Our Vision

We are reimagining how technology can strengthen the fight against childhood malnutrition. We believe AI and human compassion together can close one of global health’s widest gaps: detecting and treating malnutrition early and accurately.

Rooted in Afghanistan and built for the world, our work turns simple mobile tools into powerful support for every child.

Barakat means blessing, reflecting our belief that every child carries sacred worth and deserves the chance to grow, learn, and thrive.

Our Story

Barakat Strategies was born from a shared conviction that the fight against child malnutrition demands both human compassion and technological innovation.

Our story is the union of three worlds: a pediatrician in Afghanistan dedicated to treating malnutrition on the frontlines, a mother in the United States driven by a deep commitment to humanitarian action and the protection of children, and a network of global technology leaders and engineers at the forefront of the AI revolution.

Together, we believe in what becomes possible when medicine, empathy, and technology unite with a single purpose, giving every child a chance to grow and thrive. The Sophia App embodies care and innovation, keeping human connection at the heart of every decision.

Who We Are

Mrs. Molly Thelosen, Founder

University of Colorado Computer Science Team

Molly Anne Thelosen is an American mother of four with a Master’s degree in Education from Harvard University. As a Founder, she guides Barakat’s vision to unite technology, compassion, and global expertise in the fight against childhood malnutrition. Her husband, Lucas Thelosen, has founded several technology companies and most recently left Google’s AI team to establish Gravity, an artificial intelligence company serving businesses worldwide. Together, they bring both humanitarian purpose and cutting-edge technical insight to Barakat’s mission.

Our technology is being built by a team of seven highly motivated Computer Science students at the University of Colorado, working under the guidance of a faculty advisor. As part of their advanced coursework, the team is designing and developing the core architecture of the application, focusing on reliability, scalability, and real-world usability in low-resource settings.

This academic partnership allows us to combine rigorous computer science training with a humanitarian mission, ensuring that the technology is thoughtfully engineered, ethically designed, and built with long-term impact in mind.

Dr. Zamaryalai Hakimi,
Medical Advisor

Abijith Ramachandran,
AI Advisor

Abijith Ramachandran is an AI Software Engineer at Gravity, where he works on multi-agent systems, automated validation pipelines, and AI safety guardrails for production-level applications. He also serves as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder, supporting courses in software development and intensive programming. As our AI Advisor, he provides technical guidance on system architecture, scalability, and responsible AI design.

Dr. Zamaryalai Hakimi is an Afghan pediatrician with a Master’s degree in Nutrition and extensive experience treating childhood malnutrition. As a Medical Advisor for Barakat Strategies, he leads the clinical direction of the Sophia App, ensuring that its development is grounded in evidence-based practice, ethical care, and the realities of Afghanistan’s health system. His lifelong commitment to improving child health continues to shape the project’s purpose and design.