How Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella helped company’s software developer to turn his son’s medical battle into a free AI-based healthcare tool

Microsoft software developer Julian Isla spent a distressful year seeking answers for his infant son Sergio’s unexplained seizures before finally discovering he had Dravet syndrome, a rare and severe neurological disorder. Frustrated by repeated misdiagnoses and inadequate medical resources, Isla envisioned using artificial intelligence to revolutionise rare disease diagnosis. Motivated by his family’s ordeal, he co-founded Foundation 29 in 2017 to harness AI for faster, more accurate medical insights. Further inspired by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s personal story of raising a child with cerebral palsy, Isla became a leading advocate for using technology to transform healthcare for families in need.