Many businesses struggle to harness the power of psycholinguistics and consumer intelligence, often missing out on the profound impact behavioral insights can have on decision-making and communication.
Lekha Challappa recognized this gap early on, growing up in a household of physicians where the nuances of communication were key to patient relationships. This sparked a deep interest in how neural connectivity shapes our behaviors and choices. After exploring this further during a pre-med track, Lekha founded PONTIS Psycholinguistics, a company that bridges humanistic and artificial intelligence. By integrating psycholinguistic insights into machine learning, PONTIS aims to revolutionize consumer intelligence, providing companies with the tools to understand better and engage with their audiences.
We asked Lekha a few questions about the journey, the challenges faced, and the future of psycholinguistics in the business world.
How did you become interested in psycholinguistics and the consumer intelligence industry?
LC: The root cause for my interest likely stems from growing up in a household with two physicians who worked in Elizabethtown throughout my life. The way a physician's bedside manner shapes relationships with patients has always fascinated me, even before I delved into the neurological aspects. As I progressed through my pre-med journey—though my path has since changed—I became deeply interested in the neural connectivity that influences how we speak, how we develop our speaking patterns, and how these behaviors, both innate and learned, significantly impact neuroplasticity and the formation of neural pathways. These pathways are often positive, but I noticed, particularly in corporate America post-COVID, a shift in people’s neuroplasticity and their tolerance for certain types of communication, especially from superiors.
Toward the end of my pre-med studies, I collaborated with a physician in Elizabethtown on a research paper about alexithymia. Despite its complex name, alexithymia is quite common, affecting approximately 80% of the global population in some form. It occurs when an individual struggles to process the underlying message or intent behind another person's words, which can lead to a spiral of self-doubt or other negative cognitive patterns.
This realization led me to explore the possibility of automating communication processes, particularly in corporate settings. My mother, who struggles with alexithymia herself, was studying dialectical behavioral therapy at the time, and my sister, a lawyer, was facing related challenges in her career. I saw an opportunity to create a system that would make communication more digestible, not just within families and friendships but also in the workplace—whether in hiring, firing, or even day-to-day interactions on platforms like Slack. I rejected the notion that we must simply adapt to poor communication or face negative consequences.
I leveraged my network of psychiatric experts and delved into research, identifying gaps in existing approaches that often relied on outdated tactics. Using my skills in coding neural networks, I developed a new approach focused on sentiment analysis and linguistic neural nets. My work led to a patent application and a deeper understanding of building transformational architectures, which were not widely documented at the time.
This journey, blending humanistic insights with machine learning, has been incredibly fulfilling, and it’s exciting to see the impact of this work in today’s rapidly evolving field.
What challenges did you identify that drove you to start a company to address them?
LC: In the early days, one of the main challenges was the lack of accessible resources. At that time, GPT hadn’t been released yet, or at least I couldn’t find it. The self-attention mechanism and related concepts were available, but it was still a very niche area, especially when trying to learn about behavioral linguistics within computational engineering or computational linguistics. It was incredibly difficult to find reliable information, as there were very few experts in this specific field around 2019.
However, this challenge turned out to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the learning process was tough and time-consuming, but on the other hand, it allowed us to build a strong, unadulterated repository of knowledge. Unlike today, where there’s an overwhelming amount of content, our early research was focused and precise, allowing us to reach the core statistical structures we needed. Coming from a math and science background, I found this approach particularly beneficial.
Another advantage of that time was the ability to connect with experts globally. Although fewer than ten people were involved, they were highly knowledgeable and willing to share their insights because the field wasn’t as popular. These early challenges were significant, but they ultimately provided me with a deep, authentic understanding that has been invaluable in building the company.
I saw an opportunity to create a system that would make communication more digestible, not just within families and friendships but also in the workplace
Tell us about your team: Who’s on it, and how did you meet?
LC: In the early days, our team consisted mostly of doctors and researchers. My startup is non-traditional, and I owe a lot to my family’s background in medicine. Many early members didn’t want equity; they were just committed to helping because they believed in the project. We gradually built a core science team with specialists in psycholinguistics, linguistic therapies, and, later, computational neuroengineering.
My mom, who is still a practicing doctor, was a key figure in the early days and still steps in for larger questions. As we grew, we partnered with KSTCI and a team in India to assist with development. However, I eventually took on more technical responsibilities myself, driven by my passion for the project. Now, our team includes doctors, a development team in India for minor tasks, and interns to keep costs low. I handle HR, marketing, and other non-scientific aspects while keeping our focus in-house with dedicated experts.
Where do you see psycholinguistics and consumer intelligence headed in the future?
LC: With my background in artificial intelligence, I’ve seen the growing influence of AI, especially in how it shapes consumer behavior—from spending habits to the media we consume. Everything we do is driven by our brain or our environment. Corporate America often assumes it creates the rules, but the reality is that human nature, genetics, and our brains are incredibly powerful forces.
As more people realize this, we're seeing an explosion of tools in the startup space. However, truly understanding why people make decisions—whether it’s spending, saving, or even in palliative care—requires a neurologic and psycholinguistic approach. The future lies in augmenting AI with behavioral insights, allowing us to predict and influence consumer behavior more effectively.
I foresee a shift where the science of human behavior becomes integral to business strategies, moving beyond just market analysis. Eventually, data analysts might analyze neuronal maps rather than just traditional datasets, creating secure, tokenized profiles that offer deeper insights into consumer decisions. This approach could revolutionize how we understand markets and make business decisions, ultimately saving money and improving outcomes.
What does success look like to PONTIS in the short term and long term?
LC: Success for PONTIS, which means "bridge" as we aim to connect humanistic and artificial intelligence, has evolved, especially with the boom in data availability and the rising costs of data. In the short term, success means positioning ourselves as a key player in consumer intelligence by partnering with a forward-thinking company—one that values ethics and innovation. For example, a company like Mountain, backed by Ryan Reynolds, which excels in marketing and sales but could significantly benefit from our consumer profiling services, would be an ideal partner.
Our goal is to be integrated into such a company’s architecture, helping them enhance their offerings. Whether they absorb us entirely or we work closely with them over the long term, this partnership would solidify our place in the market. Timing is crucial, and by aligning with a powerful, well-established company, we can grow together and take our combined capabilities to the next level.
I have had key mentors, Kelly Emerine and Mike Bowers, who have been helping me and are continuing to help me in the acquisition process.
Find out more about PONTIS Psycholinguistics here. Are you a startup based in or looking to relocate to Kentucky? Keyhorse’s current quarterly investment cycle is open! Apply now.
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