Sakhi Patel and Shrey Modi’s CuraVoice won the top prize at the 2025 Sunstone Innovation Challenge at California State University Long Beach. The Sunstone Innovation Challenge is an annual business plan competition hosted by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at CSULB. The winning team receives support for their business, including $15,000 in seed funding, space, marketing, legal, and accounting services totaling up to $35,000.
Sakhi Patel is a Doctor of Pharmacy Candidate at UC Irvine and Shrey Modi is a recent graduate of the Master of Computer Science program at CSU Long Beach. Their startup, CuraVoice, is a cutting-edge, AI-powered voicebot built to help healthcare students and residents strengthen their patient communication skills. Developed in collaboration with AI experts, healthcare professionals, and students, CuraVoice simulates realistic voice interactions through adaptive learning and customizable scenarios – filling a critical gap in medical education.
The platform offers structured rubrics and detailed feedback to help learners understand and improve their social interaction skills with patients. Designed with a strong emphasis on security, quality, and ethical compliance, CuraVoice provides an intuitive and supportive environment for medical trainees to confidently refine their bedside manner.
Sakhi Patel has a Bachelor’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences from UC Irvine, where she was honored with the prestigious Chancellor’s Award of Distinction. Patel also serves on the founding board of the Industry Pharmacists Organization and previously held the role of board liaison for the Student Societies of Health-System Pharmacists at the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Sakhi is also an executive board member of the Indian Pharmacists Association of California.
As a CSULB student, Shrey Modi founded the first AI Research Club across 23 California State University campuses, creating a vibrant community for AI enthusiasts and researchers. Modi also served on the AI steering committee at CSULB, where he played a pivotal role in guiding the direction of AI initiatives on campus. He has also authored a book and published 8 papers that have more than 135 citations.
Sakhi and Shrey had experiences as student and patient respectively where they saw a pressing gap and an opportunity to make things better. Sakhi quoted “As a pharmacy student, I often felt there weren’t enough low-pressure opportunities to practice patient communication. Most of our interactions happened either during high-stakes Objective Structured Clinical Examinations or in clinical rotations with actual patients – an experience my peers in medicine, nursing, and other healthcare programs also shared.”
“As a patient, I experienced situations where my diagnoses were poorly explained, leaving me confused and overwhelmed. Without a healthcare background, it was difficult to make sense of the information on my own, which led me to explore ways to address this communication gap”, added Shrey. Rahul Deo Vishwakarma (BCS Fellow) and Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at Blue Ridge Labs @ Robin Hood is a mentor to CuraVoice.
The Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (IIE) at CSULB is a central hub for innovators and entrepreneurs in Long Beach. Their programming and services support long-term economic growth that is inclusive and sustainable. Dr. Wade Martin is a Professor of Economics and Director of the IIE. He works primarily in the area of risk analysis related to business development and sustainability for local economic development.
Sunstone Management, Inc. is a venture capital firm located in Southern California and has sponsored the Innovation Challenge for over 5 years. John P. Keisler, CEO & Managing Partner and Mike Stone, Chief Investment Officer had high praises for the participating and winning teams. The Sunstone Community Fund is a Donor Advised Fund managed by the National Philanthropic Trust. It is an important component of Sunstone Management’s vision to advance public-benefit programs that support the development of inclusive and vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems. The SCF supports a network of universities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies that develop and implement university-based entrepreneurship programs, early-stage tech accelerators, and advance local economic development through inclusive entrepreneurship and innovation.
Judges and long-time supporters of the Innovation Challenge Walter Larkins of Sapphire Healthcare and Vivian Shimoyama of the Long Beach Accelerator were unanimous in their assessment of the high quality of teams that participated this year . CSULB colleges of Business, Engineering, and the Arts also are part of the “Shark Tank” style Challenge. At least one member of each team had to be a CSULB student or recent graduate.
