be the next vital sign,” David says. “The Aware Motherhood App can pick up on hidden signals and then connect moms to care at the moment it’s most needed.”
The approach represents a new model for augmenting traditional healthcare, blending AI, community and human connection.
Aware.ai has created partnerships with major players in the tech space such as Harvard Innovation Labs, NVIDIA, Techstars and Amazon. The company was also a semifinalist in the 2024 Black Ambition Prize competition and a winner of LifeX’s Venture Award.
Technology has been a constant in David’s life. Before heading out on his own, he worked on a range of advanced product and AI initiatives at Apple, Tesla and NVIDIA. He initially studied aerospace engineering before working with AI, drawn to solving complex systems with real-world impact.
“My mom used to tell me, ‘You want to go to space, but there are too many problems here on Earth,’” he says. “I realized that while I loved technical challenges, I was most motivated by deeply human problems. And in honor of my mom, that’s what led me to maternal health.”
Story by Elizabeth Speed