12-Year-Old Indian-Origin Girl Launches AI Startup Voxa

Mana Jampala, a seventh grader from Surrey, British Columbia, built Voxa to answer missed calls for small businesses like her father's. The AI-powered receptionist can schedule appointments, answer frequently asked questions, and forward urgent calls to the business owner.

Jampala started learning Python at age nine through online tutorials and free coding platforms. She spent several months developing Voxa, testing it with local businesses in her community before launching it publicly.

Voxa is designed to be affordable for small businesses, with a subscription model that costs less than hiring a human receptionist. The system uses natural language processing to understand callers and can be customized for different industries.

Jampala plans to continue improving Voxa, adding features like multilingual support and integration with popular scheduling tools. She also hopes to inspire other young girls to pursue coding and entrepreneurship.

Her father, who missed customer calls while managing his business, said Voxa has already helped him capture leads he would have otherwise lost. Jampala is now working on a website to showcase Voxa and attract more customers.