Brennan selected for inaugural Kairos Cohort to launch SARHAchat digital health venture

A woman with long, straight dark hair smiles while standing with arms crossed. She is wearing a brown blazer over a black turtleneck and a gold necklace. The background is plain white. — *Kandyce Brennan, DNP, CNM*

The Eshelman Innovation Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has named Kandyce Brennan, DNP, CNM, certified nurse-midwife and Assistant Professor at the UNC School of Nursing, to the inaugural cohort of its new Kairos program.

Dr. Brennan and Dr. Tianlong Chen, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, co-developed SARHAchat, an AI-enabled chatbot that provides accurate, inclusive and accessible sexual and reproductive health information. Their project will participate in the Kairos Venture Sprint, a rigorous six-month program structured around three key phases: Problem, Position, and Pilot. Each phase leverages agentic AI tools and tailored mentorship to guide teams from early concept to investor-ready venture. The sprint is designed to accelerate innovation and ensure strong product-market fit.

“Eshelman Innovation has guided and mentored many researchers through the process of transforming digital health technologies into sustainable ventures that serve the public good,” Brennan said. “We’re honored to be selected for this inaugural program.”

Supporting the SARHAchat team is Alexandra Kelley, a second-year PharmD student at the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, who will serve as the team’s Venture Builder. She will be mentored by Dr. Amrita Bhowmick, an Entrepreneur in Residence at Eshelman Innovation. Hong Liu, a rising junior pursuing a dual B.S. in Computer Science and Economics, will serve as the Technical Venture Builder, mentored by Xinyu Zhao, a second-year PhD student in Dr. Chen’s UNITES Lab, along with an industry-appointed technical mentor.

The Kairos program is powered by a strategic collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS), which provides participating teams with advanced cloud infrastructure, AI/ML services, technical mentorship, and startup credits to build and scale rapidly. This partnership gives teams like SARHAchat a distinct edge in developing secure, scalable, AI-native digital health solutions from day one.

The Kairos program officially launches in August 2025, culminating in Demo Days at UNC Chapel Hill and UNC Charlotte in March 2026, where participating teams will present their validated ventures to potential investors, partners, and the broader innovation community.