9×90 Episode 19

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About this episode

Discover how Khurram & his team are responding to loss & tragedy by reshaping home security. In this exciting episode, Khurram, a tech genius from Irvine & the founder of Irvinei, shares his experiences and insights on building a groundbreaking home security system that operates like Jarvis from Iron Man. Key highlights include his motivations for creating this technology, the unique features that set it apart, and how it addresses pressing safety concerns like monitoring for falls and medical emergencies. Khurram also reveals the innovative algorithms that help families care for loved ones with health issues, ensuring that help is just a moment away.

The Transcript

Adi Soozin: Welcome, everyone, to another exceptional episode of our series. Today, we have an extraordinary guest joining us. Khurram Hussain, an esteemed serial entrepreneur and AI innovator, is here with us. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Khurram’s journey has taken him across the globe—from Dubai to Sudan, Nigeria, Mexico, Turkey, and eventually to Silicon Valley, the epicenter of innovation. He now resides in Orange County with his wife and three children.

Khurram is not only an accomplished electrical engineer and family man, but also the visionary behind Jarvis for Home Security. For those of you who have spent years marveling at Iron Man and wondering when Jarvis would come to life, Khurram is the one making that vision a reality. I’m honored to have him here today, and I’m grateful that one of your connections in the Fund Launch community brought us together. Welcome, Khurram.

Adi Soozin: Let’s begin. I gave a quick overview of your background, but tell us a little bit more about yourself.

Khurram Hussain: Thank you, Adi. I appreciate the opportunity to be here. As you mentioned, I was born in Karachi, Pakistan, where I completed my undergraduate studies at NED University of Engineering and Technology. From there, my career took me across continents. I lived in Dubai, Sudan, Nigeria, Mexico, and Turkey before eventually landing in the United States. I actually moved here from Mexico City—I took a flight to New York and started my journey here.

Adi Soozin: That’s incredible—you’ve lived everywhere.

Khurram Hussain: Yes, it’s been quite the adventure. Living in so many places has given me a unique perspective and exposed me to various cultures and languages. I speak English, Arabic, Urdu, and I picked up some Turkish and Spanish along the way.

Adi Soozin: So you can effectively communicate with a massive portion of the planet! That’s phenomenal.

Khurram Hussain: Yes, although my Spanish has gotten a little rusty over the years. Still, when I lived in Mexico, I could get by seamlessly. In fact, a friend once advised me to tell people I was from Oaxaca to give myself some street credibility.

Adi Soozin: That’s hilarious! Sometimes when I want to be left alone here in the U.S., I jokingly tell people I’m from Russia—it works like a charm.

Khurram Hussain: (laughs) That’s a good strategy.

Adi Soozin: So you came to the U.S. in 2010 and started your entrepreneurial journey from there. Tell us about your early ventures.

Khurram Hussain: That’s correct. I arrived in 2010, worked in various roles, and then founded my first company, Mojo Solutions, which focused on software consulting and development. It was there that I truly honed my software engineering skills. From Mojo, I ventured into my first startup in the Virtual Reality (VR) space around 2017–2018.

Adi Soozin: Ah, so that was like your entrepreneurial training ground.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly. At that time, we were exploring AR/VR, but we quickly realized that the market wasn’t ready. Human nature simply isn’t aligned with the idea of prolonged immersion in AR/VR. We found that unless people, like gamers, were willing to commit hours with the headset on, the market would remain niche. Our data revealed that health concerns—like nausea and visual fatigue—were significant hurdles. We saw Meta’s rebranding as a validation of the industry, but even they encountered the same challenges.

Adi Soozin: That’s so insightful. I always thought if AR and VR were going to achieve mass adoption, it would have happened during the COVID era. But even then, the closest people got was Zoom. At the core, we’re social creatures. We need human interaction and the biofeedback that comes with sitting in the same room as someone.

Khurram Hussain: You’re absolutely right. Evolution plays a huge role. Our brains are not equipped to handle AR/VR immersion for extended periods. When you overlay digital elements onto our natural vision, as in augmented reality glasses, it creates confusion—a cognitive disconnect that is not easy to resolve. Human perception is delicate, and any disruption can result in fatigue, nausea, and even hallucinations. These issues are not new—similar concerns emerged decades ago, and they remain barriers today.

Adi Soozin: Fascinating insights. The work you’re doing now with Jarvis for Home Security feels like a more seamless evolution of technology—one that works with human behavior instead of against it. It’s refreshing to see an AI innovator focusing on practical, real-world applications.

That makes sense. Maybe in a few hundred years, humans will evolve with even larger brains, creating a whole new type of humanity.

Perhaps Elon Musk will develop it, put it into his children’s minds, and they’ll lead the next generation of humanity. But enough sci-fi for now. Let’s talk about your actual company… let’s talk about Irvine. You named your company Irvine because of your love for the city where you currently live?

Khurram Hussain: That’s right. I’ve been living in Irvine for the past eight years. Before founding Irvine, I was running Mojo Solutions, where we specialized in customized software development for clients. Over a period of four years, we developed over 50 software solutions for a variety of businesses, which gave us deep insights into their operational models.

Many companies would come to us and say, “No, this isn’t how it’s done. You’re going to run into this issue.” And our response was, “How do we know? Because we’ve already solved these problems for other companies facing the same issues.” That experience gave us a comprehensive understanding of systems like mapping, parking apps, and other critical business solutions.

At that point, I realized we had the knowledge and the team to develop our own product. That’s when the idea of Irvine started to take shape. We initially explored AR/VR technology because I thought it could revolutionize how people interact with their homes. However, we hit a critical insight: the market simply wasn’t ready. Data showed that people would only use AR/VR headsets for about 50 minutes initially, and after a few months, they stopped altogether because of the discomfort. We realized this wasn’t a scalable solution and decided to pivot.

By 2019, we shut down the AR/VR project and took a step back. Then, during the pandemic, something happened that changed everything.

One day, my three-year-old son managed to slip out of the house unnoticed. Our security camera gave me a motion notification, but it was buried among all the other alerts. It wasn’t until several minutes later that I realized he was gone. We found him near the pool—a terrifying moment for any parent. That incident stuck with me for months. Why hadn’t the camera recognized the urgency of what happened? Why hadn’t it alerted me in real time?

Late one night, I was walking in my neighborhood, surrounded by multimillion-dollar homes that all looked the same. I started to imagine a smarter, more intuitive home—a home where the technology worked for the people inside it. Why couldn’t my home automate things like my blinds, my lights, or even my security systems? I wanted technology that wasn’t just reactive but proactive—technology that could predict, prevent, and protect.

Adi Soozin: That’s an incredible insight—so you essentially created a home security system that parents can rely on, like a third parent.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly. Our system isn’t just about monitoring—it’s customizable and proactive. It addresses the needs of parents, caregivers, and individuals across multiple industries. For example, at a startup show, a woman approached me. Her 25-year-old son has epilepsy, and they constantly monitor him through a camera because an attack could occur at any time. She asked if we could develop an algorithm that would notify them in real time if he had a seizure. We said yes.

We created an algorithm capable of detecting seizures with 95% accuracy, ensuring parents and caregivers are notified immediately. This same technology can be adapted for fall detection—something that personally impacted me when my own father fell at home. He used a walker and would sometimes be on the ground for hours without help. Unfortunately, he broke his hip and never fully recovered. He passed away two years later.

Adi Soozin: I’m so sorry to hear that. My grandfather had a similar experience. He fell during the night, broke his hip, and no one could hear him calling for help. It’s devastating how critical those response times are.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly. The data is staggering. Every year, over 800,000 children run away from home, and nearly 500,000 older adults experience a heart attack or fall without immediate assistance. That’s 1.1 million emergencies where timely intervention could save lives. Yet existing solutions, like Amazon Ring or Google Nest, are reactive and expensive. They cost around $20 per month but lack the advanced AI we’ve built. If they tried to provide similar technology, the costs would skyrocket to $150 per month.

Our system solves these problems—efficiently and affordably.

Adi Soozin: That’s incredible. You’ve literally identified holes in society and created solutions to fill them. Whether it’s a child running out the front door or a senior loved one falling, you’re offering people peace of mind. How do families get started with Irvine?

Khurram Hussain: They can pre-order now on our website. If they order before March, they’ll receive 25% off and six months of free subscription service—a $120 value.

Adi Soozin: So, you’re essentially offering life-saving technology for the cost of a Netflix subscription.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly. Our subscription is just $20 per month, making it accessible to everyone. We believe that safety and peace of mind should not be a luxury.

Adi Soozin: I don’t see anyone saying no to that. And what about investors? Are you currently raising funds?

Khurram Hussain: Yes, we’re in the process of raising our first round—$2 million. So far, I’ve invested $800,000 of my own money into developing this technology because I believe in the impact it will have.

Adi Soozin: Your story is so powerful. You’ve built this technology so that no one else has to lose a loved one due to preventable delays. That’s your pitch to investors right there—I built technology to save lives. Mic drop.

Khurram Hussain: Thank you. That’s the ultimate goal: to create technology that makes a meaningful, lasting impact on society. After that, we raised about 300k and we are still raising another 1.7 to close this round of 2 million.

Adi Soozin: How many employees do you currently have?

Khurram Hussain: Our team is divided between onshore and offshore operations. We have five people onshore, including our CTO, Director of Business Development, and GTM (Go-To-Market) lead—Stanley, who connected us—and approximately 27 people offshore, located in India and Pakistan, who are focused on developing the technology.

Adi Soozin: And that’s where your Urdu comes in.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly. I can seamlessly communicate with both teams in the same language, which has been a significant advantage.

Adi Soozin: I had a friend from India when I was living in Italy, and I asked him to teach me Urdu. He said, “Why not Hindi?” I replied, “Because I want to speak with everyone I would ever outsource to.”

Khurram Hussain: It’s essentially the same spoken language. We understand each other perfectly, but the difference lies in the script. Historically, Urdu began to be written in a Perso-Arabic script, while Hindi adopted the Sanskrit-based Devanagari script. Over time, this caused a divide in the written language, but when we speak, it’s virtually identical. The current generation, however, struggles to read each other’s scripts.

Adi Soozin: So it’s similar to Spanish and Italian?

Khurram Hussain: Not quite. It’s closer than that. When we speak, it’s almost indistinguishable, with only a handful of words differing.

Adi Soozin: When I moved from Italy to Spain, I tried speaking Italian with locals. Most of the time, it worked, but there were funny moments. For instance, the word for “dog” in Italian is the word for “steak” in Spanish. One night, I excused myself to “walk my steak,” and everyone looked at me as if I’d lost it. Another time, I attempted to set up a language exchange with a woman, but in Spanish, the word for “language exchange” was the same as “tongue.” I unintentionally invited her to make out. She looked horrified and walked away!

Khurram Hussain: (Laughs) That’s hilarious.

Adi Soozin: Now, I tell people upfront that I speak Italian mixed with Spanish, so they’re more forgiving when I make mistakes. Anyway, let’s get back on track. Given that your teams are spread across time zones, how do you manage your time and coordinate your teams effectively?

Khurram Hussain: I’m in the Pacific Standard Time Zone, but my operations are split. My business development team is based on the East Coast, while my engineering and product management leads manage offshore teams in India and Pakistan. These managers are my primary points of contact. I hired some of these team members personally, and others were brought on by my senior managers.

To ensure alignment, I participate in stand-down meetings every morning at 7 a.m. My role during these meetings is primarily to listen rather than speak. That gives me insights into what’s happening without micromanaging. I rarely need to address the team directly—perhaps once a month.

Adi Soozin: That’s impressive.

Khurram Hussain: Meanwhile, my marketing and business management teams work in my time zone. We start and end our workdays together, which keeps operations streamlined. Right now, I’m also focused on building a sales team for channel partnerships.

Adi Soozin: What are some of the challenges you’re seeing in the hardware space, particularly in relation to Silicon Valley?

Khurram Hussain: There’s a significant mindset issue in Silicon Valley. Investors avoid consumer technology because they perceive it as too risky. Once you add hardware into the mix, the pool of potential investors shrinks even further—maybe to 1%.

Right now, B2B SaaS with AI is Silicon Valley’s hottest investment area. It’s seen as low-risk, even though it doesn’t have the potential to scale into companies worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Investors are happy with a 10x return, but they’re overlooking a massive opportunity.

To put this into perspective: in 2023, $44 billion was invested in AI overall, but hardware-based consumer tech didn’t even account for $1 billion.

Adi Soozin: That’s surprising.

Khurram Hussain: And here’s the kicker: AI adoption is being hindered by computation costs and energy consumption. For example, major players like Meta, Google, and OpenAI spend $300-$500 million every three months just to run their large language models. These models require thousands of GPUs, massive amounts of electricity, and human resources.

Adi Soozin: Wow.

Khurram Hussain: It’s an expensive arms race. Within Silicon Valley, companies like Meta, Google, OpenAI, and now Elon Musk are competing to bring out the next generation of models. They burn through hundreds of millions in a short timeframe, only for their work to become obsolete in six months.

Adi Soozin: So how does your company approach this differently?

Khurram Hussain: While we don’t have $400 million to burn, we have the intellectual capital to learn from their advancements. We watch this AI race closely and strategically apply what we learn. That’s our edge.

Adi Soozin: That’s fascinating. But data privacy is also a major concern for consumers. Many people distrust Amazon or Google with their personal information. How does your system address privacy concerns?

Khurram Hussain: We’ve built our system with privacy in mind. Users can choose to store their data locally and even delete it from our servers after a set period. While local storage has its limitations, we’ve designed a solution that ensures control remains with the user.

Adi Soozin: That’s a critical differentiator.

Khurram Hussain: Thank you. At its core, our approach focuses on balancing technological efficiency with user trust—two areas that are often at odds in today’s landscape.

Adi Soozin: Let’s build on that.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly, that’s it.

Adi Soozin: That’s where the value lies. I remember someone telling me, “I made a 400% return on day trading crypto in just two weeks,” and others said, “You’re not a day trader, you’re a marketer.”

Adi Soozin: And I was like, how did I do it? I’m like the remora fish—no one expects the remora to be the apex predator. The remora swims beneath the great white shark, feasting on the leftovers. I don’t need to compete with the big banks; I simply follow their lead and thrive on the opportunities they leave behind.

Adi Soozin: It’s a strategy that doesn’t require me to reinvent the wheel.

Khurram Hussain: Right.

Khurram Hussain: Another analogy is the story of the refrigerator. The true beneficiaries of this invention were not the manufacturers of the fridges themselves—it was the soda and ice cream industries. They were the ones who capitalized on the new technology to propel their success.

Adi Soozin: Exactly.

Khurram Hussain: Similarly, the true winners from AI will not just be the creators of the technology, but those who can package it in a way that serves both consumers and businesses alike.

Adi Soozin: Absolutely.

Khurram Hussain: That’s where the opportunity is.

Adi Soozin: I have a software company that simplifies the complexities of marketing. It generates a strategy in seconds and is now being used in 59 countries. People ask me how I did it.

Adi Soozin: I made it incredibly simple for new marketers to learn—training someone in days, not years. That’s my approach, and you’re doing something similar in the security space.

Khurram Hussain: Exactly.

Khurram Hussain: It’s like building a lean startup using the $300 million investments from the big players. You get to move fast and far with minimal resources.

Adi Soozin: It’s brilliant.

Khurram Hussain: And as with the refrigerator’s impact on the cold drink and ice cream industries, the companies that figure out how to package AI will see the greatest success.

Adi Soozin: Exactly. Now, for those looking for peace of mind and wanting to invest in a strategically driven company, this is a clear win. What’s the best way for people to connect with you?

Khurram Hussain: For pre-orders, they can visit sale@irvinei.com, and for investment inquiries, reach out to me at khurramhussain@irvinei.com.

Adi Soozin: Great. We’ll include all of these details in the show notes and transcription.

Khurram Hussain: Yes, feel free to drop my email in the show notes.

Adi Soozin: Alright. I hope that you all enjoyed today’s episode. If you know someone with an exceptional company that would be a great fit for the show, don’t hesitate to reach out. They can fill out the application on our website. See you online next time.

This transcript was generated & edited by ChatGPT and might contain errors.

This transcript was computer generated and might contain errors.

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