Founder Spotlight: Aadeel Akhtar (Psyonic)

Company name: Psyonic

Company blurb: Developer of advanced bionic limbs for amputees.

Company website: www.psyonic.io

Company headquarters: Champaign, IL

Founder’s hometown: Streamwood, IL

Founder fun fact:

I can rap and I go by the name Double A. I often used to do shows in Chicago.

Why did you decide to start your company?

I was seven years old when I first met someone with a limb difference. She was my age, living in poverty in Pakistan, missing her right leg and using a tree branch as a crutch. That’s what inspired me to build advanced bionic limbs that were accessible to everyone.

What is one thing that you want people to know about your company?

We are building the future of humanity.

When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up? Did you always know you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

My original plan was to become an MD working with patients with amputations. It wasn’t until I met our first patient in Ecuador in 2014 during my PhD that I realized the impact we could make by starting a company and commercializing our technology.

What is one piece of advice you’d like to pass on to new founders?

Don’t give up. Tenacity is the key to making things work.