In this episode of The Brand Blueprint, host Dana Ammons speaks with Kirti Madhu, a trailblazing college founder and medical sciences major at Saint Louis University, who is transforming the way we think about addiction recovery and prevention.
At just 21 years old, Kirti is building Safe Use Solutions, a wearable + app system that detects early signs of substance abuse and overdose. Her journey is personal, courageous, and deeply inspiring.
✅ Learn how Kirti turned insight into invention
✅ Why listening to real users changed her product
✅ What founders can learn about building for impact
✅ How incubators like CIC and SLU Launch accelerated her startup
✅ Advice for students & first-time founders balancing it all
Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome + Episode Intro
02:00 – Meet Kirti: Coffee, Cities, and Organizing Like a Pro
07:00 – Why She Chose Resilience as Her Entrepreneur Word
10:00 – The Start of Her Journey: Teen Institute & PreventEd
14:00 – Working with Incarcerated Women & Recovery Stories
18:00 – The Birth of Safe Use Solutions
22:00 – Pivoting the Product Based on Real-World Feedback
28:00 – Partnerships, Prevention, and Access
33:00 – Why CIC's Social Impact Cohort Matters
35:00 – Kirti’s Advice to Young Founders
37:00 – Final Thoughts & How to Connect with Kirti
Connect with Kirti Madhu:
🌐 https://safeusesolutions.org
📧 kirti.madhu@slu.edu
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kirti-madhu