Global Indian Youth Sunday, July 6 2025
  • Main Site
  • Home
  • Stories
    • Exclusive
    • Startups
    • Culture
  • Blogs
    • Opinions
  • Fun Facts
    • World in Numbers
    • Did You Know
    • Quotes
    • Word of the day
    • Influencers
  • Gallery
    • Pictures
    • Videos
  • OPPORTUNITIES
    • Migrate
    • Work
    • Study
    • Invest
    • Travel
  • About Us
  • Events
  • Join us
  • Subscribe
Select Page
Global Indianstory Global Indian ExclusiveHow 19-year-old Josh Roy’s AI-implemented solution for tackling Cassava Mosaic Disease is winning international praise
  • Global Indian Exclusive
  • Indian youth

How 19-year-old Josh Roy’s AI-implemented solution for tackling Cassava Mosaic Disease is winning international praise

Written by: Amrita Priya

(September 13, 2024) When 19-year-old Josh Roy presented his AI-implemented solution for the genetic modification of whiteflies, at the 2024 TKS Focus Hackathon, it emerged as the global winner, beating over 400 competitors from 300 cities and 80 teams. His solution aims to combat the devastating impact of Cassava Mosaic Disease (CMD) on cassava plants, an essential food staple in the tropics, and address food insecurity.

This groundbreaking project, validated by leaders such as the Global Head of Data Science at GSK, was showcased at London Tech Week 2024, which attracted over 45,000 attendees. It also earned Josh a scholarship to the prestigious Villars Institute’s inaugural ecopreneurship program. Josh is in active discussions with researchers, NGOs, and technology companies to bring his solution to market and positively impact millions of lives.

This November, the US-based youngster would be flying to West Africa to receive the prestigious Global Entrepreneurs Award. “I am due to collect the award in-person in the world’s first entrepreneurship village in Akure, Nigeria, where the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu and billionaire Mrs. Folorunso Alakija would be present as guests of honour,” he tells Global Indian.

Indian youth | Josh Roy | Global Indian

Josh Roy at the London Tech Week

There’s more to Josh’s personality. A passionate musician and host of The CapitalTycoon Podcast, where he engages with successful innovators, he was also the first student in the UK to complete a music GCSE in tabla. ‘Tabla is one of the main focuses in my life alongside entrepreneurship. If you think about it, the two go hand in hand, as both require the ability to think creatively,’ he remarks.

Dabbling in AI-powered innovation, music and podcasting

The British-born innovator describes himself as ‘a design engineer at the intersection of business, tech, and product design’ and is passionate about creating solutions to make the world a better place. As the developer of AI-powered innovations, he also identifies as an AI ethicist and is working on an AI-powered tabla tutor prototype designed to train students at all levels, aiming to revolutionize tabla education.

When asked how he balances his academics, music and other interests he smiles, “I don’t know if I balance it well, and I’m not sure I’m at the stage to offer advice on how to find balance in my work. As my mentor John Spence told me, “If you genuinely enjoy and are obsessed with what you’re working on, that’s what you should be doing.” I believe it’s this sense of enjoyment I get from these projects that keeps them from feeling tedious or time-consuming.”

Josh looks at each aspect of his life as complementary rather than separate. For instance, he looks at his podcast as an avenue to explore new ideas while engaging with successful innovators who provide insights that often benefit in his own entrepreneurial ventures. 

The Indian-origin innovator who was born and brought up in the UK, received training in Tabla by Kuljit Bhamra MBE. “My passion for the tabla offers a creative outlet that recharges me mentally, which is essential when juggling high-pressure projects,” he remarks.

 

He has chosen an alternative education path through The Knowledge Society (TKS), where learning is deeply integrated with hands-on, real-world problem solving. “This flexible approach has allowed me to dedicate time to all my passions,” he mentions.

Josh got the opportunity to enroll in the two-year TKS programme after bagging the Unicorn Scholarship, which is only awarded to 20 students annually. He ranked in the top 0.06% of the 31,298 students who applied in the most recent batch. Its acceptance rate is far lower than that of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Combatting Cassava Mosaic Disease to address food insecurity

It all started with an upbringing that focused on seva. Even before he turned 10, Josh started volunteering with food banks and distributing meals to underprivileged elderly people. This sparked his commitment to tackling food insecurity. While he was still in school, the opportunities to attend tech conferences opened his eyes to technology’s potential. Later, a few Hackathon victories fuelled his desire to work on the problem of food insecurity all the more, and he came up with the AI-optimized tool for the genetic modification of whiteflies – engineered to combat the devastating impact of Cassava Mosaic Disease that has potential to benefit 35 million Nigerians.

Cassava is a calorie-rich vegetable and the third-largest source of carbohydrates in food in the tropics, after rice and maize, making it an important staple. In African Cassava Mosaic Virus is a plant virus that infects cassava plants, causing mosaic symptoms on leaves and leading to significant yield losses in regions where cassava is a major food source. It is primarily transmitted through infected cassava stem cuttings and by the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. When Josh came to know how millions of people in Nigeria suffer from food insecurity due to the Cassava Mosaic Disease, the AI enthusiast got drawn to solve a solution to the problem, and came up with an AI-driven gene editing solution for the genetic modification of whiteflies that cause the Cassava Mosaic Disease.

Indian youth | Josh Roy | Global Indian

Josh during the Villars Institute’s mentorship programme

Later, the week-long mentorship he received from ecopreneurs and scientists — pioneers in their respective fields — as part of his scholarship to the prestigious Villars Institute broadened his horizons. “With guidance from experts like Sofia de Meyer and Sofia Khwaja-Horekens, I’ve refined my food insecurity project, focusing on key stakeholders. Meeting people like the chief economist of Mars Inc. Bruno Roche and my mentor Jini Sebakunzi was an honour, and the experience deepened my connection with nature, and problems in its realm,” he says.

Work in progress

“The next steps involve collaborating with agricultural institutions in Nigeria and across Africa to conduct field trials of the modified whiteflies. This will help demonstrate the tool’s effectiveness in real-world conditions. We are also working on partnerships with government bodies and NGOs to create awareness and ensure smooth adoption of this innovation. Once proven in field tests, scaling the technology will involve aligning with policymakers, farmers, and supply chain partners to ensure it reaches the 35 million Nigerians who stand to benefit,” tells Josh.

For the youngster, the goal is to not only combat CMD but to create a sustainable model that can be replicated across different regions suffering from crop diseases, ensuring long-term food security.

“My Father was my support for me from the beginning of my unconventional path and encouraged me going against cultural expectations by working to solve humanity’s biggest problems through entrepreneurship or should I say, ecopreneurship,” he remarks.

Other projects

Josh has worked on other AI projects like Project Dynamo while pursuing a consulting challenge with The Knowledge Society (TKS). “It’s an initiative I launched to train NGO students in climate change problem-solving and systems thinking, partnering with SOS Children’s Villages, India. This project also leveraged AI to translate educational content into regional languages, making it more accessible across diverse communities,” he informs.

Additionally, he has worked alongside Google for another TKS Challenge in AI-driven initiatives, for addressing problems like information overload that its employees face. 

Indian youth | Josh Roy | Global Indian

Josh Roy

Persistent in seeking mentorship

Josh Roy understands the importance of quality mentorship and has actively pursued it from business leaders.

Determined to reach out to John Spence, the Chairman of Karma Group Global, the youngster tried over 100 email variations until he successfully connected with Spence. “I was inspired by the experience he created at Karma so I was determined to get his mentorship for entrepreneurship. I tried 100 different variations of emails with trial and error as it was hard to find, until his personal hotmail email worked when I found it through a chrome extension,” he says.

This persistence led to a year and a half of valuable email exchanges, culminating in a phone call. “Since then, Spence has been reading my monthly newsletter where I update him and my other mentors on my personal growth. I consider him and his philosophies an influence in my projects and business endeavours. Persistence won at the end,” remarks Josh who loves speaking opportunities.

In addition to Spence, Josh has built strong relationships with other mentors like Kabir Mathur CEO and co-founder, Leen and Manoj Thacker, entrepreneur, and ambassador of Innovaud Swiss. He connected with Kabir during a family trip to Egypt and with Manoj through a friend’s introduction. “Both mentors have been instrumental in guiding my journey, with Kabir even nominating me for The Diana Award and supporting my case for an O-1 visa in the US,” he says. Josh’s persistence to seek guidance have earned him mentorships that continue to shape his entrepreneurial path.

In the shoes of a mentor

One of the youngster’s moments of pride has been getting into the shoes of a mentor of 300 youngsters at Toronto in AI and gene editing for 1517 Fund‘s annual summit.

“I got the opportunity to mentor alongside a panel of 15 other mentors consisting of Zach Laberge (18-year-old founder of Frenter, who raised over three million CAD), Danielle Stratchman (co-founder, Thiel Fellowship) and Michael Patrick-Gibson (author of Paper Belt on Fire),” tells Josh adding, “I recall a Neuralink intern, Kyrylo Kalashnikov, attending the office hours I was hosting. Gaining exposure to some of the brightest minds in North America was both humbling and inspiring. It felt like they were the true mentors, even though I had the label of mentor for a day!”

Indian youth | Josh Roy | Global Indian

Josh during 1517 Fund’s office hour

The migration story and future

Born in Tooting, London Josh hails from a family with roots in Kolkata. He was raised in Ascot for most of his life, as well as in Lambeth. His mother is a singer-songwriter who was born in London, and did schooling both in India and the UK. His father is a corporate professional who was born and raised in Kolkata. This March, the youngster moved to the US along with his father who got a new job posting. “I decided to relocate with him and pursue my entrepreneurial dreams in the US,” he says.

In the short-term, Josh’s priorities are clear and twofold: “Radical collaboration with agricultural engineers, scientists and farmers to refine and implement my solutions, ensuring credibility and scalability. Secondly, to earn my O-1 Visa that will allow me to better pursue my entrepreneurial endeavours in the US.” He is happy that he received his OCI last month.

With prestigious awards, recognitions, scholarships and mentorship the youngster is confident of making his entrepreneurial dream in America come true.

  • Follow Josh Roy on LinkedIn
Subscribe
Connect with
Notify of
guest

OR

Connect with
guest

OR

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
  • AI
  • artificial intelligence
  • Global Indians
  • Indian Changemaker
  • Indian Inventor
  • Indian Youth
  • Indians abroad
  • IndiansinAmerica

Published on 13, Sep 2024

Share with

Related Stories

AI innovators | Gagandeep Reehal and Gursimran Kalra | Global Indian

Written By: Amrita Priya

Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia leaders Gagandeep and Gursimran on creating India’s first AI-powered, driverless car

Aryan Rajavanshi

Written By: Bindu Bindu Gopal Rao

MechaCrop: Aryan Rajavanshi uses AI and Machine Learning to improve farmers’ lives

Humanoid Robot Club | Global Indian

Written By: Charu Thakur

Meet the first student club at Purdue University building a humanoid robot for space

globalIndian_logo

Share & Follow us

Subscribe News Letter

globalIndian_logo

About Global Indian

Global Indian – a Hero’s Journey is an online publication which showcases the journeys of Indians who went abroad and have had an impact on India. 

These journeys are meant to inspire and motivate the youth to aspire to go beyond where they were born in a spirit of adventure and discovery and return home with news ideas, capital or network that has an impact in some way for India.

We are looking for role models, mentors and counselors who can help Indian youth who aspire to become Global Indians.

Read more..
  • Join us
  • Sitemap
  • Terms & Conditions
© 2023 copyright The Global Indian // All rights reserved. This site was made with love by Xavier Augustin