Issac John and Rahul Krishnan, Co-founders of Ivory

An interview with Issac John and Rahul Krishnan, Co-founders of Ivory, a Bengaluru-based brain health startup

In this exclusive interview, we speak with Issac John and Rahul Krishnan, the visionary co-founders of Ivory, a pioneering brain health startup based in Bengaluru.

They share their journey, insights, and the innovative solutions Ivory offers to enhance cognitive well-being, addressing the growing need for effective brain health management in today’s fast-paced world.

What inspired you to launch Ivory? What key problem are you addressing?

Issac John: Ivory was born out of an urgent need to address cognitive decline, a challenge that is often overlooked until it’s too late.

Both Rahul and I have witnessed its impact firsthand with experience in their own families, which became the driving force behind launching Ivory.

Traditional cognitive assessments are reactive, expensive, and inaccessible, often conducted only when symptoms are severe. By the time most people get assessed, it might already be too late to intervene effectively.

But cognitive decline isn’t something that happens overnight—it’s a gradual process, and that’s where proactive monitoring can make a difference.

Despite routine checkups for the heart, liver, and kidneys, the brain—the body’s most vital organ—is often neglected.

In more evolved markets, cognitive health assessments are already becoming standard practice. Our mission is to make cognitive health as mainstream and routine as physical fitness.

Can you give us an overview of Ivory’s offerings and business model?

Rahul Krishnan: Ivory is designed to shift cognitive health from reactive to proactive, making assessments affordable, accessible, and science-backed.

Beyond tracking, our platform actively helps users improve brain health through gamified interventions and personalized cognitive health pathways based on the FINGER study.

At its core, Ivory offers Cognitive Health Checkups to detect early signs of decline, along with structured pathways that include brain games, tailored workouts, and soon, lifestyle prompts covering physical activity, stress, sleep, and diet management.

Since cognitive health is fundamental to overall well-being, our app serves as both a checkup tool and a long-term maintenance solution.

The Ivory app follows a subscription model, providing premium access to structured interventions and deeper insights.

Users can enter our ecosystem in two ways—through an assessment or as a freemium app user—ensuring a smooth transition from detection to proactive cognitive wellness.

Who are your current investors, and how has their support contributed to your journey?

Rahul Krishnan: We raised our pre-seed round based on the concept of assessing and maintaining cognitive health, finding strong backers in Capital-A (Ankit Kedia), TDV Partners and a close network of friends and family who believed in our vision. Their early support was instrumental in bringing Ivory to life.

How does technology play a role in advancing brain health prevention?

Rahul Krishnan: Technology is transforming brain health prevention by making it accessible, personalized, and proactive.

Traditional cognitive assessments are expensive and reactive, but digital tools allow us to democratize cognitive health through science-backed assessments and interventions.

At Ivory, we use data, behavioral science, and gamification to deliver adaptive brain games, cognitive workouts, and lifestyle prompts based on the FINGER study.

By tracking cognitive changes over time, we provide early warnings and personalized recommendations to strengthen brain health.

Our vision is to put a brain health companion on every smartphone, making proactive cognitive care as routine as physical fitness

What are some of the key challenges you’ve encountered in this space?

Issac John: Cognitive health requires high awareness, but we make it engaging and non-alarmist through gaming and gamification.

While preventive health adoption in India has been a challenge, our annual health checkup approach is gaining traction as awareness grows.

Secondly, balancing scientific rigor with user engagement is key, and we achieve this through data-driven assessments and behavioral science.

How do you see the brain health industry evolving in the next few years?

Rahul Krishnan: The digital health market is expanding rapidly as more people prioritize preventive care over reactive treatments.

Brain health, as the core driver of overall well-being, will take center stage—much like heart health or fitness—shifting from late-stage diagnosis to proactive management.

With growing awareness, cognitive health will become a routine part of preventive healthcare, integrating with wearables, AI-driven personalization, and gamification to make monitoring engaging and actionable.

As people seek to take control of their health before issues arise, brain health will emerge as a key pillar in longevity and quality of life.

What are your future plans for Ivory in terms of growth, partnerships, or new innovations?

Issac John: There’s a lot of interest from scaled healthcare providers to integrate Ivory as a complementary offering to their existing set of health checkups and active ageing drives.

Apart from that, we have a very active corporate partnerships team that has so far delivered cognitive health drives for both large and medium-scale organizations.

Additionally, our work in the consumer education space continues to be driven through our social channels and more importantly advocacy-led publications like our recent Brain Health Primer in India.

On the innovations end, we’re working with our Clinical and Science teams to constantly iterate on the product and make it even more accessible.

Lastly, what is your message to individuals looking to prioritize their brain health?

Issac John: Make brain health assessments a part of your regular health checkups. Knowing where you stand is the first step to your peace of mind.

The good thing is that the Science around how to take better care of your cognitive health is getting stronger and stronger and acting in time can help people take proactive action and prevent serious neuro-degeneration.

As Ivory continues to develop groundbreaking approaches to brain health, Issac and Rahul’s passion for improving cognitive wellness shines through.

Their commitment to innovation and care positions Ivory as a leader in the field, promising a brighter future for individuals seeking to enhance their mental well-being and cognitive function.

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