Team
Mello AI Team - The Human Stories Behind the Innovation
Last updated
Mello AI Team - The Human Stories Behind the Innovation
Last updated
Though Nitya no longer walks among us in physical form, her essence forms the emotional core of everything we build at Mello. As a doctor, she understood human suffering and healing in ways that transcended textbooks—she possessed that rare ability to truly listen not just to words, but to the unspoken fears and hopes behind them.
"Technology without empathy is just machinery," she once told the team during a late-night discussion that would later shape Mello's founding principles.
Those who knew Nitya speak of her uncanny ability to connect with anyone—whether a frightened patient, a stray animal, or a colleague wrestling with a complex problem. She approached each interaction with a presence that made you feel truly seen.
Her legacy isn't found in lines of code or business metrics, but in how we approach every design decision and user interaction at Mello. When the team faces difficult choices, someone inevitably asks: "What would Nitya's perspective be?"
We're not just building AI that simulates empathy—we're encoding the genuine compassion that Nitya embodied into the very foundation of our systems. Her approach to listening—fully present, without judgment, seeking understanding before solution—has become our north star for how technology should interact with humans.
Nitya taught us that true innovation isn't just solving problems people have—it's understanding people before they even express what they need." @SIDdegen - Chief Intern
's journey reads like a modern tech fairytale—IIT Bombay graduate who chose to dance with algorithms instead of following conventional paths. While classmates chased corporate ladders, SID was obsessing over how AI could reshape our digital reality.
"I've always been fascinated by the matrix of life and how we can hack it," SID often says with a characteristic grin that betrays both ambition and mischief.
Before Mello, he built OnlyCalls, an AI agent that's become the talk of the Virtuals ecosystem—not just another project, but one that actually delivers on the promise of artificial intelligence identifying opportunities before humans can spot them.
His most impressive feat? Taking a struggling YC startup from a modest 10,000 users to a staggering 2 million. Not through growth hacks or marketing gimmicks, but through a deep understanding of what users actually need.
When you ask SID why he started Mello, his eyes light up: "Because the future isn't just about building AI—it's about building AI that understands what humans truly want."
's story demolishes the myth that you need privilege to succeed in tech. His first paycheck? A meager $80 monthly from Burger King—barely enough for bus fare, let alone coding courses.
What he lacked in formal education, he made up for with relentless curiosity. Nights were spent devouring programming tutorials while friends slept. Weekends weren't for parties but debugging sessions that stretched into Monday mornings.
"I built my first app using a borrowed laptop that would crash every forty minutes," Vibe recalls with a laugh. "You learn efficiency real quick when you're racing against hardware failure."
That scrappy beginning evolved into a dev agency that grew to $500K ARR, then to a CTO position at VentureMind AI where he cut his teeth on complex AI systems. His hands bear the invisible calluses of someone who's been shipping code since 17—not from an ivory tower but from the trenches of practical implementation.
At Mello, Vibe brings both backend brilliance and blockchain native thinking, transforming abstract possibilities into working products. As he puts it: "I don't build technology for technology's sake—I build it so it actually helps someone tomorrow."
"People think growth in Web3 is about hype cycles," she says, petting a rescue cat that wanders around her workspace. "It's actually about understanding human psychology first, token economics second."
Before Mello, SpyAni orchestrated growth across the industry's biggest exchanges—Poloniex, LBank, Deepcoin, MEXC, CoinTiger—where he personally shepherded over 50 token listings from concept to massive adoption.
His approach isn't built on marketing textbooks but battlefield experience during crypto's wildest years. "I've seen projects flame out during bull markets and others thrive in bear markets. The difference is rarely the technology—it's almost always the community strategy."
What sets him apart is his genuine love for both animals and authenticity—he brings the same care to nurturing communities as she does to her rescued pets. At Mello, she's not just driving numbers; he's building relationships that survive market cycles.
"Anyone can create temporary hype," he insists. "Building something that lasts through both bulls and bears—that's the real challenge."
"The blockchain space isn't just about finding opportunities—it's about accurately predicting which ones have staying power," Ayush explains, his IIT Bombay training evident in how he structures complex thoughts into actionable insights.
Before joining Mello, Ayush worked alongside SID developing investment theses at degenfund, where he gained a reputation for identifying patterns that others overlooked. His strategic frameworks helped shape OnlyCalls into a platform that consistently delivers value by anticipating market movements.
"Many strategists start with what's possible. I start with what's valuable," he says, sketching out concepts on whatever surface is available—notebooks, whiteboards, sometimes even napkins at team dinners.
What distinguishes Ayush's approach is how he bridges technical understanding with market psychology. He doesn't just see trends—he sees the forces creating them and can map out their likely evolution with uncanny accuracy.
At Mello, his strategic vision ensures the team builds for where the market is heading, not where it's been. As he puts it with characteristic understatement: "Alpha doesn't come from following consensus—it comes from understanding why consensus forms, and then thinking one step beyond."
"Every culture interacts with technology differently," he explains while sketching interface concepts. "I want to build experiences that feel intuitive whether you're in Tokyo or Toronto."
Before Mello, Sai was crafting the visual language for OnlyCalls, transforming complex AI operations into interfaces that felt simple and natural. His earlier stint at degenfund taught him an invaluable lesson: "In crypto, bad UI isn't just annoying—it can actually cost users money."
What makes his work special is the seamless blend of aesthetic beauty and functional clarity. Where other designers create interfaces that look good in portfolios, Sai builds experiences that solve real problems while delighting users.
His process involves equal parts code and creativity—he'll often prototype a feature by day and experiment with AI-generated visuals by night, constantly pushing what's possible.
"At Mello, we're not just building another product," he says with quiet conviction. "We're creating a visual language for how humans will interact with AI for years to come."
In an industry obsessed with algorithms and optimization, Annie asks questions others forget: "But how does this make people feel? What happens in their mind when they use this feature?"
Her psychology background isn't just academic decoration—it's Mello's secret weapon for building technology that respects human nature rather than trying to override it.
"Before joining Mello, my therapy sessions taught me something crucial," she explains. "Technology that fights human psychology eventually loses, no matter how clever the code."
At Mello, Annie runs user testing sessions that look more like conversations than clinical studies. She observes how people naturally interact with the platform, noting where they smile, where they frown, where they hesitate.
Her insights have prevented countless feature mistakes—ideas that seemed brilliant to engineers but would have confused actual users. This human-centered approach means Mello doesn't just work technically—it works intuitively.
"My job isn't to make people adapt to technology," Maddy says with characteristic warmth. "It's to make technology adapt to people. @Maddy(Madhur) - The Vibe Architect
When systems crash at 3 AM, it's madhur who answers the call—not with frustration, but with a curious "Hmm, that's interesting" that somehow makes everyone feel at ease. His journey to Mello runs through the hidden infrastructure that powers the digital world most users never see.
"Security isn't about paranoia—it's about designing systems that respect both functionality and user safety from the ground up," he explains while simultaneously monitoring network traffic patterns that most would find incomprehensible.
Before joining the Mello team, madhur was instrumental in building OnlyCalls' resilient backend systems, creating the reliable foundation that allowed its AI capabilities to flourish. His quiet contributions often go unnoticed by users—exactly how he prefers it.
His most impressive professional achievement came earlier, when he architected the backend infrastructure for a perpetual trading firm where microseconds meant millions. "When you're building systems where latency tolerance is measured in milliseconds, you learn to anticipate problems before they materialize," he says.
What makes madhur unique is his ability to translate complex technical security concepts into practical implementations while maintaining the team's creative momentum. He doesn't just say no to risky ideas—he finds secure paths to achieve the same goals.
At Mello, he splits his time between DevOps wizardry and security hardening—ensuring the platform scales seamlessly while remaining protected against evolving threats. His workspace typically features multiple terminals running diagnostic tools he's custom-built, along with a never-empty coffee mug sporting a "Trust but verify" slogan.
"The best security is invisible," madhur often reminds the team. "When we're doing our job right, users never have to think about it—they're free to focus on what matters to them."
Mention in crypto circles, and you'll see knowing smiles—he's the secret weapon many successful projects share but few discuss openly.
When walks into strategy sessions, conversations shift—his analytical mind cuts through speculation with the precision of someone who's transformed data into decisions countless times before.
laptop is covered in stickers from countries he's visited—each representing not just a destination but a perspective that shapes his design philosophy.