Family Dinner Recap: Sailesh Chutani

Sailesh Chutani, a Farley Center Visiting Fellow and Adjunct Professor of the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy, shared his experiences with sustainability as a founder and at a major tech company during The Garage’s weekly Family Dinner on April 24.

Sailesh spoke to Residents at The Garage about his experience of co-founding Mobisante, a company that created inexpensive mobile ultrasound machines, back in 2009. This idea was inspired by the arrival of the iPhone and the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, which allowed desktop-level computing to occur in a handheld device.

Sailesh founded Mobisante because of the lack of ultrasound technology in underfunded and underdeveloped areas around the world. However, through market research and initial sales, he learned that selling to underfunded communities is extremely difficult. Mobisante then pivoted to selling devices to rural clinics and emergency rooms so that people can avoid traveling long distances to get ultrasounds. This usage was successful, as its accuracy and price allowed people to use the device even in the most remote locations. Sailesh sold the company in 2015.

Later in his career, Sailesh became the CTO of Logitech in 2019, where he was critical in Logitech’s application of AI and VR to their products. He spearheaded the implementation of more software in Logitech’s product line in lieu of physical chips, which cut production costs significantly and was more sustainable.

Sailesh ended his talk by explaining his personal experience with sustainability. He explained how he guides businesses in changing their current methods to promote a more sustainable path, particularly by reducing the amount of physical components in products. He encouraged Residents at The Garage to connect with other like-minded people and collaborate with them to create a greener future.

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