Sara Technology

Columbia Business School

Industry: Education & Healthcare

MBA Founding Student Name(s): Jiaxin (Jia) Zhang

Non-MBA co-founders: Zhonghao (Jonathan) Shi & Weiji Huang

Brief Description of Solution: Sara Technology is an AI-powered speech articulation platform that helps children with speech sound disorders and language learners practice speaking clearly and confidently. Sara uses speech recognition and personalized feedback to deliver 5-10 minute daily exercises designed by certified Speech-Language Pathologists.

Funding Dollars: $101.5K (Non-Dilutive Grants)

What led you to launch this venture? Sara began with something personal. My cofounder Jonathan grew up with a speech disorder and remembers the frustration of wanting to speak but finding that the words just wouldn’t come out in certain situations. When he shared that story with me, it hit home as I also grew up as an immigrant who was often made fun of for my lack of English. As a result, I know how much communication shapes a child’s confidence and sense of belonging. Together with our third cofounder, Weiji, who also faced challenges with pronunciation, we began talking about how technology could make speech practice more accessible, consistent, and even enjoyable for children who might otherwise fall through the cracks.

To make sure this wasn’t just our own experience, we spoke with dozens of families, Speech-Language Pathologists, and clinics. What we learned was heartbreaking — nearly half of children with speech sound disorders never receive consistent treatment because of long waitlists, high costs, or lack of access. That was when we knew we had to build Sara. With Jonathan’s background as a PhD AI researcher, Weiji’s experience as a former Meta engineer, and my background in technology consulting from PwC, we set out to create an AI-powered platform that could bring clinically grounded, personalized speech practice to every child, everywhere.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? Our proudest milestone has been reaching the Top 8 out of 15,000+ ventures worldwide in the 2025 Hult Prize Competition, which validated both the social impact and scalability of Sara’s mission. Beyond recognition, we’ve turned that momentum into real traction, with 37 pilots signed with therapists in schools and clinics, including a paid design partnership with Buffalo Hearing & Speech Center, one of the larger providers in New York State.

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? We knew from the start that even the best AI model wouldn’t matter if children didn’t want to use it. Making speech practice both clinically effective and genuinely fun has been one of our biggest and most ongoing challenges. Speech therapy can be repetitive and turning those drills into something that feels engaging while keeping clinical accuracy has taken a lot of iteration and care. To find that balance, we’ve worked closely with Speech-Language Pathologists and product designers to create short, interactive sessions with positive feedback and progress rewards that keep children motivated to practice every day. Through pilots, we continue to refine what keeps kids engaged while ensuring every exercise supports measurable progress.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? Columbia Business School has been a cornerstone of Sara’s growth. Through the Lang Center and the Summer Startup Track, we received non-dilutive grants and hands-on guidance that helped us test our business model and fund early pilots. The Columbia Build Lab connected us with talented and motivated student engineers who helped accelerate product development at no cost. Beyond that, the Columbia network has opened doors to advisors, therapists, and alumni founders through ongoing events and introductions that continue to shape our journey. It’s been both a launchpad and a community that keeps us accountable and inspired.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? The Entrepreneurial Greenhouse Master Class has been by far the most valuable course for building Sara. In that class, we received highly individualized mentorship, feedback from investors, and support to refine our story, product roadmap, and go-to-market strategy. Through weekly critiques, pitch rehearsals, and peer review, we were forced to sharpen how we present Sara to both clinical and investor audiences.

I learned that startups often fail not because of lack of ideas, but because of lack of focus. Greenhouse pushed us to prioritize one clear problem, one customer segment, and one metric that truly matters. That discipline helped us resist the temptation to build too much too soon.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Professor William O’Farrell has supported us since the very beginning, when Sara was just an idea. Having led four successful exits, including taking his own speech technology company, SpeechWorks, public, he brings a rare mix of industry expertise and founder experience. He has guided us on how to build thoughtfully, navigate the investor environment, and communicate our vision with clarity. His advice on pitching, positioning, and scaling responsibly has shaped many of our key decisions, and we’re grateful that he continues to serve as an advisor to Sara Technology today.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? New York City’s startup ecosystem has played a significant role in helping us grow as first-time founders. Being part of the NYC Startup Leadership Program fellowship gave me a community beyond Columbia, peers who understand the ups-and-downs of building from the ground up. The program provided a space to share challenges, learn from other founders’ experiences, and gain honest feedback on everything from product strategy to leadership. That sense of community and shared learning has been invaluable. Alongside the broader network of founders and mentors across New York, it has kept us grounded, motivated, and supported as we continue to build. Would recommend the program to any first-time founders in the NYC area!

What is your long-term goal with your startup? Our long-term goal is to make Sara the trusted platform that helps children with speech and pronunciation challenges speak more clearly and confidently all around the world. We’re starting with English in the United States and will expand to support more languages and regions over time. Beyond families, we aim to partner with schools, clinics, and health systems to make early intervention more accessible and integrated into everyday learning. Ultimately, we want Sara to be the bridge between clinical expertise and technology, empowering therapists, supporting parents, and giving every child, regardless of where they live or what language they speak, the chance to be understood.

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture? One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that waiting for perfection can slow you down. In the beginning, we spent too much time trying to make every detail flawless before sharing it with others. Over time, I realized that real learning comes from putting the product out there, even when it’s not perfect, and listening to what users actually say. We learned more from honest, sometimes critical feedback from therapists and families than from months of internal discussions. It taught me that progress comes from iteration, not isolation, and that getting something real into people’s hands is always better than waiting behind closed doors.

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