We unite from across the world to defeat COVID-19 one cough at a time
We unite from across the world to defeat COVID-19 one cough at a time
Our People
Amil’s Story
Virufy was formed in March 2020, when Amil committed himself to combat the pandemic and garnered the support of top-tier domain experts globally, aligned under the common mission: To stop COVID-19 in support of the public good.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, in the midst of lockdowns, uncertainty, overflowing hospitals, and lacking test kits, Amil committed himself to pandemic relief efforts. Taking inspiration from the teachings of his Stanford University professors, he came up with the idea of using artificial intelligence to combat the pandemic.
Supported by several Stanford faculty members and student groups, Amil founded Virufy—a nonprofit organization developing a smartphone app to prescreen for COVID-19 instantly through AI-powered analysis of voice and cough recordings.
Amil’s passion for social service started from an early age. His father instilled in him the spirit of social service, where they volunteered together in soup kitchens and nursing homes. In middle school, Amil developed a love for programming as a means to help others.
During his first New Year’s holiday at UC Berkeley, when Amil was 18 years old, his father was struck and killed while assisting at a highway accident, saving another’s life. Having lost his greatest role model, Amil struggled immensely. However, in his heart, he had never lost his father’s spirit of giving back.
Amil resolved to stand up in the face of his grief and loss, and worked part-time to pay tuition while commuting 2.5 hours daily to stay with his mom and learned to value public service and the underprivileged while honing his software knowledge and skills.
When Amil moved to the countryside of Japan, he taught agile pair programming to the young adults and children there. Later, Amil was appointed Evolution Ambassador of the town and sent to the One Young World conference in the Netherlands to represent Japan , amongst other young social impact leaders, country heads, and Nobel Laureates from 195 countries. At One Young World, Amil acquired a sense of urgency for broader, worldwide social impact.
Through Amil’s strong technical background, resolve to give back, and outstanding leadership, combined with the tens of thousands of hours contributed by volunteers and firms, Virufy has grown to operate in a dozen countries with more than 200 volunteers and 30 partner organizations, including Amazon Web Services, Stanford COVID-19 Response Innovation Lab, and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman Law as of June 2022.
“United behind a common cause to end pandemics, our energy is unstoppable as we work across borders for the common good.” - Amil Khanzada
Amil’s Publications
Let’s help the world and save many lives by recording your cough