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