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USC Entrepreneur Signs Major Deals To Make Preventative Care Accessible

USC Entrepreneur Signs Major Deals To Make Preventative Care Accessible

USC Marshall alumnus launches WellTra.Ai with support from the USC Marshall Greif Incubator and Greif Center’s New Venture Seed Competition.

by: Avni Shah
04.07.25
Omar signing MOU with CEO of Health Holding Company in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Omar Abdullateef signing MOU with CEO of Health Holding Company in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

[Photo courtesy of WellTra]

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    Paul Orlando
    • Director of USC Incubator Program
    • Adjunct Professor for the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies

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According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, less than 10% of adults 35 and older get the recommended amount of preventative care. This is something Omar Abdullateef ’23 is seeking to change with his venture WellTra.Ai.

Abdullateef received a graduate certificate in technology commercialization and innovation from USC Marshall School of Business and a master’s in engineering/industrial management from USC Viterbi School of Engineering. After launching WellTra.Ai, Abdullateef participated in the USC Marshall Greif Incubator and the USC Marshall Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies New Venture Seed Competition, where expert feedback refined his pitch.

WellTra.Ai uses any phone or device with a camera to help individuals understand and engage with their overall health and how lifestyle choices can impact it, providing vitals like heart rate, breathing rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure in less than 40 seconds. It works by using rPPG technology (a non-invasive tech) to identify micro-changes in facial tissue and obtain human vital signs. These readings produce important biometrics recorded within the app.

“Our product has the accuracy of off-the-shelf FDA-approved devices, like blood pressure cuffs, but broadens access,” Abdullateef said. Not everyone has the ability to buy top-of-the-line cuffs and hardware from pharmacies, but almost everyone has a phone, Abdullateef pointed out.

Now WellTra.Ai will be a part of two major initiatives, one in Abdullateef’s childhood home country of Saudi Arabia and another in the United Arab Emirates, run in partnership with each country’s Ministry of Health.

“I feel this tool could save lives,” Abdullateef said.

Abdullateef credits his father for inspiring his pursuit of higher-education in the U.S. and for his entrepreneurial spirit.

“He came from nothing and built himself up,” Abdullateef said.

Inspiration for the product itself came from his brother, whose colleague showed him a life-changing technology. While the tool was flawed and gave inaccurate biometric readings, Adullateef felt he could elevate the technology to match the vision.

During this process, he recalled advice received from Albert Napoli, senior lecturer of clinical entrepreneurship at the Greif Center, during the course BAEP 554: Venture Initiation.

The classes at Marshall really opened my eyes.

— Omar Abdullateef ’23

Founder, WellTra

“He always said ‘be men and women of action,’” Abdullateef said.

Researching the underlying technology, Abdullateef identified limitations regarding light exposure and movement.

“It began occurring to me,” he said. “We can do it better.”

Abdullateef used practical experience and his entrepreneurship coursework to get started.

“The classes at Marshall really opened my eyes,” Abdullateef said. “At first, I didn’t even know what CAC (customer acquisition cost) was. But I started picking up on the terms and learning more about what technology commercialization is and how to cross what they call ‘the chasm,’ which is a period of almost no action where technology goes to die.”

Greif coursework and mentorship from Paul Orlando, director of the Greif Incubator, helped Abdullateef refine his pitch.

“As a consultant, we would write tons of copy to show the client,” Abdullateef said. “But I learned at USC Marshall that less is more. When I participated in the Greif Center’s New Venture Seed Competition, the coaches helped me refine my pitch so much, I used the same deck in my meetings in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

The Ministry of Health agreements include a commitment to develop bloodless blood tests by checking indicators like glucose levels (Hba1C) without so much as a finger prick. WellTra.Ai also plans to add indicators for hemoglobin and cholesterol down the line. The goal is not just for WellTra.Ai to assess a user’s current health, but also predict where it’s trending and prevent future diseases.

Abdullateef is particularly passionate about assisting users in remote or devastated areas who have limited access to healthcare providers.

“People who really need access to support chronic illness management are not able to afford it,” Abdullateef said. “I want to get them access to the healthcare they deserve.”

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