How to be the steward of your idea, w/Affectiva's Rana el Kaliouby

Academic Journey

Rana el Kaliouby's academic journey began with a fascination for human-machine interaction. After reading Professor Rosalind Picard's book on affective computing, she pivoted her career to focus on emotionally intelligent machines. This led her to Cambridge University, where she faced cultural challenges and had to quickly adapt to a new field of study 1. Rana recalls, "I started applying for PhD programs and centered my application around building emotionally intelligent machines... I was a newlywed bride at the time and essentially moved to the UK to start on this journey" 2.

   

Overcoming Challenges

Rana and her co-founder Rosalind Picard faced significant challenges in raising funds for Affectiva. They had to navigate a steep learning curve, often feeling out of place in the investment community. Rana shares, "One of the investors we were courting emailed me and he literally said, send me your b's... and they were like, balance sheet" 3. Despite these hurdles, they remained committed to ethical technology choices, refusing to compromise on their principles even when pressured to enter the surveillance market 4.