Hi there, I'm

Aasim Sani

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I'm a 2x AI startup founder and currently the Founding Engineer for Taxwire: a sales tax engine I previously co-founded Orai (Techstars 18), an AI-powered public speaking app that reached more than 500k+ people worldwide and got me into the Forbes 30 under 30 list for Education. We also raised $2.3M from Comcast Ventures, Menlo VC, and more. I was also the founder of CopyCat, (OnDeck Founders 14, also VC backed) a tool to help development teams speed up their web development process by up to 80%. CopyCat used Generative AI, computer vision and static code analysis to convert their Figma designs directly to working React.js code and has reached 20k+ developers worldwide. Besides this, I am an avid bookworm (Goodreads), an ex-pro cyclist, a certified mountaineer, a semi-pro gamer, and an occasional musician in my free time.

Experience Awards and Involvements Education Public Speaking Projects News and Media Research


Experience

CopyCat

Jan 2021 - Jun 2023

Co-founder, Head of ML/Data Engineering + COO

Convert your Figma designs to React.js code in 30 seconds using AI
(Github Co-pilot but for converting designs to code)

My co-founder and I were inspired to start CopyCat after our (painful) experiences fixing issues with the speed of the front-end development process in our previous company. Where the main culprit was the designer-developer handoff process.

So we made CopyCat, a product that converts Figma designs directly to code (React.js) to speed up the development process of a web page by up to 80%. Which has got more than 20k+ users worldwide.

Orai, Inc.

Nov 2016 - Jan 2021

Intern → Product Manager → Co-founder and COO

An AI powered speech coaching app
(Think Duolingo but for Public speaking)

My co-founders and I started Orai because of our experiences as ESL students in the United States. When we came to Drexel, we could speak English fluently, yet we weren't expressive and confident enough, and because of this, we were limited both personally and professionally. We lost friends, internships, and jobs to this problem.

So we tried books, online courses, toastmasters, and finally, a speech coach who offered to coach us for free to fix the issue. Yet when we discovered that a speech coach can charge close to $5000 for that one-hour session, we decided to make an app that could make this quintessential skill accessible to everyone for a lot less. As of today, Orai has scaled to 500k+ users globally, has been adopted by large enterprises such as Comcast, IBM, Nike and HPE. We also fundraised $2.3M from top VC firms such as Comcast Ventures, Menlo VC and BDMI Ventures.


Awards and Involvements

Forbes 30 under 30 - Education (2021)

I am part of the Forbes30u30 list for 2021 in the education category for my work on Orai.

Techstars x Comcast LIFT Labs (2018)

I went through Techstars, one of the world's top startup accelerator programs, in 2018 with Orai as part of Comcast LIFT Labs' inaugural cohort.

ODF14: OnDeck Founders (2022)

I am part of the 14th class of the OnDeck Founders community a curated community designed to increase your odds of building a successful venture-backed company.

Full Stack Deep Learning Best Projects (Spring 2021)

I was selected as one of the top 10 projects out of 271 projects in the Full Stack Deep Learning X Berkley course held in Spring 2021.

Mass Challenge

I was part of the Mass Challenge accelerator program in 2017 that accepts top founders from around the world and provides access to the tools, resources, mentorship, and opportunities innovators need to make transformational impact.

Creative Destruction Labs

Orai was a Finalist in the Creative Destruction Labs Toronto in 2018.

Hack Princeton (Fall 2018)

I participated in the Hack Princeton hackathon in the Fall of 2018 and won the best use of Google Cloud Platform award.

Education

Drexel University

I studied Entrepreneurship and Computer Science with minors in Marketing and Health Innovations while on a 60% scholarship at Drexel University. I was part of the Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship which is the world's only dedicated college of entrepreneurship and is ranked #16 globally by the Princeton Review and is #2 in the mid-Atlantic region. It’s was an intense but amazing experience that allowed me to run Orai while studying and work on research, created amazing projects and cycle around Philadelphia a lot!

Mahindra United World College of India

I went to Mahindra United World College to do my IB diploma for the last two years of high school on a 50% scholarship. It is one of 18 schools across the world that "makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." I was a part of the Class of 2016, which consisted of 120 students with more than 60 different countries represented in one year from socio-economic backgrounds spanning children from the village next to the school all the way to royalty. It was a fantastic experience that allowed me to make friends from all around the world and learn about their cultures and ways of life.

Public Speaking

Keynote at Junior Achievement's

Entrepenurship Summit

Unlocking Ambition: Lessons learned as a student entrepeneur

Invited Talk

@ Cigna

Explaining artificial intelligence and how it impacts our professional lives

Drexel Rising Starter's Competiton Keynote

The mindset that got me from intern to co-founder

Is AI Getting Worse?

Make Sense by Lindsay Tabas is a video podcast that simplifies complex issues at the intersection of tech & people.


Projects

MeowLearning

Star
See on Github

This is a pick-your-problem style guide I created to educate everyone, from my leadership team to my ML engineers on working with AI in production settings. This is the stuff you won't learn in most ML/AI courses.

Artificial Manga Panel Dataset

Star
See on Github

I love manga, but I can't read Japanese. And Google Translate isn't so great with Japanese text localization and doesn't offer a free solution for OCR+translation. So I decided to build something to help me translate the manga more efficiently into English. Additionally, the technology to detect speech bubbles could also help official translators translate manga faster. Sadly I couldn't find a free and publicly available dataset to train my speech bubble detector on, so I made this.

Second Brain Slipbox

Sneak a peek of my second brain

Why build a Second Brain?
For me, it was the fact that even though I have a good memory. It just isn't enough to solve problems fast. I'm an avid reader and podcast listener, yet so much of it was getting lost. So I built this system based on the Slipbox Method (Zettelkasten) to help me organize my knowledge in an interconnected way.

ML Project Template

Star
See on Github


A template repository to kickstart new Machine Learning projects I built to allow CopyCat's ML team to quickly spin up projects in a standardized manner that saved nearly 2 hours of setup.

Agile Connects

Energy savings algorithm Development

I researched an algorithm for calculating the theoretical maximum possible energy savings and cost savings from air conditioning units which would use scheduling algorithms to turn on and off using AgileConnects' IOT products.

News and media

Podcasts

Developers Want Help Building UI's Faster. Aasim Sani Is Here To Help!
Is AI Getting Worse?

For this week’s episode of Make Sense, I sit down with Aasim Sani, a 2x AI company founder and Techstars 2018 Alum who has also been featured on Forbes 3

Developers Want Help Building UI's Faster. Aasim Sani Is Here To Help!
Developers Want Help Building UI's Faster. Aasim Sani Is Here To Help!

I had the chance to interview Aasim Sani. As a cofounder of Orai, Aasim and his partners made the Forbes 30 under 30 list. Aasim's newest startup, Copycat, is helping developers build UI faster using AI-powered code-generation. Connect with Aasim on LinkedIn

Orai: Aasim Sani & Paritosh Gupta | Growing Greater - Growing Greater
Orai: Aasim Sani & Paritosh Gupta | Growing Greater - Growing Greater

Season 2 Episode 40: The Art of Public Speaking | Growing Greater This week on Growing Greater we learn of an innovative mobile app that helps people become more effective and confident communicators. Orai, through AI technology, offers interactive, fun lessons that help users understand their use of filler words, pacing, conciseness, and even energy level. We were joined in our studios in Philadelphia by Co-Founder Aasim Sani and had an opportunity to talk to fellow Co-Founder Paritosh Gupta out of Central India. Asam and Paritosh explained to Matt Cabrey, Executive Director of Select Greater Philadelphia, a council of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia how they were able to grow their company out of their Drexel University dorm rooms and gain funding through various pitch competitions.

Forbes Under 30 Summit: Aasim Sani - Business Edge - Podcast en iVoox
Forbes Under 30 Summit: Aasim Sani - Business Edge - Podcast en iVoox

Listen and download Business Edge’s episodes for free. ***There is an explicit language warning for this mini-season of Business Edge. The thoughts and opinions of our interviewees do not reflect...

Beyond The Script: Aasim Sani from Orai: A speech coach in your pocket. on Apple Podcasts
Beyond The Script: Aasim Sani from Orai: A speech coach in your pocket. on Apple Podcasts

Show Beyond The Script, Ep Aasim Sani from Orai: A speech coach in your pocket. - Jan 7, 2020

Articles

Orai raises $2.3M to make you a better speaker
Orai raises $2.3M to make you a better speaker | TechCrunch

Orai, a startup building communication coaching tools, is announcing that it has raised $2.3 million in seed funding. CEO Danish Dhamani said that he co-founded the company with Paritosh Gupta and Aasim Sani to address a need in his own life — the fact that he was “held back personally and professionally” by lackluster “communications […]

VIDEO | This App Can Help You Prep For That Next Big Presentation | Fast Company
VIDEO | This App Can Help You Prep For That Next Big Presentation | FastCompany

Orai uses artificial intelligence to provide feedback on your speech and help you become a better public speaker.

Aasim Sani: A story of Innovation and Entrepreneurship | UWC Mahindra College | Discover your Purpose
Aasim Sani: A story of Innovation and Entrepreneurship | UWC Mahindra College | Discover your Purpose

Aasim Sani (India, Class of ’16) is the co-founder of CopyCat – a tool to help programmers code faster by converting their designs to code in seconds using AI. CopyCat spun out of a problem he faced at Orai; his previous startup. Orai was an AI-powered speech coaching app he developed as an undergraduate at Drexel […]

Orai
Orai | Technically Media

Formerly known as SayUmm and Oratio, Orai offers an enterprise software platform for sales training in the life sciences industry. The system uses machine learning algorithms to automatically evaluate a sales pitch on parameters such as content, confidence, clarity, tone and energy.

An App to Make You a Better Public Speaker
An App to Make You a Better Public Speaker | Smithsonian Magazine

Orai, created by two college students, uses AI to help people become more fluent, confident speakers through consistent practice and feedback.

Get over your public speaking fears with this confidence-boosting AI app | Cult of Mac
Get over your public speaking fears with this confidence-boosting AI app | Cult of Mac

If you break out in a cold sweat every time you switch into presenter mode on Zoom, you’re not alone. About 75% of the population struggles with the fear of public speaking.

# The 7 Best Apps to Beat Your Fear of Public Speaking | Make Use Of
# The 7 Best Apps to Beat Your Fear of Public Speaking | Make Use Of

It’s not easy standing up in front of a crowd and making a speech. No matter how many times you rehearse it, your nerves can still tie your tongue. The best way to prevent this from happening is practice and coming to see public speaking as a fun challenge.

Gain confidence and learn how to give presentations like a pro with this AI powered app
Gain confidence and learn how to give presentations like a pro with this AI powered app | PC World

The Orai Personal AI Speech Coach is an AI-powered app that can make anyone a better public speaker.

Terrified of public speaking? Orai uses machine learning to turn your phone into a speaking coach
Terrified of public speaking? Orai uses machine learning to turn your phone into a speaking coach

Speaking in public shouldn't fill you with fear. Orai puts a free public speaking coach on your phone

Want to improve your public speaking skills? There's an app for that
Want to improve your public speaking skills? There's an app for that

Drexel University students Danish Dhamani and Paritosh Gupta reveal the inspiration behind Orai, an app that helps users improve their public speaking abilities

Want to captivate an audience like Obama? There’s an app for that
Want to captivate an audience like Obama? There’s an app for that

Orai is powered by artificial intelligence, which gives immediate, personalised feedback on users’ public speaking prowess

Orai: The cure for public speaking phobias
Orai: The cure for public speaking phobias

This is one in a series of stories that highlights each company in the 2018 class of the Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Accelerator, powered by Techstars.

Orai app uses AI to help you become a better public speaker
Orai app uses AI to help you become a better public speaker

When Danish Dhamani arrived in the U.S. from Tanzania four years ago, he found that he wasn’t a good public speaker. So he set about trying to fix that by going to Toastmasters meetings. There, […]


Research

Founderitis a silent killer of startups

Read the case study

A case study I wrote based on my own personal experiences through Orai and our founder struggles that shows how power imbalances within teams can result in catastrophic and cascading failures.

Activating Entrepeneurship

"Activating Entrepreneurship: revisiting the theories of planned behavior & the entrepreneurial event through an analysis of the moderating & mediating effects of entrepreneurial dimensions on self-efficacy & initial intentions to launch" is a research study I did with Dr Zahed Subhan, Dr. Liza Herzog and Dr. David Hayes.

The study focused on performing a statistical moderation and mediation analysis on specific psychometric characteristics of college students, such as "Resilience" and their influence on the decision to launch a startup.