In a world where communication is often taken for granted, one woman decided to challenge that assumption. `Uma Louise Roa transformed her personal experience into purpose by building Pic-A-Talk, an assistive mobile application that empowers non-verbal children to express themselves using images. What began as a school project rooted in her sister’s struggle has grown into a tool of inclusion—bridging the gap between silence and speech.
In this episode, Uma Roa tells us the story of Pic-a-Talk. She also explains how “building” for impact can redefine the boundaries of empathy and technology. Her sister’s challenges with autism and speech apraxia became the spark that pushed her to build a tool rooted in empathy and accessibility. Through Pic-a-Talk, Uma builds ways to overcome the hurdles of developing inclusive technology, while keeping her sights on a greater vision: using innovation to foster connection and dignity.
Whether you're a parent aiming to make a more inclusive world for your child, an educator teaching children with different needs, or an aspiring entrepreneur looking to make a positive change in the world, this episode is for you.
Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:
Discover how personal struggles can be the spark for meaningful innovation.
Learn why it's important to build not only for profit, but for impact.
Understand the balance between purpose, perseverance, and passion; a mission-driven venture requires resilience and a focus beyond the bottom line.
Resources:
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Episode Highlights
Introduction and Background of Uma Louise Roa
Daryl Urbanski introduces Uma Louise Roa, CEO and founder of Pic-a-Talk, an app designed to provide accessible communication technology.
Uma Roa is a computer science graduate from Draper University and has extensive experience as a web developer, UX designer, and entrepreneur.
Uma discusses her mission to bridge communication gaps, champion accessibility, and create a more compassionate and inclusive world.
Daryl expresses excitement about Uma's work and asks her to share her story about launching and growing an app-based business.
Inspiration Behind Pic-a-Talk
The spark behind Uma Roa’s startup was her sister, Leah, who is on the autistic spectrum and has speech apraxia.
Leah struggled with verbal communication, often pointing at objects or pictures to express herself.
Leah’s actions inspired Uma to develop an app that would make communication easier.
Daryl shares a personal anecdote about using Google Images to teach English in Tokyo, highlighting the effectiveness of visual communication.
Uma elaborates on how the app allows users to access their vocabulary in one application, making communication more accessible.
Entrepreneurial Journey and Challenges
Uma reveals that her parents owned a cake shop, and she grew up being part of the family business, learning to bake and working in the shop from a young age.
Despite her entrepreneurial background, Uma decided to start her own tech company instead of taking over the family business.
Pic-a-Talk has been registered for two years and now has a team of eight people.
She discusses the biggest challenges faced, including team morale issues and the difficulty of generating revenue due to the niche market.
Advice for Entrepreneurs and Embracing Failure
Uma emphasizes the importance of embracing failure as a part of the startup journey and learning from mistakes.
She shares her personal experience of sticking with Pic-a-Talk despite rejections and failures, which ultimately led to success.
Daryl references a talk by philosopher Alan Watts, comparing life to a dream where every night you dream a life, and the challenges faced are essential for growth.
Uma Louise Roa advises entrepreneurs to focus on solving the problem they are addressing rather than just making money. Money will follow if the problem is effectively solved.
Building and Scaling an App-Based Business
There are advantages and disadvantages of having a team of classmates who are tech-savvy but lack experience in other business aspects.
She recommends making the team diverse and using low-code tools like Figma for prototyping to attract the right people.
Daryl shares his perspective on the importance of building in public and being willing to embarrass oneself in the early stages of product development.
Uma reflects on the initial challenges of the app, including crashes and bugs, and how the product has grown and become more stable over time.
The Role of AI in the Future of Tech
Uma predicts that AI will continue to advance and make tech companies' lives easier, assisting humans rather than replacing jobs.
She shares her experience of using AI tools like ChatGPT to search for coding solutions, which has made the development process faster.
Daryl discusses the concept of diversification of labor and how specialization and exponential leverage can lead to increased productivity.
Uma emphasizes the importance of focusing on the problem being solved rather than the technology used to solve it.
Impact and Future Plans for Pic-a-Talk
Uma explains that her focus is now on the business side, including networking with impact partners.
Uma also conducts workshops and awareness programs about augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Educating families and communities about AAC is important for children and helps non-verbal children to communicate.
Daryl highlights the significance of family relationships and the impact of better communication on reducing frustration and improving bonding.
Looking to the Future
Uma remains dedicated to her cause and continues to make a positive impact on families and children with disabilities through Pic-a-Talk
There is great importance in solving real pain points of people, and creates an opportunity for scalability in an app-based business.
In the future, Uma hopes to focus on marketing and expansion.
Uma Roa — Impact CEO and Social Entrepreneur
Uma Louise Roa is a social entrepreneur and technologist driven by empathy. Inspired by her younger sister, Lea, who faces challenges with autism and speech apraxia, Uma envisioned a tool that would help children communicate beyond words. As founder and CEO of Pic-A-Talk, she led the conceptualization, design, and development of an assistive application that uses images and accessible interfaces, helping non-verbal kids express their needs and emotions more clearly.
Beyond her technical work, Uma Rao is passionate about making a contribution to inclusivity. This means making inclusion tangible through design, advocacy, and community engagement. Her leadership is defined by a belief that technology must serve humanity, especially those whose voices are marginalized. Through her work, Uma builds not only apps but trust, connection, and dignity for the children and families she serves.
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