Kareem Kouddous

Shoutout to Kareem Kouddous. This guy’s the real deal when it comes to tech, startups, and having an effect. He’s part of YC W22, that’s a big badge, shows he’s got the hustle. But his story? It’s way more than just another founder chasing the future trend.

So, Kareem started out with a solid engineering background, studied at Imperial College London, which is no joke. Then he jumped into the startup world, crushing it as a founder and CTO. One of his main gigs was Ceremony Health, a non-profit all about psychedelic medicine for underserved communities. Dude’s always been about using tech and innovation to actually help people, not just make a quick buck.

But the big change? It’s Koko. Kareem co-founded this non-profit focused on digital mental health, and man, they’re doing some advanced shit. They built a platform that uses peer support and AI to help folks with mental health issues. And they didn’t just keep it small, they reached over two million people. That’s massive. They partnered with platforms like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Twitch, so they could get mental health support into the hands of millions who need it. That’s some real social impact, no bullshit.

What’s wild is, Kareem played a key role in building Koko from the ground up, then it got bought by Airbnb. Instead of calling it a day, he just kept going, jumped back into Koko as a non-profit, pushing that mission even harder. That says a lot about him: he’s driven by more than just startups or money. He genuinely cares about using tech for good, building empathy-driven AI that actually helps people instead of just selling ads or data.

His background? It’s a mix of trust and safety at Airbnb, engineering leadership, and a bunch of startups. That’s the stuff that makes him super capable, he’s seen the ins and outs of big tech, startup hustle, and social impact. And he’s not just talking, he’s actually doing. Building tools that matter, scaling them, then reinvesting in the mission.

Bottom line? Kareem Kouddous is the guy who’s proving that tech can be a force for good, that startups don’t have to be just about profit but can genuinely change lives. He’s got the hustle, the heart, and the brains to keep doing it. No Cap, he’s one of those founders who’s not just riding the wave, he’s shaping where the wave’s headed.