Revolutionizing Allergy Management with Immuny.ai Co-founders Luna Li & Mackenzie Dennill

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the 18VC Podcast, a student-run show featuring the stories of student founders, operators, and investors. In this premiere, co-hosts Phillip and Lucas sit down with Luna Li and Mackenzie Dennill, the co-founders of Immuny.ai, a startup born out of the USC ecosystem that is tackling the complex world of pediatric allergy management.

Luna and Mackenzie share their journey from meeting at a USC hackathon to pivoting their business through extensive research and personal experience. Mackenzie, an actress and grad student, discusses navigating her own severe allergies and the anxiety of introducing food to her child, while Luna, an undergrad and former stand-up comedian, shares how her mother’s evolving seafood allergies fueled her passion for the project.

In this episode, we dive into:

The Origin Story: How a USC "Origin Weekend" hackathon team took third place and evolved from "Don't Sweat It" into Immuny.ai.

The Problem with "Avoidance": Why traditional allergy management is often "old school" and how the co-founders are shifting the focus from reactive treatment to preventive exposure management.

AI as an Ally: How Immuny.ai uses an AI agent to track patterns via voice and photos, helping parents and doctors see a full picture of a child’s food introduction journey.

Building Community: The creation of "Beia" the bee and using storytelling to support parents and children.

The Founder’s Hustle: Balancing stand-up comedy, acting, and parenthood with the demands of building a startup, including tips for networking and leveraging university resources like the USC Viterbi Startup Garage and the Lloyd Greif Center.