Cancer treatment is often discussed as medicines, surgeries and recovery timelines.
Yet, one of the most overlooked aspects of the journey is the emotional toll it takes on patients. Anxiety, fear and distress can become constant companions during chemotherapy and radiation sessions. It is this gap in care that inspired entrepreneur Darshana Jain to create Skitii, an AI-powered adaptive music therapy platform designed to help cancer patients feel calmer during treatment.
Founded under Mindful Gurukul Private Limited, Skitii combines artificial intelligence, emotion recognition and generative music technology to create personalised therapeutic experiences. Unlike traditional playlists, the platform adapts music in real time based on a patient's emotional and physiological state, making the experience deeply individualised.
For Darshana Jain, the journey into health-tech was driven by a desire to create a positive and meaningful impact towards the emotional challenges faced by cancer patients. Together, they set out to build a solution that would offer support beyond clinical treatment.
Skitii's technology uses AI and biometric inputs to understand stress and anxiety levels, then generates therapeutic music that responds to those emotions. The goal is simple yet powerful: to provide a non-invasive, accessible tool that can help patients feel more relaxed and emotionally supported during one of the most difficult periods of their lives.
The startup has already gained attention within the healthcare and innovation ecosystem. Clinical trials have been approved at Yenepoya Medical College Hospital, while the platform has also received recognition through startup and incubation programmes. The company recently secured funding to further develop the technology, expand clinical validation and strengthen hospital partnerships.
What makes Darshana's journey particularly inspiring is her commitment to combining empathy with technology. At a time when AI is often associated with productivity and automation, Skitii demonstrates how it can also be used to address emotional wellbeing. By creating music that listens and responds, Darshana is helping bring moments of comfort, calm and reassurance to people navigating cancer treatment.
As healthcare increasingly embraces digital innovation, entrepreneurs like Darshana Jain prove that technology can be as much about healing hearts and minds as it is about advancing medicine. Through Skitii, she is building a future where emotional care becomes an integral part of patient care, and where something as universal as music can make a difficult journey a little easier.