Piramidal (YC W24) is a company that is building a first-of-its-kind foundation model that can detect and understand complex “brain language” or brainwaves. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Piramidal co-founder Kris Pahuja to learn more about the company.
Kris Pahuja’s Background
What is Kris Pahuja’s background? Pahuja said:
“I’ve spent the bulk of my career at the intersection of AI, healthcare, and product management. After graduating in 2015, I worked at companies like Spotify, where I helped bring video podcasts to market, and later at Google, where I focused on helping educational and healthcare organizations adopt cutting-edge technologies. My time at Google, specifically in healthcare, played a crucial role in shaping my interest in applying AI to medicine, which ultimately led to co-founding Piramidal. My passion lies in leveraging AI to make a tangible impact, particularly in how we diagnose and treat neurological disorders.”
Formation Of Piramidal
How did the idea for the company come together? Pahuja shared:
“The concept of Piramidal was born out of a desire to solve a clear problem we noticed in healthcare. My co-founder Dmitri and I recognized that neurologists spend a huge amount of time manually interpreting EEG brainwave data, which not only slows down diagnosis but can lead to potential errors. We saw an opportunity to automate this process using AI, streamlining it and improving accuracy. Our vision is to go beyond just helping doctors save time—we want to unlock new biomarkers for neurological and mental health disorders to improve patient outcomes.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Pahuja reflected:
“One of my standout memories is when we got accepted into Y Combinator. It was a huge moment for us and really validated all the work we had been doing up to that point. I was in India with my family for the holidays when we received the call, and I’ll never forget the excitement of knowing we were taking a big step forward. It felt like the beginning of something truly transformative, and it’s a memory I’ll always cherish.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Pahuja explained:
“Our flagship product is an AI-powered foundation model trained on EEG brainwave data. We started by focusing on epilepsy diagnosis, where our model helps neurologists reduce the time spent reviewing data and lowers the risk of human error. This technology has broader applications, though, and can eventually be fine-tuned to detect other neurological conditions. We also aim to discover new biomarkers, which will allow us to move into mental health diagnostics as well. Our goal is to bring objectivity to diagnostics, replacing the current reliance on subjective analysis with data-driven insights.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Pahuja and the team faced in building the company? Pahuja acknowledged:
“One of our biggest hurdles has been accessing high-quality data. In healthcare, especially in neurology, the data we need to train our models isn’t always readily available. Another challenge has been adjusting to the slower pace of the healthcare sector, which is quite different from the fast-moving tech world. We’ve had to be patient and align our expectations with the timelines of medical institutions.”
Evolution Of Piramidal’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Pahuja noted:
“We initially started with a focus on epilepsy, but our technology has evolved to tackle a broader range of neurological disorders, especially in critical care settings like the ICU. The model is now more versatile and capable of generalizing across different disorders, which opens up exciting possibilities. We’ve also refined our ability to identify potential biomarkers, bringing us closer to our goal of revolutionizing diagnostics for mental health conditions.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Pahuja cited:
“Raising $6 million in seed funding was a significant milestone, allowing us to accelerate development and expand our team. Getting into Y Combinator was another major achievement, providing us with invaluable mentorship and exposure. Now, we’re focused on deploying our technology in hospitals, which will be a major step forward in bringing our solution to real-world clinical settings.”
Customer Success Stories
After asking Pahuja about the company’s customer success stories, he highlighted:
“We’re still in the early stages of deployment, but the response from healthcare professionals has been very encouraging. When we present our model to neurologists, particularly in ICUs, they’re excited about its potential to automate time-consuming tasks and reduce diagnostic errors. These initial conversations have been promising, and we’re eager to see how our technology performs in clinical trials.”
Funding
When asking Pahuja about the company’s funding details, he revealed:
“We’ve raised $6 million in seed funding, which has been instrumental in helping us scale. Right now, we’re focused on product development and building partnerships with hospitals. As we move into clinical trials and expand the use of our technology, we expect revenue to follow naturally. For now, our priority is proving the value of our solution in real-world healthcare settings.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Pahuja affirmed:
“What sets us apart is our singular focus on decoding brain activity. While many companies are developing AI solutions in healthcare, very few are dedicated to understanding brainwave data at the level we are. Our foundation model is designed to be flexible and scalable across various neurological and mental health conditions. We’re also on the cutting edge of biomarker discovery, which will allow us to make diagnostics more objective and precise. In short, we’re not just creating another AI tool—we’re building something that could fundamentally change how neurological disorders are diagnosed.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Pahuja pointed out:
“In the short term, our goal is to successfully deploy our model in hospitals, particularly in ICUs, where fast and accurate diagnostics are critical. Longer term, we aim to unlock new biomarkers for neurological and mental health disorders, helping to bring objective, data-driven diagnostics to areas that have traditionally relied on subjective assessments. We’re also exploring opportunities in drug discovery and, down the line, we see a future where our technology could be used in consumer-facing applications, particularly as wearable devices for brain health tracking become more mainstream.”
Additional Thoughts
Any other topics you would like to discuss? Pahuja concluded:
“I think it’s important to highlight that we’re at a tipping point in healthcare. AI has the potential to unlock new frontiers in medicine, especially in areas like neurology and mental health. At Piramidal, we’re committed to pushing those boundaries and bringing about real change. The journey ahead is exciting, and I believe we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible.”
