Athena EdTech reposted this
Alex Mathew, a July 2024 Silicon Valley Fellow from Texas, is our youngest participant at only 15 years old, supported by our Next Gen Fund for outstanding candidates! Driven by a strong ambition, he has always been determined to solve one of the world’s significant problems: mental health. Observing his peers’ struggles, Alex began exploring ways to make a difference and eventually created Serenity Plushies, AI-powered plush toys designed to support the mental well-being of young people. His journey took a significant turn when he discovered a new private high school, Alpha, which aligned better with his vision of pursuing ambitious goals without the constraints of a traditional academic environment. The school, for which he won a full-ride scholarship, nurtures creativity and ambition, focusing on school work in the morning and giving students time to work on their projects in the afternoon. Alex’s involvement with various projects demonstrates his versatile interests and eagerness to learn. He collaborates with Athena EdTech, a startup focused on integrating AI into education. He has worked on AI tutors, initially broad-based but later niching down to specific areas like SAT math tutoring. Alex is actively involved in the organization’s nonprofit and for-profit sides, leading marketing efforts and recruiting ambassadors to promote AI usage in schools. His interest in mental health and innovation has also led him to connect with Snap Inc. on a separate project, becoming a Digital Well-Being Council Member to make Snapchat a safer place and his eagerness to contribute to society also brought him into The Knowledge Society (TKS), where he’s also the recipient of a scholarship and works alongside Meta and Microsoft during a two-year program. “San Francisco is a place where everything is coming together for me. There, I can pitch an idea on the spot and find a lifelong mentor. Everyone was open and working towards the same goal. There’s a spirit of collaboration, and people think unconventionally. It’s full of innovation—real innovation, not just a buzzword. This is where the new world is being built, especially with AI. That’s why I want to be here; it’s impossible not to feel like you can make it when surrounded by so much talent.”