Wayloom is an emerging digital health startup founded by graduate students at Grand Valley State University, Fedi Naimi and Halee Belghouthi, with a clear and focused mission: modernize cognitive testing without disrupting the science behind it. Originally envisioned as an app to help families track a loved one’s memory changes, the concept evolved after conversations with physicians, researchers, and GVSU College of Computing faculty members. The founders recognized that meaningful impact required building for hospitals and research institutions, not just consumers. Rather than replacing proven cognitive assessments with flashy artificial intelligence tools, Wayloom is developing secure digital infrastructure that brings trusted, standardized tests into the digital age while preserving rigorous scoring and clinical reliability.

The idea for Wayloom began in late 2025, rooted in personal experiences for both co-founders. Viewing the field through the unique lens of being international students at GVSU, they began asking difficult but necessary questions: if a cognitive test was validated in one population, what happens when it is administered to another without thoughtful adaptation? Could a subtle cultural mismatch artificially skew a clinical score? While the foundational science behind these assessments is undeniably sound, the founders recognized that the delivery system often introduces unintended bias. Wayloom emerged from that realization and out of a desire to make cognitive testing more equitable by improving how tests are administered and scored, without compromising their clinical foundation.

The partnership itself grew organically. What began as Fedi Naimi’s early concept for tracking memory changes evolved significantly, and through ongoing conversations as Graduate Assistants under the mentorship of Dr. Suhila Sawesi, the clinical focus took shape between Fedi and Halee. Shared academic backgrounds in health and bioinformatics allowed the pair to “speak the same scientific language,” while naturally dividing responsibilities based on strengths. Fedi anchors the technical vision, bringing prior startup experience and helping secure $500,000 for a previous venture to build secure, scalable backend infrastructure. Halee leads the commercial and clinical strategy, managing investor relations and working closely with clinicians to ensure the platform is rigorously validated and positioned for real-world use.

Now in its early user stage, Wayloom has developed a functioning prototype with scoring infrastructure in place. Momentum is building: the team recently placed third in GVSU’s GR DeepTech competition and presented at the Web Summit Qatar Alpha program. They are refining the product through deeper conversations with clinicians and institutions; working to validate real demand, secure letters of intent, and strengthen their problem-solution alignment before expanding pilot programs. As these clinical foundations solidify, the founders plan to pursue pre-seed support to scale responsibly, with the long-term aspiration of joining a top-tier accelerator like Y Combinator. For clinicians, researchers, and digital health students interested in equitable cognitive testing, Wayloom welcomes collaboration, critique, and partnership to help shape the future of fair and rigorous digital assessment.