Scheduling meetings and working on call summaries consumes many of the 90,000 hours people spend working over their lives, according to gettysburg.edu.  Mr. Tomás Pérez, Mr. Paul Murphy, and alumna Ms. Alessandra Knight ’09 designed the Katch application (app), endeavoring to make meetings more flexible and to provide people with call transcripts.  In an exclusive interview with the King Street Chronicle, Ms. Knight remarked on how her education at Sacred Heart Greenwich has assisted her in promoting connection through Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology. 

Alongside Mr. Pérez and Mr. Murphy, Ms. Knight felt frustration at the lack of flexibility in some occupations and the limited amount of time professionals have to spend with family, friends, and colleagues.  During the coronavirus pandemic, then, Ms. Knight and her co-founders resolved to create an app that would simplify connecting with others for meetings.  By making meetings more efficient, the app provides busy professionals with more free time to spend with others or simply to rest. 

“Zoom meetings caused people to re-evaluate their priorities,” Ms. Knight said.  “People were handling their work and personal responsibilities.  People took a step back and realized what truly matters.  We really want to make sure we are prioritizing what matters most to them.”

Katch is an AI call assistant that enables flexible meetings.  The system views users’ calendars and, accordingly, suggests the best times for colleagues to connect, eliminating the need for back-and-forth communication.  Katch also creates call summaries so that people do not have to take notes while in meetings, and, instead, can enjoy spending time in nature while working. 

Now, two years after she launched the app, Ms. Knight and her team of engineers focus on promoting Katch.  They are currently gathering feedback so they can increase the value of the app for users.  While there can be obstacles to creating a start-up, Ms. Knight advised that remaining focused on the consumer’s needs can help overcome difficulties.  

“One struggle that is not talked about enough in start-ups but that is quite common is a ‘founders’ divorce,'” Ms. Knight said.  “One of my co-founders and I were not aligned, and we parted ways a year ago.  It is challenging, but you just have to focus on the consumer and the product and trust in yourself.  It is not about the partnership; it is about the product and making people’s lives easier with Katch.” 

A lifer at Sacred Heart, Ms. Knight graduated from King Street in 2009.  She went on to study Spanish and Anthropology at Union College.  Ms. Knight advised students who want to create a start-up to build an expansive network of people with distinct viewpoints and backgrounds.

“Being enrolled at Sacred Heart means that you are already enrolled in a network of generations of alumnae,” Ms. Knight said.  “As people expand to the world outside of Sacred Heart, there are also different communities based on people with different interests who have different feedback and guidance.”

As there is boundless potential for AI to grow, Ms. Knight credited Goal Two of the Sacred Heart Goals and Criteria, “a deep respect for intellectual values,” and taking Ethics and Morality in her junior year for establishing in her a foundation of moral responsibility and respect for others.  She also expressed that Sacred Heart courses instilled in her the value of curiosity. 

“The second goal probably resonates the most with me creating Katch,” Ms. Knight said.  “Sacred Heart created part of that foundation of me being curious.  There is also a complexity to AI around morals and ethics that some companies have to navigate.  There is essentially no end to what AI can do.  Having a foundation of ethics and morality can make sure we are building something for good.”

Featured Image by Ana López del Punta ’23