“Business can be a Catalyst for Change”

Hrithik Bansal

August 17: In pursuing one’s career, there is no better guide than following one’s inner calling. This maxim has been followed by Hrithik Bansal, a talented professional motivated by the need to make a positive difference in the world. Hrithik grew up in Kolkata and graduated from Northwestern University, USA. His formative experiences as an undergraduate in the United States led him to pursue a career at the intersection of business strategy and social good. He also holds a master’s degree from Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has made a positive difference in his short but impactful career and won numerous awards. He is the recipient of the Hilton Prize Coalition Fellowship and the Overseas Development Institute Fellowship to serve in the South African Treasury.

He has used his expertise in business strategy to work with various organizations that positively contribute to the world. As a Harvard Business School Leadership fellow, he worked with BRAC, one of the largest NGOs in the world. As a BRAC member, he fostered the development of enterprises that benefited some of the world’s most underprivileged. His work at the Overseas Development Institute also included advising the South African Ministry of Finance on Economic and Business Policy. Hrithik also served on the first Indian Chamber of Commerce Delegation in the United States that met with the State Department, Commerce Department, World Bank, and US-India Business Council to encourage trade between India and the United States.

Currently, he works as Head of Business Operations and Strategy at Ellipsis Health, San Francisco, a company that uses artificial intelligence to detect anxiety and depression by listening to a person’s voice. The progress in data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence now makes it possible to use these technologies effectively to detect mental health issues by simply listening to a person talk. The conditions of anxiety and depression are different but often interrelated. The WHO estimates close to 300 million people suffering from depression worldwide today. Poor countries face the brunt of these health conditions without adequate resources to treat such illnesses. Depression and anxiety are the most common illnesses people suffer from globally. Ellipsis Health’s artificial intelligence technology has the potential to transform mental health detection and treatment by simply listening to a person’s voice.