From Azerbaijan to United States: How Aisha Allahverdiyeva is developing technologies to combat serious diseases

Aisha Allahverdiyeva’s journey is a story of how education, curiosity, and the courage to go beyond the boundaries of a single profession can lead to the creation of a technology venture of one’s own. Born in Turkey and raised in Azerbaijan, Aisha left for the United States at the age of 18 to pursue her education and build her professional career in an international environment.

In 2019, she moved to Rhode Island, and four years later, graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in Cognitive Neuroscience and a certificate in Data Fluency. Her academic interests extended well beyond a single discipline: alongside her main field of study, she explored computer science, anthropology, and English literature. She then continued her education at NYU Courant, where she earned a master’s degree in Biomedical Data.

From studying the human brain to exploring artificial intelligence and medical technologies, Aisha’s professional journey gradually led her to launch her own startup, Paxis. Today, she is developing the project in the United States, working at the intersection of science, technology, and healthcare.

Aisha’s story is not only an example of individual professional achievement, but also a story of the connection between Azerbaijan and the United States. Maintaining her ties to her home country while developing her career in one of the world’s most competitive technology ecosystems, she represents a new generation of Azerbaijani professionals and entrepreneurs stepping onto the international stage and creating solutions with global potential.

Azernews.az presents its readers with an interview with this young Azerbaijani talent.

Could you tell us about your education and its role in your professional development?

My interest in how people think led me to study Cognitive Neuroscience at Brown University. At Brown’s Carney Institute for Brain Science and the Serre Lab, I conducted research on how the brain processes information and makes decisions.

As artificial intelligence became increasingly relevant, I saw the value of understanding both biological and artificial “brains.” I deepened this focus by earning a master’s degree in Biomedical Data Science at NYU.

My research experience also includes substance-use risk modelling projects with RAND and NYU, as well as cardiovascular research at Methodist Hospital. These projects resulted in peer-reviewed publications. In addition, Brown University awarded me the Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award for creating a national database of long-term care facilities.

In the future, I plan to continue my academic path through a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction.

What shaped your path to entrepreneurship?

After graduation, I developed machine-learning models at CVS Health/Aetna, one of the leading healthcare and insurance companies in the United States. I also built fraud-detection systems for government agencies, including the FDA and CDC, while volunteering with healthcare coalitions and various startups.

Later, I built an oncology AI platform for use in clinical practice together with practising oncologists. That experience and decision shaped my entrepreneurial path and laid the foundation for Paxis, the startup I am now developing with my co-founder.

How did the Paxis idea emerge?

The idea emerged from my experience at NYU Langone. Discussions with oncologists showed that one of their biggest challenges was the time required to search medical literature for a single patient. To address this, we built and launched an oncology platform that searches more than 116,000 clinical sources.

Through close collaboration with physicians, we clearly saw the gap on both sides of the system: patients were looking for inaccurate information online without fully understanding their treatment plans, while oncologists were spending time answering the same questions at every appointment instead of keeping up with new research.

Seeing this problem in real time through the system we had developed motivated us to create an independent and more comprehensive solution.

What problem does Paxis solve, and what makes it different from existing solutions?

Paxis addresses the imbalance between oncologists’ limited time and patients’ need for clear information. Doctors often have only 15 minutes per appointment and may not have time to provide detailed explanations. Paxis gives patients answers to questions about treatment, symptoms and medical reports based on their own verified medical information.

Questions that require medical judgment are sent directly to the oncologist, while patient information is automatically matched with the latest relevant clinical trials.

A key feature that ensures the platform’s reliability is that patients can join only through an invitation from their own oncologist. While many existing applications focus only on patients and services such as OpenEvidence focus only on physicians, Paxis is designed to meet the needs of both sides at the same time.

What steps did you take to validate market demand, and what results have you achieved so far?

Before Paxis, we created an early version of the technology in partnership with NYU Langone physicians. This proved that the idea could work in a real clinical setting. Based on positive feedback from physicians, we added the missing element: a direct connection with patients, creating a complete experience for both sides.

Doctors now have a tool that helps match patients with relevant clinical trials, while patients have an application that explains their reports. The product has been tested directly by physicians and is continuously improved based on their feedback. Before the official beta release, we are further refining the system and expanding our network of medical advisers.

What stage is Paxis at today?

Paxis is currently at the pre-seed stage. Our fully functional product is live, and we have developed a unique algorithm that matches clinical literature with individual patients. We plan to pursue patent protection for this technology.

Early testing has developed into partnerships with physicians from institutions including NYU Langone, Baptist Health and Memorial Hermann. During the beta stage, we are launching a 90-day pilot with three to five oncologists and 20 to 50 patients per physician. We will monitor safety, answer quality and time savings throughout the pilot.

We are raising pre-seed funding for the next 12 months to expand the team, address regulatory requirements and attract paying customers.

What has been the biggest challenge, and what has it taught you?

The biggest challenge has been ensuring that AI is used intentionally, rather than simply because it is popular. In particular, it was critical to determine when the model should not answer a question and should instead direct it to a physician. This is essential for protecting the safety and accuracy of medical information.

We also spent weeks developing a feature that users ultimately did not need. That experience taught us to listen closely to physicians and patients and to build only solutions that address their real needs.

What does working internationally as a young Azerbaijani woman founder mean to you?

I am grateful to my parents, who always prioritised my education and gave me the confidence to believe that I could achieve my goals. Although women are still underrepresented in this field, my strong support system in Baku and the foundation provided by my family have given me confidence in presentations and difficult negotiations.

For me, the main principle is the quality of the work we produce. The functional product I built from the ground up and my research experience at respected institutions help shift the focus from who I am to what we have created.

How do you assess Azerbaijan’s startup and innovation ecosystem?

Azerbaijan has a strong talent base that is becoming increasingly international. To help this potential compete globally, the country needs stronger infrastructure, including early-stage capital, mentors with global experience and close-knit founder communities.

It is particularly important to establish incubation programmes in artificial intelligence and data science and to strengthen links between universities and the broader ecosystem. With greater global visibility for Azerbaijani founders, the country can develop strong companies capable of competing internationally.

What are Paxis’s next goals?

Over the next 12 months, our main priorities are to complete closed beta testing, strengthen regulatory readiness and privacy safeguards, and verify the accuracy of responses through human oversight. We then plan to expand the product to cover more cancer types and community features while broadening partnerships with major healthcare institutions.

Although we are starting with oncology because of the complexity of patient cases, we aim to integrate the platform into other medical specialties and hospital systems in the future. Our main goal is to build a trusted bridge between patients and doctors on a global scale.

What would you like to say to young people, especially young Azerbaijani women?

Do not wait for every detail to be fully ready before you start creating. My own path has taken me from neuroscience to machine learning and then to a healthcare startup through practical work at every stage.

My advice to young Azerbaijani women is not to be afraid of exploring different fields. Every experience is valuable; the key is to combine those experiences in the right way and present your ideas with confidence.

The support and sense of home offered by the Azerbaijani community abroad are invaluable. Rely on one another, and feel free to reach out to me when needed. I hope that more young women from Azerbaijan will feel this support as they build their own projects and take the first step forward.