Career Chats: Dhananjay Yadav talks VCU, startups and building India’s first AI-native wearable
A decade after earning his master’s from VCU Business, alum Dhananjay Yadav helped launch a product designed to change how we remember.
By Megan Nash
In this month’s Career Chats, an interview series hosted by Helene Bumbalo, associate director of graduate professional development at the VCU School of Business, she sits down with Dhananjay Yadav, co-founder of AI wearable company NeoSapien and a VCU Business graduate.
Dhananjay Yadav didn’t plan to become a founder. In fact, after years working in startups, he swore he wouldn’t.
“I actually thought to myself that I will never become a founder,” he said. “Because of the stress you go through… you have no off days. You work every day.”
But in late 2022, during a visit home to India, something clicked. AI was having a moment. Hardware was evolving. And Yadav, who earned his master’s in marketing management from the School of Business in 2012, had spent the last decade preparing to recognize it.
He first came to the U.S. through a graduate partnership between Christ (Deemed to be University) and VCU — an opportunity that gave him his first exposure to an international learning environment. “This was my vision board,” Yadav said. “I always wanted to either join a cause big enough, where you work among the biggest companies, or build a company that could become one.”
In 2023, he and his cousin co-founded NeoSapien, a startup behind India’s first AI-native wearable device.
The company’s first product, the Neo 1, is an AI-native wearable that tracks conversations and analyzes emotions, unlocking unlimited memory to make you superhuman.
“Rather than going online or opening your phone, you can just say, ‘Hey, I’m tired — can you place an order?’ or ‘Book me an Uber,’” Yadav said. “It understands what you like, where your home is — even your priorities with your team. It’s like a second brain.”
The idea turned heads. In January 2025, Yadav and his co-founder appeared on Shark Tank India, securing 80 lakhs — about $92,000 — in investment and triggering a wave of interest from investors and customers.
“We actually sold out our first two batches, all organically,” Yadav said. “We also received strong demand from the U.K., U.S. and UAE.”
But the work began long before the cameras rolled.
“This is our fifth prototype,” he said. “Every day was a struggle … 16- to 18-hour days. But we started showing it to people — at cafes, to tech enthusiasts — and people were amazed. They felt it was truly magical.”
Before NeoSapien, Yadav worked in Berlin at Zalando, Europe’s largest e-commerce platform, and later joined Razorpay, one of India’s top fintech startups. But it was the convergence of AI, wearable technology and user fatigue with screens that convinced him it was time to build.
“I realized we’re in that outlier moment,” he said. “Just like how Apple created one of the best hardware devices in the world… this is our chance to create something that could scale globally.”
He credits VCU with teaching him how to think across borders. “One of the biggest things I wanted to learn was understanding global markets and customers,” he said. “That gave me the confidence to launch in India, the U.S. or Europe.”
And while he enjoys speaking with students about entrepreneurship, he doesn’t recommend the founder path lightly.
“Don’t become a founder because it’s glamorous,” he said. “If you truly believe in something, it will come to you. Everything in life should be organic.”
Looking ahead, NeoSapien is preparing for a broader U.S. launch via Kickstarter this summer. The team is also exploring future product formats — possibly watches or wristbands — but for now, they’re focused on what’s working.
“Once someone wears it, they forget about it,” Yadav said.
For a product designed to help people remember everything, that might be the perfect place to start.
Watch the full Career Chats interview with Dhananjay Yadav here. For more information on graduate programs or graduate professional development, visit the program website.
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