# Startup Spotlight: Risely's agents drove 32-fold outreach productivity in Arizona pilot > Source: > Published: 2026-10-30 04:52:22+00:00 # Startup Spotlight: Risely's agents drove 32-fold outreach productivity in Arizona pilot **After the University of Arizona reported a 32-fold rise in outreach productivity, Risely co-founders Shahryar Abbasi and Sadia Saifuddin are building agents for work across campus systems.** By [Ryan Merket](https://runtimewire.com/author/ryan-merket) · Published Primary source: [Y Combinator](https://www.ycombinator.com/companies/risely-ai) ## Why it matters Risely's Arizona pilot offers an early, institution-documented measure of what campus AI agents can do: increase proactive outreach. Retention and re-enrollment results remain the more important test of whether that added capacity changes student outcomes. [Risely](https://www.risely.ai/?ref=runtimewire) is building AI agents to carry administrative work across university systems, a bet led by founders who have seen the problem from opposite sides: [Shahryar Abbasi](https://www.ycombinator.com/founders/shahryar-abbasi?ref=runtimewire) has sold and scaled enterprise businesses, while [Sadia Saifuddin (@sadiasaifuddin1)](https://x.com/sadiasaifuddin1?ref=runtimewire) spent seven years building software for university records.… When you purchase through links in our articles, [we may earn a small commission](https://runtimewire.com/affiliate-monetization-standards). This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.