Name, where are you in the world right now?

Siri Muttavarapu, and I’m staying in Detroit with my cousins - five of us!

Where are you joining us from?

I recently graduated with my Master’s in Management Studies from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Why did you choose to work with CXL this summer?

I’ve participated in a few case studies, including one with Patagonia, on the circular economy and eliminating textile waste. I learned about the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and many other organisations trying to start new programs and increase consumer awareness about reusing. Apps like Thredup, which focus on reuse, are gaining popularity recently and I hope they go a long way. This made me more curious about the conservation technology space and the untapped numerous ideas that can be explored.

What will you be working on with us?

CXL is developing a foundry model and I am part of the strategy team along with Lala, Devin, and Henrik. Currently, I am working on how CXL can diversify our fundraising efforts. Venture strategy is exciting, and it’s interesting to learn about various factors that impact this strategy.

Do you have a favorite species?

I’ve never thought about that, but I really like birds, in general!

How are you staying entertained during the pandemic?

Because I’m staying with my cousins, the time is passing by quickly. Since I have people around me, we hang out a lot and we keep experimenting with different cuisines - I recently made zucchini muffins! We’ve also made a lot of Indian, Thai, and Chinese food.

Outside of your work at CXL, what’s one of the coolest projects you’ve worked on so far?

I teamed with students from different schools at Duke and developed a prototype of a Population Health Management Program (PHM). More than 75% of healthcare expenditure is spent on patients Multiple Chronic Conditions. MCC Patients require complex and coordinated care to avoid excessive healthcare usage and so PHM Programs are important. We chose to focus on 4 Combinations of MCC as the centre of our program. Our target population was people with Arthritis, Diabetes, Hypertension and Asthma. We developed a buddy care system along the lines of technology, human touch and simplicity. Through the system, a patient is allotted a buddy through the mobile application - and the buddy will check on the user’s diet, exercise, health routine, and more. It’s similar to a fitness tracker app, but with a buddy. We also developed a Value-added payments scheme that can rescue the costs by using this system.