# Sona Shah

> Sona Shah is the co-founder and CEO of Neopenda, a public-benefit medical-device company that designs connected monitoring tools around the practical constraints of under-resourced hospitals. A chemical engineer who later earned a master's degree in biomedical engineering, she turned field research in Uganda into a decade-long effort to make durable, affordable technology with clinicians rather than simply exporting equipment built for wealthier settings.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Neopenda
- **Organizations:** Neopenda, Columbia University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Eli Lilly and Company, Engineers Without Borders USA, MIT Solve, Techstars Chicago
- **Education:** Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Co-founded Neopenda in 2015 and led it from a Columbia biomedical design project into a public benefit corporation., Named to Inc.'s 2017 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs list with co-founder Teresa Cauvel., Selected as a 2018 MIT Solve Solver in the Frontlines of Health challenge.

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Taught math, science and English at Nyagancha Primary School in western Kenya through Volunteers For Peace.
- **2013-2014** — Worked in technical services at Eli Lilly and volunteered with Engineers Without Borders USA.
- **2014-2016** — Studied biomedical engineering at Columbia University and met future co-founder Teresa Cauvel in a biomedical design course.
- **2015** — Co-founded Neopenda; a Columbia Venture Competition prize funded a two-and-a-half-week needs-assessment trip to nine hospitals in four Ugandan cities.
- **2016** — Neopenda moved its headquarters to Chicago and continued user and market research in Uganda.
- **2017** — Named with Cauvel to Inc.'s 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs list; Neopenda received recognition including a Fast Company World Changing Ideas honor.
- **2018** — Selected as an MIT Solve Solver in the Frontlines of Health challenge and received a UN Women She Innovates prize.
- **2021** — neoGuard received CE marking as a Class IIb medical device.
- **2025** — Marked Neopenda's tenth year; public company updates reported 45+ hospital customers across five countries and a community investment round.
- **2026** — Neopenda reported new installations in Kericho County, Kenya, and continued expanding its Kenya-based commercial and customer-success operations.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Neopenda in 2015 and led it from a Columbia biomedical design project into a public benefit corporation.
- Named to Inc.'s 2017 30 Under 30 Entrepreneurs list with co-founder Teresa Cauvel.
- Selected as a 2018 MIT Solve Solver in the Frontlines of Health challenge.
- Received the UN Women She Innovates prize through MIT Solve.
- Helped guide neoGuard through CE marking as a Class IIb medical device in 2021.
- By 2025, Neopenda publicly reported more than 35,000 monitoring hours across 2,000+ patients and operations supporting providers in Kenya, Uganda and Ghana.
- By 2025, Neopenda reported customers at more than 45 hospitals across five countries.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Shah reported returning from two weeks with Neopenda's Kenya team and emphasized that the team's fieldwork and trust-building are the company's strongest asset.
- **2026-06** — Neopenda completed its first three installations in Kenya's Kericho County and trained 31 staff across Roret, Sigowet and Sosiot facilities.
- **2026-06** — Shah said Neopenda passed its CE Mark re-certification audit under the EU Medical Device Regulation.
- **2026-04** — Neopenda's community investment round was scheduled to close as the company prepared to expand sales and operations across East Africa.
- **2025-07** — Shah outlined plans to scale sales in Kenya, Uganda and Ghana and launch complementary products neoSpot and neoCloud.

## Links

- Website: https://www.neopenda.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sonarshah
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Neopenda_Health
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Neopenda

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/sona-shah
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-22