TalkHappi

Did you know that a person dies of suicide every 40 seconds?

This group’s creative idea was Talkhappi, “a virtual tool for mental wellness that incorporates gamification to treat depression and low verbal positivity. Powered by an AI model we developed, our web application allows a user to log onto our platform, talk about anything they like, and then get scored using a “Happi score” on how “happy” or verbally positive they were talking. They are also given personalized advice on how they can improve their mental well-being and, thus, their Happi scores. Talkhappi is primarily centered around the concept of positive reinforcement – we believe that, if users with depressive illness attempt to achieve better Happi scores by driving themselves to speak more positively, they will, in fact, become naturally happier over time after using our web application.” 

Talkhappi was invited to attend the 2023 SXSW EDU conference in Austin, Texas as a finalist in their student startup competition (sole international finalist), where they were given the opportunity to present their work to educational institutions, venture capitalists, and industry leaders from across the world. With their micro-grant from the Youth Creativity Fund, this group was able to cover some of their travel expenses to present their app and network with others in the field.