This Preteen Built An AI Receptionist For Small Businesses

A 12-year-old entrepreneur just built a working AI product for real businesses. Her name is Mana Jampala, and she lives in British Columbia.

Jampala created Voxa, an AI-powered receptionist for small businesses. She launched the product in November 2025.

How The Idea Came Together

Jampala noticed a problem while spending time at her father's workplace. Staff there often missed customer calls during busy hours.

She realized those missed calls likely cost the business real money over time. That observation became the spark behind Voxa.

She decided to build a tool that could answer calls automatically. The goal was simple: help small teams stop losing customers to silence.

What Voxa Actually Does

Voxa works as a 24/7 voice assistant for small business owners. It answers incoming calls even when staff cannot pick up.

The system books appointments and records restaurant orders directly through calls. It also logs missed calls and creates summaries afterward.

Small teams get a virtual front desk without hiring extra staff. That makes it especially useful for businesses running lean.

How She Actually Built It

Jampala started by using ChatGPT to help write her first lines of code. She later switched to Anthropic's Claude for coding support.

Working through the code herself helped her understand every part of the system. She didn't want to rely entirely on AI-generated software.

Jampala also built a second product called Voxa Agents. That platform lets users create custom AI agents using plain language prompts.

The Challenge Of Pitching As A Kid

Jampala's age became a recurring topic during in-person sales pitches. Potential clients often asked whether a parent was actually running things.

She found online conversations went differently than face-to-face ones. Digital pitches tended to focus more on the product itself.

She now relies on a mix of cold outreach and warm introductions. Referrals from her existing network convert far better, she says.

Jampala has already spoken with her city's Chamber of Commerce about Voxa. She continues building relationships that could turn into future customers.

Growing Up With AI As A Native Tool

Jampala belongs to Generation Alpha, a cohort raised alongside everyday AI tools. She said her interest in the technology started around age nine.

Building a startup alone has sometimes felt isolating for her. She hasn't found many people her own age doing similar work locally.

She has connected with other young coders and founders through platforms like Discord. Many of those contacts are just a year or two older than her.

What Comes Next For Voxa

Voxa already handles hundreds of calls despite being under a year old. Jampala says she is now working to land her first paying customer.

She has laid out a longer-term plan for scaling the business. It starts with steady bootstrapped growth before pursuing an accelerator program.

She named Y Combinator and a16z as accelerators she hopes to join eventually. Venture funding would come later, once Voxa hits the right stage.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who founded Voxa, and how old is she?

Mana Jampala founded Voxa. She is 12 years old and based in British Columbia.

Q: What does Voxa actually do?

Voxa answers business calls, books appointments, takes orders, and summarizes conversations automatically.

Q: What tools did Jampala use to build Voxa?

She started with ChatGPT for coding help, then switched to Anthropic's Claude.

Q: What is Voxa Agents?

It's a separate platform Jampala built that lets users create AI agents using plain language.

Q: What's Jampala's plan for growing the business?

She plans to bootstrap first, then join a startup accelerator before seeking venture funding.