The Tesoro AI Podcast

In a world driven by data, organizations are constantly seeking ways to collaborate and leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to solve complex problems. However, the challenge lies in the fact that data collaboration often requires sharing sensitive information, which raises concerns around privacy, security, and intellectual property (IP) protection.

In this episode we interview Alon Kaufman, the CEO of Duality Technologies, about the challenges and solutions surrounding data collaboration in the age of AI. Alon shares his journey in the field of AI, starting from his early days in computational neuroscience to his experience at RSA and ZoomInfo. He explains the problem of data collaboration and the need for secure methods to share data while maintaining privacy and security.

Alon introduces Duality Technologies and its mission to unlock the potential of data collaboration through encryption and privacy-enhancing technologies. He discusses the unique approach of using mathematics and encryption to enable secure data collaboration, highlighting the benefits for industries such as healthcare, finance, and government.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Alon Kaufman, Co-Founder and CEO of Duality Technologies, has 20 years of experience in the hi-tech arena, commercializing data-science technologies, leading industrial research and corporate innovation teams. Prior to founding Duality he served as RSA’s global director of Data Science, Research and Innovation. In addition to his leadership experience, he is accomplished in the fields of artificial intelligence, machine learning and how they interplay with security and privacy, with over 30 approved US patents in these fields. He holds a PhD. in Computational Neuroscience and machine learning from the Hebrew University and an MBA from Tel Aviv University.

Time Stamps:

01:40 Alon’s background and transition into AI

04:52 Alon’s experience in data science and problem-solving

07:37 The challenge of data collaboration within AI

10:22 Duality as a software solution for data collaboration

13:34 Encrypted collaboration without sharing data

17:54 AI’s role in accessing unbiased data

20:33 Using duality to access partner’s data

23:50 Duality as a try-before-buy platform for startups

26:25 Government collaboration for cross-border use cases

29:06 The technical talent required in the early phases of building Duality

32:06 Building a global team and leveraging expertise in different locations

34:32 Balancing remote work and in-office collaboration for productivity

38:46 The funding journey and the benefits of being part of the AI ecosystem.

40:04 What is coming up for Duality in the 2024

Resources:

Company website: https://dualitytech.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DualityTech

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/duality-technologies/

Generative AI, particularly retrieval augmented generation (RAG), is in high demand as companies seek to leverage its capabilities to improve operational efficiency and enhance customer experiences. - Building a successful generative AI project requires a combination of engineering and research skills, as well as a deep understanding of the specific use case and data sources involved. - Ongoing maintenance and monitoring are crucial for ensuring the continued success of generative AI projects, as models need to be regularly updated and evaluated to maintain accuracy and relevance.

Today we sit with Bartek Roszak, who is the head of AI at STXNext, about the integration of ethical AI practices and compliance. Bartek shares his journey in AI, starting as a stock trader and transitioning to data science and deep learning. He discusses the evolution of STXNext from a Python development house to an AI-powered company and the growing demand for generative AI solutions. Bartek explains the concept of retrieval augmented generation (RAG) and its applications in various industries. He also highlights the importance of prompt engineering and the challenges of maintaining AI models post-deployment.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Bartek Roszak is a luminary in the AI sphere and the driving force behind STXNext’s AI strategy. With significant roles and achievements in the field of AI, Bartek has a background in stock trading and transitioned to data science and deep learning. He has experience in building AI solutions for various industries and specializes in generative AI, particularly in the area of retrieval augmented generation (RAG). Bartek is passionate about integrating AI into business operations and helping companies leverage AI for competitive advantage.

Time Stamps:

02:26 Bartek’s background and transition into AI 04:51 Evolution of STXnext into an AI-focused company 07:12 Popular AI use cases and interest in generative AI 10:07 What is retrieval augmented generation (RAG): Use cases and interest 12:51 External uses of generative AI with high demand 14:48 Skills required to build and deploy gen AI products 16:38 Minimum experience with LLMs or machine learning needed to work with Gen AI 19:49 The importance of quality assurance in machine learning projects 21:43 Importance of having skillsets in prompt engineering. 23:19 Diversifying LLM base to mitigate downtime risks 24:52 Creating a competitive advantage by using LLM as part of a larger system 28:04 The process of working with clients on AI use cases 32:51 Post-project maintenance and client involvement 34:23 Transitioning the project to the client’s data science team 36:40 STX Next’s plans for 2024

Resources

Company website: https://www.stxnext.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/STXNext LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stx-next-ai-solutions/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stx_next/

Generative AI has become a game-changer in various industries, with applications ranging from content generation to market research. - The demand for generative AI talent is high, and it is an employee’s market in this field. - Prompt engineering is crucial in effectively communicating with language models and ensuring accurate and human-like outputs.

Building Gen AI products requires a different skill set compared to traditional software development. It’s important to understand prompt engineering, have knowledge of neural networks and backpropagation, and be familiar with frameworks like Langchain and vector databases.

In this episode, we interview Ehmad Zubair, the co-founder of a web and mobile development agency that has recently shifted its focus to generative AI. Ehmad shares his journey from being a software engineer to diving headfirst into the world of AI. He discusses the challenges of building real-world AI applications and the skill sets required for success in the field. Ehmad also highlights the exciting use cases his company is working on, including AI-powered content generation and market research tools. Don’t miss this insightful conversation about the booming world of Gen AI.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Ehmad Zubair is the visionary CEO of Cogent Labs, a cutting-edge software development agency he founded in 2021. With a robust foundation in software engineering since 2014, Ehmad has steered Cogent Labs from its inception to a dynamic team of 52 professionals in just three years. Under his leadership, the company has carved out a niche in Generative AI, alongside web and mobile development, contributing to global impact projects, including collaborations with UNICEF's Internet of Good Things.

Ehmad is not just a business leader but also an influential voice in the tech community, running a successful YouTube channel. Here, he shares insights into the software engineering landscape in Pakistan, offering valuable knowledge to aspiring engineers and industry veterans alike.

Outside of his professional pursuits, Ehmad is an avid football enthusiast and a content creator, further showcasing his diverse interests and talents. Follow his journey and insights on his website, cogentlabs.co, on Instagram @ehmad.zubair, and on his YouTube channel, Ehmad Zubair, to stay at the forefront of software engineering and Generative AI innovations.

Time Stamps: 

02:09 Introduction and background of Ehmad Zubair

04:06 The rise of online programs like Udacity for AI upskilling

07:46 Entry into building real-world AI applications

09:48 Use cases and applications of generative AI

14:48  Challenges of selling Gen AI to enterprise customers due to data privacy and security concerns

18:05 Challenges of working with cutting-edge generative AI models

21:04 Importance of hiring curious and adaptable team members

22:00 Required skills for building generative AI products

25:56 Prompt engineering as a programming language for generative AI

27:58 Code is still the most efficient way to program machines.

29:41 Finding the right talent for Gen AI 

32:28 Building tools to save time and money is the focus.

34:54 Upcoming Projects for this 2024.

37:30 Introduction to a fact-checking AI agent that helps minimize hallucinations and hyperboles

40:11 How to get in contact with the Cogen Labs team

Resources

Company website: https://cogentlabs.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cogent.labs.co

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/cogentlabs/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cogent.labs.co/

In today’s fast-paced business environment, time is a valuable resource. Yet, many employees find themselves bogged down by mundane tasks that hinder their ability to focus on more strategic work. Xembly, an AI-powered platform, seeks to address this challenge by automating group tasks and streamlining collaboration processes.

In this episode, we interview Jason Flaks, co-founder of Xembly, about the role of AI in automating mundane tasks for knowledge workers. Jason shares his nontraditional path into the world of AI, starting as a musician and transitioning to software engineering. He discusses the pain points Xembly aims to solve, such as group collaboration tasks like scheduling meetings and taking meeting notes. Jason explains the special sauce of AI in solving these problems more efficiently and highlights the differentiation of Xembly from other tools in the market. He also dives into the various AI components involved in Xembly’s solution, including conversational understanding, planning, negotiation, and distribution of information.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Jason is presently serving as the Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Xembly, where he leverages years of expertise in adeptly crafting software products rooted in cutting-edge technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Virtual and Augmented Reality, Speech Recognition, Audio Signal Processing, and Streaming Media. As a founding member of both the Microsoft Xbox Kinect and HoloLens teams, he played a pivotal role in groundbreaking innovations, notably contributing as the primary inventor of open microphone, no push-to-talk speech recognition. With a remarkable portfolio boasting 40+ patents in conversational AI and natural language innovations, Jason brings a wealth of knowledge to the tech industry. He holds a Master's degree in Engineering from the University of Miami.

Time Stamps: 

01:48 Introduction and background of Jason Flaks 08:17 Pain points that lead to creating Xembly 14:00 How Calendly works well in a lopsided marketplace but not in an organization 18:26 The focus on solving the end-to-end lifecycle problem 22:43 Differentiating between AI and language models 24:20 AI challenges in identifying speakers in a room 26:19 Challenges of building a dialogue system for group negotiations 29:30 Importance of planning, negotiation, and decision-making in AI systems 31:50 Hiring resources for AI product development 35:40 Importance of expertise in conversational AI for feature generation 38:41 Benefits of domain expertise in building AI systems 40:04 Getting the right person for the right job 44:06 What new updates can we expect from Xembly in 2024 47:24 How to get in contact with the Xembly Team

Resources

Company website: https://www.xembly.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeetXembly LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/xembly/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meetxembly/

The rise of online learning platforms like Coursera and Udemy has created a massive demand for learning new skills. However, the completion rates on these platforms have been disappointingly low, with only 1% to 2% of learners actually finishing a course. This is due to the lack of personalization and the absence of support for learners who may have different backgrounds and prerequisites.

Korbit recognized this problem and set out to create a solution that would address the individual needs of learners. Their initial approach was to build an e-learning platform that used AI to personalize the learning experience. However, they soon realized that even with personalization, learners still struggled to identify what skills they needed to learn and how to apply them in their jobs.

In this episode, we sit with Iulian Vlad, CEO and Co-founder of Korbit. Iulian shares his journey from being a math and AI enthusiast to working on personal assistants for Amazon's Echo device. He discusses the pain points in online learning and workforce training, highlighting the lack of personalization and the disconnect between learning and job requirements. Iulian explains how Korbit's AI mentor platform solves these issues by providing personalized, in-context learning within the workflow of software engineers. He also discusses the challenges of remote work and the importance of building a strong team culture.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.   Founder Bio:

Iulian is the founder of Mila spin-off Korbit, a startup on a mission to transform the future of work and learning on the job. Korbit is building an AI Mentor for Software Engineering which does code reviews and just like a senior engineer detects issues and explains how-to fix them. The AI Mentor can detect over 10,000 issues from critical bugs and security vulnerabilities to code architecture and performance issues. The AI Mentor then trains the software engineering team to resolve them. The result: teams ship code better, faster and accelerate their code review process by 10x while improving code quality and upskilling engineers. Iulian completed his Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence and his Master's in Computer Science and Computational Statistics. He is the winner of the C2 Emerging Entrepreneurs Award and NeurIPS Competition Award, and is an alumni of the Mila research lab with over 20 peer-reviewed scientific papers and books published to date. Iulian was the employee #1 of Copenhagen startup DigiCorpus building AI for healthcare solutions. There he developed from scratch their AI-powered physiotherapy solution and launched it into the market.

Time Stamps:   02:06 Julian’s background in AI and his work on personal assistants 06:00 The pain point in workforce training and learning 09:52 Companies’ struggle to identify future skill needs 12;48 Korbit’s approach to personalized learning and relevancy 15:00 Building an AI mentor product that identifies needs and delivers targeted  Micro lessons. 20:25 Why technical founders struggle to attract business people and vice versa. 22:44 Managers often don’t know what their team needs or the skills their team members hav. 24:37 Training must focus on real issues, not management’s assumptions 27:26 Using data from code repositories and comments to identify issues and make recommendations 30:52 Prioritizing privacy by deleting source code and offering a self-hosted solution 33:37 Remote team and best practices for remote work using the product internally 37:01 Fundraising journey for an AI startup 40:48 Challenges of AI startups and competition with OpenAI 42:15 Languages Supported By the Engineer AI mentor 44:16 What coming up, contact information, and how to learn more about Korbit

Resources

Company website: https://www.korbit.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/korbit-tech/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KorbitTech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Korbit_Tech

Today we sit with Michael Simpson, the founder of Pairin; a company that uses AI to connect individuals to relevant resources and career opportunities. With a background in the technology industry, Michael has always been involved in cutting-edge technologies and has a passion for leveraging AI to solve complex problems. He shares his journey and the inspiration behind creating Pairin, a platform that helps individuals navigate their careers and make informed decisions. With AI-driven features like resume and cover letter creation, Pairin aims to provide personalized guidance and improve the job search process. Michael emphasizes the importance of AI in constantly improving and adapting to user needs, ultimately helping individuals find success in their chosen paths.

AI fulfills people’s desires by providing instant answers and enabling them to do things they couldn’t do on their own. Pairin’s product is a framework that allows institutions to build customized workflows and conversations with individuals to help them make wise decisions and navigate their career paths.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Michael is a son of educators, and corporate intrapreneur turned 3x entrepreneur. His passion for helping people reach their potential was fuelled by his rise from poverty to international recognition as a market strategist. He co-founded PAIRIN after over a decade as a certified coach and spent seven years living in Russia coaching many at-risk young adults to successful careers. As the CEO of PAIRIN, he works to bridge the opportunity gap for future generations by making every person’s career and education journey more relevant and attainable. Under Michael’s leadership PAIRIN, founded and based in Denver, CO, has received numerous awards, including the 2023 Inc. Fastest-Growing Company, BuiltIn’s 2023 & 2022 Best Places To Work for Small Colorado Companies, 2021 EdTech Breakthrough Award for College Prep Company of the Year, Business Insider’s 50 Coolest Companies in America, Outside’s 50 Best Places to Work in 2021, 2019 and 2018, Denver Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2019, the 2017 Denver Chamber of Commerce Start-Up of the Year, the 2017 Colorado Technology Association APEX Emerging Tech Company of the Year award and 2017 Colorado Companies to Watch winner.   Time Stamps:   01:55 Introduction and background of Michael Simpson 06:13 The pain point that led to the creation of Pairin 12:03 The problem Pairin solves: connecting people to relevant resources 13:55 Designing workflows to guide individuals through career decisions 16:41 Selling to state agencies, workforce organizations, and trade associations 18:36 Using AI avatars and resume/cover letter creator 21:17 How descriptive AI educates users in resume and cover letter creation 25:35 Managing algorithms to bypass employment gaps 28:23 Building technology with a diverse team of experts 30:26 Vetting AI companies to ensure their technology is genuine 33:12 Integrity and truthfulness in AI companies 34:18 Identifying patterns in large datasets with AI 36:30 The difference between traditional software and AI products 39:40 Contact information and how to learn more about Pairin     Resources Company website: https://www.pairin.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pairin-inc-/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/PairinInc Twitter: https://twitter.com/Definedai

In the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), data plays a crucial role. In essence, it serves as the backbone of AI, providing the necessary nourishment to the algorithms and models that power intelligent systems. As AI continues to evolve, data will remain a primary focus to ensure the continued growth and success of intelligent machines.   In this episode we sit with Daniela Braga, CEO and Founder of Defined AI. Daniela discusses her journey in AI and the pain point she set out to solve. She explains how her background in linguistics led her to work on the first text-to-speech system in European Portuguese and voice assistants for Microsoft. Daniela saw the need for data at scale, especially in local languages, and founded Defined AI to address this problem. The company offers a crowdsourcing platform and a marketplace for training data, ensuring responsible AI and machine learning readiness. Daniela also shares her thoughts on the future of AI, the challenges of data collection, and the impact of regulations on the industry.   With the increasing usage of AI in our lives, the ethical implications of data collection and AI algorithms come into focus. Dr. Braga emphasizes the importance of responsible AI and the need for companies to be transparent about how they collect and use data. Defined AI takes a proactive approach to ensure that the data it collects is consented and properly vetted.   If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Dr. Daniela Braga is the founder and CEO of Defined.ai, one of the fastest-growing startups in the AI space. She has been the recipient of several awards, including the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific Northwest 2020 Award, #27 Deloitte Fast 500 2020 (#1 in the Pacific Northwest region); #27 in Inc.5000 in 2020, and Goldman Sachs Most Intriguing 100 Entrepreneurs in 2021. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Expert Network as a Tech Pioneer and AI Expert in WEF Davos 2022. She’s also a YPO and a Chief member. Dr. Braga has raised over $80 million of Venture Capital, making her the woman founder in AI who has raised more capital in the world. Dr. Braga has been appointed to the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Resource Task Force, a 12-person body that advises the US president on the AI strategy of the United States. She is also an advisor to the President of Portugal.

Time Stamps:   02:20 Introduction and background of Daniela Braga 06:19 Importance of local languages and inclusivity in AI 09:50 Limitations of data availability in generative AI 11:47 Utilizing crowdsourcing and synthetic data for AI training 14:21 Acquisition and processing of specific data for AI solutions 17:54 Advantages of the data lake and metadata extraction 20:56 Discussion on proprietary data and its use in AI solutions 23:43 Awareness of data usage and government regulations 28:12 Potential shift towards paying for data protection and meaningful content 29:39 OpenAI’s growth, Microsoft deal, and potential regulation 32:22 Lack of reverse engineering measures and outdated information in AI search results 34:29 Defined AI’s use of AI internally 37:40 Daniela Braga’s experience raising VC capital 40:17 How to learn more about Defined AI   Resources Company website: https://defined.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/definedai/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Definedai

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a household term, and its applications are revolutionizing various industries. One area where AI is making a significant impact is heavy industry, including manufacturing, energy, and utilities. In these sectors, companies often face the challenge of outdated digital infrastructure, which hampers productivity and data quality. However, the emergence of conversational AI is changing the game by streamlining processes and improving efficiency.

In this opportunity we speak with Mark Fosdike, the CEO & Co-founder of Datch, a company that specializes in conversational AI solutions for heavy industry. Mark's background in aerospace and his firsthand experience with the challenges faced by frontline workers in heavy industry inspired him to develop a solution that would revolutionize the way data is captured and processed. In our conversation, Mark shared insights into the journey of building Datch and the transformative power of conversational AI.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Mark Fosdike, CEO of Datch, is a visionary leader in the field of asset management and a dedicated entrepreneur. With over two decades of industry experience, Mark has an exceptional understanding of the challenges and opportunities in asset management, and a proven track record of driving innovation and growth. Before founding Datch, Mark held several senior leadership positions in renowned global companies, where he gained extensive expertise in industrial operations, and technology. His passion for delivering cutting-edge solutions led him to establish Datch, with the aim of revolutionizing asset management through the integration of advanced AI-driven features.

Time Stamps: 

01:54 Mark’s background before creating Datch 04:14 Identifying the problem of inefficient data input in heavy industry 06:20 How Datch uses conversational AI to speed up processes and improve data quality 09:13 Adaptability of Datch's interface for frontline workers 10:40 Leveraging large language models for accurate speech-to-text and prompt engineering 13:12 Customization and application to specific use cases 15:48 Approach to acquiring new customers 17:55 Typical sales cycle and stakeholders involved 19:34 Changing interest in AI solutions over time 22:59 Mark discusses the need for a consultative sales approach  24:38 Founders' background and passion for building things 28:21 Importance of building a network and finding advisors 29:58 Getting advisors to buy in with equity and commitment 32:30 Hiring strategy and the importance of hungry generalists 34:01 Fundraising journey and challenges as a first-time founder 37:58 Exciting things coming up in the future  38:53 How to get in contact with the Datch team

Resources

Company website: https://www.datch.io/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/datchsystems LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/datch/ Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/Datch.io

In this episode, we interview Dilip Mohapatra, the CEO, and founder of Cognitive View, a company that uses AI to solve compliance and customer complaint issues in regulated industries. We discuss how their AI technology is helping businesses in regulated industries monitor and analyze customer conversations to ensure compliance and improve customer service. He shares how the idea for Cognitive View came about and the challenges they faced in building their AI solution.

Dilip explains the importance of understanding complex legal requirements and how their AI model can identify compliance breaches in customer conversation. He also discusses the value of generative AI and the unique capabilities its offers. Dilip highlights the metrics they use to measure the success of their ai solution, including reducing compliance and conduct risk by up to 70% and reducing customer complaints by 50%. He also touches on the fundraising journey for cognitive view and the importance of finding investors who can provide value beyond just capital

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Dilip Mohapatra is the founder of Cognitive View, a regtech company that creates solutions that monitors communication and collaboration channels to automate compliance, quality, customer experience, and conduct risk. It provides the necessary tools to create a customer-centric culture and risk-based supervision that automates operational risk. Cognitive View has been recognized as RegTech100 globally; AI Fintech 100; the best vendor solution for Managing Conduct Risk at the Regtech Insight APAC Awards 2021; and a 2021 IBM Beacon Award Finalist. Dilip has successfully built an enterprise software channel business with IBM and held a variety of product management roles, including HP, Hyro, and Ipedo.

Time Stamps:

01:58 Background of Dilip and Cognitive View

04:05 Challenges faced by companies in managing compliance and misconduct

05:11 Monitoring conversations and identifying compliance breaches with AI

07:36 The importance of understanding complex legal requirements in AI models

10:28 Use cases of Ai in voice, video, and text conversations

12:29 Target industries and metrics for ROI

15:30 Building the Ai solution and the importance of talent

18:03 Challenges in accessing data and the use of proprietary data

22:01 Proof of concept process and requirements for customer engagement

27:01 Leveraging generative AI and proprietary data for unique solutions

30:45 Providing contextual and industry-specific AI solutions

34:33 Fundraising journey and the value of investors

36:56 Talent sourcing ante importance of distributed teams

38:49 Balancing privacy and data sovereignty in a distributed company

42:00 How to get in contact with the Cognitive View team Resources

Company website: https://www.cognitiveview.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cognitiveviewai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cognitiveview/

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how businesses operate, and supply chain management and insurance are no exceptions. With the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and identify patterns, AI has the potential to transform supply chain operations and insurance claims management, making them more efficient, cost-effective, and responsive to customer demands. In this thought leadership article, we explore the power of AI in supply chain management and insurance.

In this episode, we sit with Stan Smith CEO of Gradient AI. Stan has founded six companies and has been working with machine learning and AI since the late 1990s. Stan shares his experiences working with AI and machine learning, starting with his first startup that focused on supply chain management. He discusses how his company used machine learning to predict which suppliers were likely to have issues and how this helped his clients save millions of dollars. Stan also talks about the pain point he saw in the insurance market and how Gradient AI is assisting businesses to leverage AI to solve complex problems and improve their operations. In this episode, Stan also talks about the importance of equity in startups, the challenges of building AI solutions in the insurance industry, and the measures Gradient AI took to ensure client data was secure.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Stan Smith is the  Founder and CEO of Gradient AI. Stan founded Gradient AI, first as a unique practice within Milliman to focus on the risk management and insurance industry’s most challenging business problems. He acquired the business from Milliman in 2018, founding Gradient AI as a rapidly growing independent SaaS organization. With nearly 30 years of experience growing AI and technology organizations, Stan’s leadership ensures that Gradient AI is applying the latest Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to the insurance industry, resulting in proven financial performance for its stellar list of customers and better treatment and outcomes for individuals. Stan has held founding or executive-level roles for multiple startup companies, including Vice President at MatrixOne, Executive Vice President and General Manager at Agile Software, and CEO and Founder at OpenRatings.Stan also led the development of patented technologies including: technology that predicts bankruptcies for small, privately held suppliers; a global database to improve supplier performance for more than 80 million companies; and, technology that combines assessments with performance data to identify opportunities for reducing inefficiencies through lean initiatives.

Time Stamps: 

02:17 Stan Smith's background and experience in the startup world

06:15 Paint point that led to the idea for Gradient AI

09:04 Importance of identifying high-risk claims early 

12:18 Ability of Gradient AI's models to accurately predict the cost of a claim

14:32 The complementary nature of AI and human adjusters in claims processing

17:07 Engaging with clients in underwriting operations

19:52 Integration of Gradient AI solutions into commercial systems

23:40 Challenges of building AI solutions in the insurance industry

25:11 Importance of having a team with both AI and insurance expertise

27:14 The importance of culture and team in attracting talent

29:36 Incentives that Gradient AI offers to attract the right talent

32:51 Educating insurance companies about AI and the impact of the pandemic

37:29 Turning interest in AI into investible business problems

40:14 Fundraising journey and partnerships with insurance-focused venture capitalists

41:57 Selecting investors based on industry and AI experience

43:44 Whats coming up new for Gradient AI

44:10 How to get in contact with the Gradient AI team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.gradientai.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GradientAI1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gradientai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gradientai/

In this episode, we sit with Dr. Karim Galil, the founder and CEO of Mendel.AI, an artificial intelligence-powered platform that extracts insights from medical records to improve patient outcomes. Dr. Galil shares his journey from practicing medicine to becoming a tech entrepreneur and the role that AI can play in making healthcare more data-driven. He discusses the challenges of subjective medical practices and the potential for AI to learn from every patient's journey.

Dr. Galil explains that symbolic AI is more focused on teaching machines fundamentals of logic, rules, and concepts, while machine learning is more focused on learning from patterns. He gives an example of the opioid crisis, where a machine learning model would learn that opioids are great because humans are prescribing them, while a symbolic system would understand what opioids are and what the best options are. In the process of building AI in healthcare, Mendel.AI has used both symbolic AI and machine learning. Dr. Galil also discusses the challenges of talent acquisition in the AI industry and how the economy can impact AI talent availability. He emphasizes the importance of hiring talent with grit, curiosity, and coachability and the benefits of hiring mid-level to junior talent to assist the genius.

Mendel.AI is a healthcare platform that uses symbolic AI and machine learning to provide personalized treatment plans for patients. The platform reads every medical record and encounter between patients and healthcare systems to help physicians make more objective decisions. Mendel.AI works with big pharmaceuticals, payers, and data companies to help them read their data and glean insights to make better decisions. The platform can help pharmaceutical companies understand which patients respond better to what drug and in what occasions, and payers can decide whether to cover a certain medication or not. Mendel.AI uses domain experts to learn from, rather than just data and can help pharmaceutical companies discontinue drugs that are not effective and optimize their drug offerings.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Dr. Karim Galil, MD, is the CEO and Co-founder of Mendel.AI. Mendel's mission is to learn from every patient by structuring and de-identifying patient data at a machine scale and human fidelity to power clinical and research use cases. Dr. Galil’s experience as a physician demonstrated that medicine does not advance at the same rate as technology. With Mendel, he aims to bridge this gap, facilitate clinical research at scale, and make medicine objective. Dr. Galil’s expertise in AI, medical informatics, and digital health makes him a sought-after presence at global conferences.

Time Stamps: 

01:49 Introduction of Dr. Karim Galil and his background in medicine 

06:59 The potential for AI to learn from every patient's journey

10:41 The challenges of working with unstructured medical data 

12:19 The importance of explainable AI in healthcare 

15:20 Using real-world data to identify drug effectiveness in specific patient profiles

18:02 The difference between machine learning and symbolic AI 

21:09 Difference in talent and approach needed for symbolic AI vs machine learning

23:02 The process of building concepts for symbolic AI

25:53 Challenges of talent acquisition in the AI industry

27:49 The impact of the economy on AI talent availability

31:49 The importance of hiring talent with grit, curiosity, and coachability

35:18 Building a competitive advantage and a mode in AI startups

38:53 Challenges of finding the right investors for AI startups 

41:51 The myth of VCs being a value add and the importance of cash and brand

43:01 Who is the end user and how do they engage with the product

45:49 How to get in contact with the Mendel team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.mendel.ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/mendel_ai_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mendelai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mendel-ai

Today we sit with Michael D. Abramoff, a neuroscientist and the founder of Digital Diagnostics, a company that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to provide autonomous medical diagnosis. In this interview, Michael shares his background and how he got into AI, as well as his vision for the future of medical diagnosis. He discusses how he uses AI to make medical diagnoses, the challenges he faces, and the potential for AI to revolutionize healthcare. He also talks about his involvement in other AI-related projects and his thoughts on the ethical implications of AI in healthcare. In addition, Michael delves into the safety concerns surrounding AI, particularly with language learning models (LLMs), and the importance of ensuring that AI is safe and free of bias.

Michael’s vision for AI in healthcare goes beyond mere assistance or augmentation of human decision-making. He believes that AI can make diagnoses and treatment decisions autonomously, without the need for human intervention. However, the promise of autonomous AI must be balanced with the potential pitfalls. As he pointed out, AI that learns from biased or fallible humans can produce models that are worse off. In healthcare, this could lead to harm to patients if doctors blindly follow AI recommendations.

Digital Diagnostics is a company that uses AI to diagnose diabetic retinopathy and increase healthcare access for underserved patients. The AI is trained to detect specific lesions using clinical knowledge and chunk by chunk learning to avoid bias. Healthcare providers can approve or disapprove the AI's recommendations, and the company aims to supplement rather than displace professionals.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Michael D. Abramoff, MD, PhD, is a fellowship-trained retina specialist, computer scientist, and entrepreneur. He is Founder and Executive Chairman of Digital Diagnostics, the first company ever to receive FDA clearance for an autonomous AI diagnostic system. To transform the quality, accessibility, and affordability of global healthcare through the automation of medical diagnosis and treatment. In primary care, it can instantaneously diagnose diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema at the point of care. Dr. Abramoff developed an ethical foundation for autonomous AI that was used during the design and validation, and regulatory and payment pathways for autonomous AI. As the author of over 350 peer-reviewed publications in this field, he has been cited over 42,000 times, and is the inventor of 20 issued patents and many patent applications. Dr. Abramoff has mentored dozens of engineering graduate students, ophthalmology residents, and retina fellows. His passion is to use AI to improve the affordability, accessibility, and quality of care.

Time Stamps:

02:10 Michael's background as a neuroscientist and his interest in AI

05:37 Safety concerns surrounding AI, particularly with LLMs

07:08 The challenges of implementing AI in healthcare

09:07 The importance of AI supporting decision making rather than making decisions

11:02 The potential for AI to revolutionize healthcare

15:25 The importance of ensuring access to healthcare for all

18:40 The pain points behind creating Digital Diagnostics

21:49 Creating an ethical framework for regulation and reimbursement of AI

24:02 Potential for AI to outperform human experts in diagnosing medical conditions

26:00 Importance of clinical outcomes: acquiring data for AI and ensuring inclusivity

29:26 The impact of pigmentation on AI training data

31:37 Talent shortage in AI: transition from rule-based systems to machine learning

33:00 Understanding the fundamentals of AI despite increased efficiency

35:10 The need to prove the worth of AI in healthcare through clinical outcomes

37:24 How to get in contact with the Digital Diagnostics team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.digitaldiagnostics.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AItheRightWay

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/digital-diagnostics

In this episode, we sit with Pankit Desai, a seasoned corporate leader with nearly three decades of experience in the tech industry. Pankit shares his insights into the ever-evolving world of technology and its profound impact on businesses and society. He also takes us on a journey through the waves of technological advancements he has witnessed throughout his career, from crowdsourcing to digital transformation. We explore the advantages these waves have brought, including labor arbitrage, price advantage, and time-to-market advantage, allowing companies to stay competitive in the ever-changing market landscape and we discover how technology has become an integral part of our daily lives, driven by the internet and the proliferation of mobile devices. 

The conversation then turns to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into businesses and organizations. Pankit highlights the prerequisites for AI success: data, compute capacity, and connectivity. They explore how these prerequisites have made AI more accessible, paving the way for its positive impact on various aspects of life. 

With a focus on security, Pankit shares his expertise in applying AI to tackle the challenges of a rapidly evolving threat landscape. He emphasizes the limitations of siloed security solutions and reveals how AI can provide real-time threat identification and response without additional manpower. He then recounts his own journey of founding Secure Tech eight years ago, where he leveraged AI to address the critical cybersecurity problem.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Pankit Desai is an Indian entrepreneur and the co-founder and CEO of Sequretek, a cybersecurity, cloud security products, and services company. He co-founded Sequretek in 2013, along with Anand Naik, and has been instrumental in growing the company into a leading provider of cybersecurity and cloud security solutions. Before starting Sequretek, Pankit held various technology leadership and management roles in the IT industry across companies such as across companies such as NTT Data, Intelligroup, and Wipro Technologies. He holds a degree in computer engineering and has a strong background in technology and entrepreneurship.  At Sequretek, he is proud of the growth that this team has been able to achieve within a short duration. With product offerings that have found resonance with over 120 customers across industry segments, it has been able to grow at phenomenal growth rates and has ambitions to create India’s first truly global security product and solutions company. Under Pankit's leadership, Sequretek has won several awards and recognition for its innovative solutions and commitment to the cybersecurity industry.

Time Stamps: 

01:56 Pankit’s background on AI and the impact of technology on everyday life

06:07 Impact of AI on businesses and organizations

09:35 Exploring the power of AI in cybersecurity

12:39 Possibility of AI-driven security solutions for data consumption and threat response

14:23 Zero-day threats and data acquisition strategies

19:27 AI product differentiation and competitive advantage

21:32 Benefits of AI for security challenges

25:30 Building trust and acquiring customers in the cybersecurity space

27:59 Closing deals and raising capital

30:05 Leveraging AI and security to run a capital efficient business

32:46 Using offshore talent for capital efficiency in the product build lifecycle 

34:44 Leveraging talent in India for product engineering success

37:18 Strategies for building a secure and successful business in 2023

39:16 Impact of large language models on the threat environment 

41:01 How to get in contact with the Sequretek team

Resources:

Company website: https://sequretek.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sequretek.sqtk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sequretek/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sequretek

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sequretek_sqtk

In this episode, we dive into the fascinating world of compliance and security with special guest Rachael Greaves, co-founder of Castlepoint, a tech company revolutionizing the industry. Rachael shares her journey, starting from her early days at Hitachi Data Systems, where she discovered her passion for storage systems and eventually found her way into the field of audit. Rachael's frustration with the constant shortcomings in compliance and security practices led her to invent a groundbreaking approach utilizing artificial intelligence. Together with co-founder Gavin McKay, she transformed their consulting company into a product company driven by AI technology. They recognized the critical need for advanced technology solutions in meeting compliance obligations, both in government and private entities.

Rachael also discusses her experience with a large military project audit, which inspired her to create Castlepoint. Feeling unsatisfied with the outcome, she embarked on a mission to help organizations succeed by offering a comprehensive approach to security and audit services. Castlepoint provides a unique lens, combining policy expertise with technical proficiency to protect assets and ensure compliance with security regulations. Audits, reviews, and risk assessments are just a few of the services they offer to help companies stay secure and compliant.

Furthermore, Rachael sheds light on the challenges organizations face in managing data and systems effectively. With the ever-growing volume and speed of data generation, and the multitude of systems in use, finding a solution that balances secure data management without compromising user, system, and network performance is a daunting task. Rachael emphasizes the need for innovative solutions that alleviate the burden on under-resourced governance teams.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Rachael Greaves is a records and information management thought leader and designed the Castlepoint command and control product. Rachael has consulted on large-scale records, security, and audit projects in government and regulated industries with complex integrated environments, and developed Castlepoint in response to the tension seen in organizations between compliance, usability, sustainability, and cost. Rachael is a Certified Information Professional (CIP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and Certified Data Privacy Systems Engineer (CDPSE), and is certified in project, change, and records management. With a cultural anthropology and linguistics background, Rachael brings ethical, global, and sustainable practices to the sector. Her innovative technology concept has transformed the compliance and risk management outcomes of multiple organizations, by automating the application of complex and multi-layered regulatory obligations to their data holdings. Rachael’s mission is to improve outcomes for citizens and stakeholders by helping governments and organizations to provide better, more accountable services.

Time Stamps: 

02:14 Rachael’s background and journey on AI 

05:16 Audit compliance and AI solutions for the government and corporate entities 

09:50 Castlepoint product company: exploring solutions to data management

13:56 AI-powered records management

20:27 Difference between automation and supervised machine learning

23:41 Exploring AI solutions for records retention schedules

27:53 Benefits of rules as code modeling for regulatory compliance

29:15 Analysis of Castlepoint AI for state government entity inquiry

32:41 AI-powered abuse detection

34:17 Benefits of using Castlepoint for compliance and data destruction

38:10 Benefits of Castlepoint for data management and AI model compliance

40:10 Risks associated with AI: robo debt, phishing emails, and business email compromise

44:32 How to get in contact with the Castlepoint team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.castlepoint.systems/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/castlepointSys2

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/castlepointsystems

Twitter: https://twitter.com/castlepointSys2

In this episode, we delve into the fascinating world of AI-driven drug discovery and its potential to revolutionize the field of structural biology. Our guest, Raphael Townshend, the founder of Atomic AI, shares his journey from engineering to AI and his profound interest in the structural biology space. Raphael discusses his background in engineering and how his focus on AI, particularly computer vision, led him to pursue a Ph.D. in AI with a keen interest in structural biology. He explains how he discovered the relatively unexplored area of structural biology and recognized its potential for AI algorithms to make a significant impact.

The conversation takes a deeper dive into the potential impacts of AI on drug discovery, with a particular focus on its application in finding cures for diseases with no known remedy, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, various cancers, and infectious diseases. Raphael explains how AI has already demonstrated remarkable success in folding molecules, an achievement that once required extensive time and resources. By leveraging AI algorithms, researchers can now significantly reduce the time and cost involved in the drug discovery process.

Discover how AI algorithms are reshaping the landscape of drug discovery and paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective treatments. Tune in to this episode to explore the future possibilities of AI in structural biology and its potential to transform healthcare and improve countless lives.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. Founder Bio:

Raphael Townshend is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Atomic AI, a biotechnology company using artificial intelligence to enable the next generation of RNA drug discovery. Prior to founding Atomic AI, Raphael studied for his Ph.D. at Stanford University, where he wrote his thesis on Geometric Learning of Biomolecular Structure and taught in Stanford’s machine learning and computational biology programs. He has been recognized in Forbes 30 Under 30, and his work has been featured on the cover of Science, recognized by the Best Paper award at NeurIPS, and published in other top venues such as Nature, Cell, and ICLR. During his Ph.D. program, Raphael also held positions at DeepMind and Google on their artificial intelligence and software engineering teams and founded the inaugural workshop on machine learning and structural biology.

Time Stamps:

02:53 Raphael’s background and professional journey in AI

05:36 What are structural biology and the rational design of molecules

08:02 Impact of AI on drug discovery and medical research

09:18 Molecule design for undruggable diseases with AI-guided drug discovery

13:39 Designing RNA molecules for disease treatment using ai algorithms

15:30 Collecting data for AI model training

17:44 Exploring data generation for AI-powered RNA analysis

18:56 Complementing biological and AI scientists for AI model training

20:44 Predicting 3-dimensional protein shapes using machine learning

22:58 Exploring the Pharmaceutical and biotech industry

25:53 Structuring deals for startups in the biotech industry

27:55 Building a biotech company: found raising journey

30:49 Techbio investing and business modeling

34:06 Benefits of partnering models in Biotech and AI product usability

37:53 Progress in RNA drug discovery and AI-powered research

39:04 How to get in contact with the Atomic AI team

Resources:

Company website: https://atomic.ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtomicAICo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atomic-ai-rna/

In this episode, we speak with technology expert Mark Smith, who shares his experience with podcasting and how he became an entrepreneur. Mark discusses his background, previous success with Windows NT Magazine, and his podcast, Digital Roughnecks. He also talks about how Zoom has become the leading platform for video conversations and recounts the pivotal moment when media business owners sought his expertise to create in-house digital marketing agencies, recognizing the need for essential tools in the digital landscape.

Mark reveals the genesis of his company, CleanConnect.AI, and its focus on leveraging computer vision and AI in the oil and gas industry. With a commitment to addressing industry needs, Mark's company secured a loan, formed strategic partnerships, and built a team of experts. The impact of their solutions is exemplified by successful projects, such as building sites without night operators and creating an autonomous gate guard model, enabling cost savings and operational efficiency. He also recounts transformative scenarios where CleanConnect.AI provided groundbreaking solutions, such as enabling significant cost savings and developing an autonomous gate guard model during the pandemic.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Mark Smith is the President and co-founder of CleanConnect.AI. He hosts Digital Roughnecks, a weekly video podcast focusing on the digitization of energy using AI, cleantech, and crypto. Mark Smith has 25 years of experience in technology-focused digital marketing, publishing, and software development. He previously launched Windows NT Magazine, which was viewed by 1.5M IT professionals in 160 countries. His software suite is the only government-approved AI solution that can replace human leak-detection-and-repair operators for oil & gas companies.

 Time Stamps:

01:59  Mark's background is from IT guy to entrepreneur and podcast host

05:30 How Mark founded his AI company in the oil and gas industry

08:47 Solving big problems with custom development solutions

10:32 Automating leak detection and repair with computer vision

15:31 Benefits of purchasing a computer vision solution for energy companies

19:16 Exploring platforms for R&D investment and scalability

20:31 Data journey for AI training in tank-level monitoring

24:00 Hiring specialty people for machine learning and computer vision projects

27:19 Integrating technology and oil & gas industry expertise

31:07 Benefits of open AI for business development

34:15 Leveraging channel partners and webinars for autonomous solutions

36:00 Partnering and raising funding for product development

39:34 Exploring investment opportunities in ai and oil & gas industries

43:03 Future of energy trading and certification

44:19 How to get in contact with the CleanConnect.AI team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.cleanconnect.ai/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cleanconnectai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/clean-connect

In this episode of the podcast, we talk to Bryton Shang, an engineer, and technologist with a background in operations and financial engineering from Princeton. Bryton has been a co-founder and CTO of multiple tech startups, with his latest venture, Aquabyte, utilizing artificial intelligence to detect sick animals in fish farms. Bryton discusses the challenges facing the fish farming industry and how technology can be used to overcome them. He talks about the use of cameras and computer vision AI models to help fish farmers monitor the growth and welfare of their fish, and how this data-driven approach can lead to increased sustainable food production.

We also learn about the benefits of using Aquabyte's technology system for fish farmers. This system allows farmers to measure the growth of their fish over time, make decisions on their food and treatments, and harvest them earlier for a higher price. Bryton explains how the system was approved by the FDA in Norway, eliminating the need for manual counting and handling of the fish, increasing the quality of the fish that is consumed, and making business processes more effective.

Finally, Bryton touches on the global nature of the fish farming industry, highlighting its presence at a fish expo in Brussels, where every type of fish imaginable was present. Join us as we explore the exciting world of technology in fish farming and its potential to revolutionize the industry.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Bryton Shang is the founder and CEO of Aquabyte, which uses computer vision, machine learning, and AI to help aquaculture farms feed the world as cleanly and efficiently as possible by giving the industry unprecedented insight into the health, growth, and sustainability of their fish. Bryton grew Aquabyte from an idea with a prototype in his bathtub to an intelligent camera and data platform that helps the world's top fish farms understand what's happening in their pens -- uniquely identifying individual fish to track their health, growth, and environment -- without removing the fish from the water. Its technology solutions include biomass estimation, sea lice counting and non-antibiotic treatment optimization, feed optimization, welfare indicators, and more. All of this helps aquaculture farms minimize waste and maximize profit while also protecting the fish, waters, and communities that depend on them. The company now operates offices in Norway, the U.S., and Chile, and was the first technology company to be recognized for its accuracy by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Prior to Aquabyte, Bryton led several venture-backed startups, including as CTO of HistoWiz. At this biotechnology firm, he developed a deep learning algorithm to diagnose cancer, as well as iQ License, a brand licensing platform that he co-founded. Bryton graduated at the top of his engineering class at Princeton University and was recognized by Forbes magazine as a 30 Under 30 leader in Manufacturing & Industry. When he's not at a fish farm, you can find him in San Francisco.

Time Stamps:

02:06 Bryton’s background and professional journey

05:09 Exploring the use of AI in fish farming

09:28 Benefits of fish farming and the use of technology for healthier fish

13:29 Aquabyte’s AI-native solution for fish farming +

16:43 Challenges of collecting training data for AI solutions in fish farming

20:16 Implementing AI solutions for farm growth measurement

22:42 Building a multidisciplinary team to solve computer vision problems in the marine biology industry

25:22 Recruiting for data labeling, AI, and computer vision experts

29:56 Recruiting strategies for a mission-driven startup

33:08 Challenges of growing a startup

37:18 Challenges of growing a business

40:51 How to get in contact with the Aquabyte team

Resources:

Company website: https://aquabyte.ai/

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/aquabyteai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/aquabyte/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/aquabyteai

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Igor Jablokov, an artificial intelligence expert who has had a long and varied career in the industry. We discuss the emerging technology of multimodal interfaces, which allow users to choose from different modes of input and output, and how consumer tech companies have been able to package this technology and make it accessible to the mass market. We delve into the world of entrepreneurship and the stereotypes associated with the industry. Igor talks about his experiences founding and running his own companies, including his latest venture, Pryon. He also shares his thoughts on the importance of education and foresight when looking at the industry.

Throughout the episode, Igor shares his unique perspective on the intersection of art and science, drawing on his childhood in Greece and his teenage years in Philadelphia and Montreal. We discuss his role in creating voice-activated experiences, and how he was inspired to launch his latest venture, Alexa.

We also touch on the importance of accuracy and security in the development of AI technology, particularly in environments like hospitals, where lives may be on the line. Finally, we explore the impact of social media on the spread of information, and the importance of accuracy in the age of Twitter.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Igor is the CEO and Founder of Pryon. Named an “Industry Luminary” by Speech Technology Magazine, he previously founded industry pioneer Yap, the world’s first high-accuracy, fully-automated cloud platform for voice recognition. After its products were deployed by dozens of enterprises, the company became Amazon’s first AI-related acquisition. The firm’s inventions then became the nucleus for follow-on products such as Alexa, Echo, and Fire TV. As a Program Director at IBM, Igor led the team that designed the precursor to Watson and developed the world’s first multimodal Web browser. As an innovator in human language technologies, he believes in fostering career and educational opportunities for others entering STEM fields. As such, he serves as a mentor in the TechStars’ Alexa Accelerator, was a Blackstone NC Entrepreneur-In-Residence (EIR), and founded a chapter of the Global Shapers, a program of the World Economic Forum.

Time Stamps:

02:18 Igor's professional journey and background

04:51 Benefits of multimodal technology for end users

07:42 Intersection of art and science in voice technology

12:41 What is Pryon, what does it do?

18:38 AI-powered document analysis for enterprises

20:22 Benefits of separating duties and leveraging expertise in product development

25:23 Benefits of AI technology for enterprise and cognitive technologies for businesses

31:12 Leveraging AI technologies to achieve growth

33:23 Evolution of AI technologies and their impact on business

35:29 Discussion on generative technologies and responsibilities

38:51 Exploring the impact of generative AI on critical needs and consumer tech companies

41:37 Risks of not advancing ai technology

44:56 Generative technologies and their impact on privacy and commerce

47:27 How to get in contact with the Pryon team

Resources:

Company website: https://pryon.com/

Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/pryoninc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/pryon/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pryon

In this episode, we delve into the captivating career path of Ernest Chan, the Founder, and CEO of PredictNow.AI. Despite starting with a degree in physics, Chan has made a name for himself in the world of finance and machine learning. With experience from working at IBM Research in natural language processing, machine learning, and speech recognition, to developing groundbreaking methods to compare identities without an exact match while working in an internal consulting unit at Morgan Stanley, Chan has a wealth of knowledge to share.

We also explore Chan's foray into the hedge fund industry, following in the footsteps of some of his former colleagues who had become billionaires at Renaissance Technologies. After working at Credit Suisse and starting his own startup during the dot-com bubble, Chan eventually found success in the hedge fund industry once again before catching the entrepreneurial bug once more in 2005.

PredictNow.AI believes that the potential of machine learning lies in its ability to correct human decisions rather than make them from scratch, hence the term Corrective AI.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Ernest Chan (Ernie) is the founder and CEO of PredictNow.AI, a machine learning SaaS. He started his career as a machine learning researcher at IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center's Human Language Technologies group, which produced some of the best-known quant fund managers. He later joined Morgan Stanley's Data Mining and Artificial Intelligence group. He is the founder and non-executive chairman of QTS Capital Management, a quantitative CPO/CTA. He obtained his Ph.D. in physics from Cornell University and his B.Sc. in physics from the University of Toronto.

Time Stamps:

01:55 Ernest Chang's early career and Background

04:02 Exploring the intersection of finance and machine learning

06:33 From Morgan Stanley to starting a startup: an early work in the fintech industry

10:09 Challenges of launching a new product in an unprepared market

12:57 Becoming an independent trader and launching a fund

17:33 Using corrective AI to improve investment decisions

20:32 Benefits of AI-augmented investment decision making

23:32 Clustering AI predictive variables for improved decision making

28:07 Leveraging data to build a practical ai system

33:30 Benefits of AI-powered trading with Predictnow.AI

35:00 Benefits of conditional portfolio optimization for institutional investors and Asset managers

41:15 AI product development and raising capital for a quantitative asset management firm

44:08 What’s coming up in 2023 for PredictNow.AI

46:17 How to get in contact with the PredictNow.AI team

Resources:

Company website: https://predictnow.ai/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@predictnowai6002

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/predictnow-ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PredictNowAI

In this episode, we dive into the world of AI-powered customer support with Deon Nicholas, CEO and Co-founder of Forethought. Deon shares his journey into the field of AI and how his passion for technology led him to start his own company. He explains how Forethought's natural language processing technology is transforming the customer conversation experience by providing customers with quick and accurate answers to their questions. Deon discusses the history of natural language understanding and processing, and how it has evolved over the years. He explains how chatbots have been used for customer service but were often clunky and unsatisfactory for customers. He then shares how Forethought's approach to chatbots is different and how their innovation is providing a better experience for customers.

The conversation delves into the differences between decision tree makers and AI-powered chatbots, with Deon highlighting the limitations of manual and keyword-based systems. He explains how Forethought's technology is based on language models that are built using historical customer inquiries and the actions taken by customer service agents, providing a more detailed and accurate understanding of customer inquiries.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Deon Nicholas is CEO & Co-Founder of Forethought, one of the leading generative AI platforms for customer support automation. The company has raised over 90 M in venture capital from 42 investors, including LL Cool Jay, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher, Baron Davis, Robert Downey Jr., owner of the Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith and Vlad Tenev, CEO of Robinhood. Mr. Nicholas grew up in Toronto, Canada, where as a teenager he fell in love with computers and video games. He went on to study computer science at the University of Waterloo and interned at Facebook and Palantir. He then worked at Dropbox and Pure Storage, where he developed a passion for solving technically difficult problems. He also has ML publications and infrastructure patents, was a World Finalist at the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest, and was named to Forbes 30 under 30. 

Time Stamps: 

02:12 Deon background and early career into AI

04:34 Evolution of natural language understanding and AI-powered chatbots

06:57 Difference between Chat GPT and Forethought AI technology

10:49 Integrating language models into customer service: challenges and solutions

13:39 Possibilities of applying transformer models to customer service data sets

15:23 Benefits of AI-powered support interactions for high growth companies

21:10 Semi-supervised learning for automated customer support

24:05 AI-powered chatbot solutions for improved customer support

27:19 Benefits of AI for businesses: Discussion on economies of scale and cost savings

30:31 Understanding the difference between AI and human-under-the-hood businesses

37:23 Benefits of combining deep ML research and product development

39:34 Investing in an AI business: building a team of engineers for AI product development

42:50 How to get in contact with the Forethought team

Resources:

Company website: https://forethought.ai/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/forethought.tech/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/forethought-ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/forethought_ai

In this episode of the Darius Gantt Show, we sit with Gary Saarenvirta, the founder and CEO of Daisy Intelligence, to discuss his journey in the world of autonomous AI and the challenges and successes of building a company that revolutionizes decision making. Gary is a preeminent expert on autonomous AI, and his company has pioneered explainable decisions as a service for merchandise planning and risk management. This technology is transforming the way retailers and insurers make data-driven decisions. Gary's background in numerical methods and machine learning led him to be one of the first worldwide users of IBM's machine learning product, and he eventually left IBM to found Daisy Intelligence.

Gary discusses how his company's technology is similar to how Neil Armstrong gave the computer instructions to land the lunar module, with the human setting the objective and the computer taking care of the details. He also covers the importance of control theory and system thinking when it comes to successfully leveraging AI. Gary highlights the use of control theory in the aerospace industry and explains how it is essential to wrap machine learning and predictive modeling in control theory to create stable and fault-tolerant AI systems.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Gary Saarenvirta is a Canadian engineer, scientist, speaker, and entrepreneur. Saarenvirta is best known for being the founder and CEO of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence (AI) company Daisy Intelligence. In 1992, Saarenvirta worked as an Object-oriented_programming software development consultant for three years at METEX, known for selling forth generation software development platforms. For the following five years, he was the general manager of data analysis consulting at The Loyalty Group, best known for their Air Miles program. In 2000, Saarenvirta joined IBM as the head of data mining and data warehousing practices until 2002, when he then moved on to become the chief operating officer at Adastra Corporation until 2003. In 2003, Saarenvirta began his entrepreneurship, founding Makeplain Corporation on December 22nd. In 2016, the company was rebranded, and became what is known today as Daisy Intelligence.

Time Stamps:

02:22 Gary Background and origins of AI in Toronto

05:20 Benefits of AI and machine learning

09:42 Autonomous decision making in fraud detection and retail merchandise planning

13:20 Leveraging technology to support employees

16:25 Exploring the benefits of AI-driven technologies for content creation

18:55 Benefits of autonomous AI software for businesses

23:34 Danger of a data-driven approach in business and engineering systems

26:08 Optimizing retail merchandise planning decisions

27:59 Benefits of predictive modeling and change management in retail planning

30:53 Building trust through AI

33:05 Change management and AI implementation considerations

35:05 Automating data cleaning for ai development

36:44 Hiring for machine learning team in a data science company

39:07 Retaining talent in a startup scale up: strategies for success

42:30 Discussion on the safety of Chat GPT and Google ads systems

44:33 How to get in contact with the Daisy Intelligence team

Resources

Company website: https://www.daisyintelligence.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/daisyintelligence/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/daisyintel

Calling a business should not be a frustrating experience where you're forced to endure terrible hold music and struggle to reach a human representative. In this episode, we sit down with Alex Sambvani, CEO and Co-Founder of Slang.AI, to discuss how AI is transforming customer service. Slang.AI utilizes voice AI technology to create personalized, interactive conversations with customers, revolutionizing phone-based customer service. With a background in mechanical engineering and business, Alex has always been interested in technology and entrepreneurship. After working in finance for several years, he returned to tech and eventually landed at Spotify as a data scientist. It was there that he began working on voice technology and was inspired to start Slang AI with his co-founder, Gabe.

Throughout the podcast, Alex discusses the potential of AI in customer service and the challenges businesses face in implementing it. They also explore the frustrating experience of calling businesses and how Slang AI is working to make it easier for businesses to incorporate voice technology into their customer service strategies.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Founder Bio:

Alex first became interested in technology when he learned to code at the age of 14 (self-taught). Since, he has spent his career hopping back and forth between engineering and business. He spent several years working in private equity investing and more recently worked as Senior Data Scientist at Spotify. Alex is passionate about applying artificial intelligence to challenging societal problems. He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford and an MBA from Harvard.

Time Stamps:

02:17 Alex background and how It was introduced to AI

07:55 What is Slang.AI and the potential of voice technology for businesses

10:12 Transforming the experience of calling a business

13:37 Conversation flow sample for flame

15:09 Impact of Chat GPT on voice and NLP applications

19:30 AI product architecture: challenges of building an AI business

24:03 Collecting data to train AI models for a new company

28:13 Building a team with subject matter expertise for ai and machine learning

31:00 Upskilling and AI combining technical and subject matter expertise

33:10 Funding journey for Slang.AI: raising capital for a voice AI startup

40:51 Upcoming launches and fundraises for 2023

42:40 How to get in contact with the Slang.AI team

Resources

Company website: https://www.slang.ai/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandrosambvani/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/slang-ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/slang_ai

One of the stand-out characteristics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is its ability to learn, for better or for worse. It’s this ongoing effort that distinguishes AI from static, code-dependent software. It’s also precisely this ability that makes high-quality annotated data a crucial element in training representative, successful, and bias-free AI models.

In this episode, we sit down with Jason Liang, VP of Business Development and Co-founder of SuperAnnotate. This AI lifecycle platform provides annotation services and training data for machine learning models. With over a decade of experience in finance, corporate, and tech startups, Jason brings a unique perspective to the conversation. We start by exploring Jason's background, including his experience at Lehman Brothers and his time in the tech world at SAP's mobile division. From there, we dive into the SuperAnnotate platform and how it helps companies build high-quality datasets for machine learning. Jason explains how SuperAnnotate uses professionally managed annotation teams instead of crowdsourcing to ensure high data quality.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Jason Liang is the VP of Business Development and a Co-founder of SuperAnnotate where his goal is to help every organization radically improve the way they build, manage, and leverage datasets for machine learning unlocking limitless value in their data. Jason has a decade of experience leading go-to-market activities for ML companies such as Qeexo and DataRobot. Jason also spent time at SAP, as the Executive Director for Global Solutions. Jason began his career in investment banking at Lehman Brothers. He has an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a bachelor's degree from MIT. Jason is also an advisor for a number of startups and is a go-to-market advisor for Berkeley's SkyDeck incubator.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Jason's background: from finance to AI startup founder

03:30 Exploring data annotation and labeling with super annotate

06:15 Leveraging professional annotation teams to streamline data labeling processes

09:50 Data engineering solutions for AI companies of all sizes

12:23 Data annotation and machine learning workflows for fortune 500 companies

13:53 Managing data for fortune 500 companies: challenges and solutions

17:11 AI development consulting services

18:16 Exploring go-to-market strategies for early-stage startups in computer vision and NLP

22:13 Leveraging software and training to outperform specialized agronomists

23:29 AI adoption and SuperAnnotate fundraising journey

26:00 Potential of generalized machine learning and AI infrastructure

29:32 Regulations and ethics in artificial intelligence deployment

31:32 Discussing data security and compliance

32:55 How to get in contact with the SuperAnnotate team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.superannotate.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/superannotate LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/superannotate/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/superannotate

Today we sit with Andrew Palmer, founder of Bertha AI, to discuss the revolutionary tool that uses ChatGPT and OpenAI to create compelling marketing copy and images in a fraction of the time it would take to do it manually. In this conversation, Andrew talks about his entrepreneurial journey prior to Bertha AI, which includes developing a web hosting management solution for agencies, advocating for product makers, and providing plugin development support. Andrew then shares his experience with Bertha, a plugin and Chrome extension that generates text and copywriting for a variety of online platforms.

Bertha was designed to help solve the pain point of content generation and gathering, which is often difficult to get from clients. Bertha was built as a writing assistant for website developers and provides prompts related to website development, such as unique services, unique sales propositions, product descriptions, and other text. But it also can be used in WordPress, Shopify, and other E-commerce, making it a versatile tool for content creation. The plugin can generate product descriptions, blog post topics, and other content. It also includes images to help with the development of websites.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Andrew Palmer is one of the co-founders of Bertha AI. He is providing WordPress users with an easy solution for content creation, maintaining a daily connection with the WordPress community and offering coaching, advocacy, and support for individuals and companies striving for excellence. Additionally, he endorses GridPane, a company offering a fantastic hosting management solution for agencies to start, manage, and provide great hosting services to their clients. Andrew is also the founder of WP Plugins Plus, a company with locations in London, UK, and Kolkata. WP Plugins Plus specializes in making plugins, providing support for various agencies, and offering guided website design and build services.  

Time Stamps:

02:33 Background of Bertha: from vendor marketplace to AI-powered writing tool

05:55 AI-powered content generation for clients

07:25 Benefits of Bertha: a WordPress plugin for writing assistance

11:27 Approaching to build Bertha: a conversation on AI-powered content creation

13:28 AI development and mitigating risk with open-source solutions

15:26 Benefits of AI-powered chatbot development

19:21 Benefits of prompt engineering for ai applications

23:19 The core skills of a prompt engineer

27:26 Mechanics of large language models with OpenAI

29:27 Bertha AI ability to ask relevant questions.

33:13 Benefits of chat GPT and Bertha for code development

35:06 The impact of generative AI on open source and privacy rights

38:57 Strategies for creating value for monetizing.

40:44 Using Bertha AI for increasing productivity and profitability

43:10 How to get in contact with the Bertha.AI team

Resources

Company website: https://bertha.ai/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/berthaai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpalmer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BerthaAI_

Historically, breeding has been a blend of science and chance – a lengthy, expensive process where outcomes often come with tradeoffs. As one plant characteristic such as yield is optimized, another such as protein content is compromised. CropOS changes this by enabling greater control and precision, this means reduced costs and greater accessibility.

In this episode of the podcast, we sit down with Jason Bull, the Chief Technology Officer of Benson Hill, to discuss the company's focus on producing healthier and more sustainable food options with the help of its Crop OS platform. With over 20 years of experience at Monsanto, Jason is now bringing his expertise to Benson Hill, where he leads the company's R&D, data science, predictive breeding, genomics, product discovery, big data engineering, and software development. Jason shares his experience in transitioning from traditional breeding to molecular assisted breeding and then to predictive breeding. He talks about how he put in place the underlying systems to run research and development, and how he began working with predictive technologies, eventually leading to the integration of AI at Monsanto.

The conversation delves into the executive decision to use artificial intelligence to predict future outcomes, and how Jason had to prove the worth of AI to the business owners. Jason addresses the internal concerns around job security and how the team overcame these challenges by having food scientists, data scientists, and plant scientists all work together.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Jason Bull is the Chief Technology Officer of Benson Hill. In his role as CTO, Jason leads the company’s combined R&D and Data Science capabilities across predictive breeding, genomics, product discovery, big data engineering and software development. Bull has over 20 years of industry experience unlocking synergies between biology and data science for multiple industries. Bull spent twenty years with Bayer (Monsanto) and then Climate Corporation, most recently as its Global VP R&D of Digital Seed Science, where he delivered a digital advisory platform. Jason has been granted 30 patents in digital agriculture, molecular breeding and robotic seed chipping. He has also authored 15 publications on the optimization of breeding and production systems. He earned his Ph.D. in Quantitative Genetics and Biometrics and a BA in AgSci (Honors) in Quantitative Genetics and Analytics from the University of Queensland in Australia. 

01:49 Jason Bull background: AI in Monsanto's Seed Development Process

05:32 Artificial intelligence to increase success in product development

06:45 Benefits of cross-functional teams for AI Implementation

12:14 Jason experience with machine learning at object computing OCI

16:39 Exploring a new opportunity in biotech genetics and food science

18:56 Benson Hill AI-Inspired platform and products

24:02 Jason's role in accelerating Benson Hill expansion

27:44 Scaling the organization with ai and machine learning talent

30:07 Recruiting talent for AI and machine learning at Benson Hill

32:08 Benefits of across functional team and SWAT teams for AI delivery

36:32 Discussion on Crop OS and organizational decisions at Benson Hill

39:05 What’s next for Benson Hill AI development

41:07 Combining Impact, Cost, and AI to Create Innovative Products

43:20 How to get in contact with the Benson Hill team

Resources

Company website: https://bensonhill.com/

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/BensonHillInc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bensonhill/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bensonhillinc

Today we sit down with Pascal, the founder, and CEO of Bardeen AI, a leading workflow automation company. Pascal shares his journey in the AI and machine learning field, and how his experience of spending too much time on repetitive tasks led to the creation of Bardeen, a platform designed to automate micro functions for users. They discuss how Bardeen integrates AI into its platform to understand user needs and recommend the right automation for the right user in the right context. He shares everyday use cases for Bardeen, such as market research, outreach, and recruiting, and how it is integrated with popular tools like Notion, AirTable, and Google Sheets.

Bardeen automates manual work so that people can focus on what they love. It also allows you to trigger and participate in automation right from where you are. This idea of contextual, proactive automation unlocks the potential of automating tasks that previously only large companies with big budgets could and now takes just a few minutes to set up.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Pascal started his career at the intersection of ML and neuroscience, trying to learn how to learn the brain. He then went on to work with Google Brain on various ML projects, and then founded and successfully exited an AI company in the AgTech space. After his exit, he helped co-found an NGO and then went on to start and lead Telefonica's Moonshot Factory's AI team. In 2019 he joined Augustus Intelligence to build the tools and platform to enable real scale for AI and ML use-cases in the enterprise. He is currently based in NYC and is also actively investing and advising various AI companies as a Venture Partner at AI Capital and personally. 

01:58 Pascal Weinberger's background, from recruiting to automation tools to BAE 

04:59 Pain point of repetitive tasks

06:46 Automating repetitive tasks with workflow automation

10:44 exploring the journey of building an ai model

14:30 Benefits of solving problems without ai before training a model

17:18 Shift from model-first to business value-first ai solutions

19:57 Abstraction layer for automating automation

22:04 Hiring for a tech company: challenges and strategies

25:54 Discussion on the engineering hiring market in 2021

28:22 Go-to-market strategies for automation platforms

32:37 Benefits of automation with Bardeen

36:06 ROI metrics for ai automation solutions

38:11 AI company raises series funding to automate end-user workflows

41:23 How to get in contact with the Bardeen team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.bardeen.ai/careers

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Bardeenai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bardeen/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bardeenai

As software development accelerates, it's becoming increasingly challenging for legal, security, and IT teams to track personal data flows. Manual workflows like forms and meetings can leave them in the dark, putting user and customer trust at risk. That's where Relyance AI comes in. Their machine learning technology builds a dynamic, real-time data inventory and map to monitor how personal data moves through code, applications, infrastructure, and third-party vendors.

On this episode, we're joined by Abhi Sharma, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Relyance AI, a company that leverages machine learning to track personal data flows in real-time. Abhi is a tech entrepreneur and machine learning expert with a passion for driving change and innovation in the industry. He shares his background and experience building and marketing products involving compilers, large-scale data processing, machine learning, and observability tools. Abhi also explains how he applied metamodeling and machine learning to tackle the problems at the intersection of different domains, leading to the creation of Relyance AI.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio: 

Abhi is a 2X tech entrepreneur and machine learning expert. He spent most of his career building tech and go-to-market for products involving compilers, real-time/large-scale data processing, machine learning, and observability tools for continuous visibility into data flows. Given his work in compilers, Abhi became obsessed with simplifying the expressibility of data-processing intent while automatically synthesizing data types, computation intent, call graphs, and data flows in applications and machine learning models. In 2019, he started advising first-time founders on product/go-to-market and was a technologist-in-residence in venture capital. During this time, he was actively exploring how extreme domain specializations in various industries could slow down the speed of innovation, cross-pollination of ideas, and thus human progress overall. 

Show Notes:

02:26 Applications and entrepreneurship background

05:25 Different applications of machine learning on previous startups

07:11 How Relyance founded a solution to a privacy problem

09:23 Exploring the challenges of privacy and data governance

11:25 Addressing the challenges of data privacy compliance

15:35 Regulatory penalties faced by tech companies

17:53 Discussion on the growing importance of data privacy regulation

21:01 Privacy regulatory enforcement and Relyance solution to assist customers

24:34 Challenges of building a privacy program

29:32 Benefits of machine learning for data protection compliance

32:46 Leveraging public data and machine learning to provide timely value

36:01 Relyance AI foundational modes and defensibility strategies

41:04 Attracting top talent in AI/ML and hiring for data science and machine learning projects

46:57 How to get in contact with the Relyance team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.relyance.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/relyanceai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/relyanceai

Many game studios and developers are aware of the toxicity and harassment happening in their games and have put what’s known as “reactive moderation” measures in place as a response. Built on advanced machine learning technology and designed with player safety and privacy in mind, ToxMod triages voice chat to flag bad behavior, analyzes the nuances of each conversation to determine toxicity, and enables moderators to respond quickly to each incident by supplying relevant and accurate context.

In this episode, we sit with Mike Pappas, CEO/Co-founder of Modulate. Mike shares his journey from studying physics and applied mathematics in college to working in the hedge fund industry, before eventually co-founding Modulate. 

He discusses the importance of math in the development of artificial intelligence and the unique experience he had during his interview with Bridgewater Associates, emphasizing the significance of openness and transparency in the hiring process. Throughout the conversation, Darius and Mike dive into the potential risks and benefits of AI, its impact on various industries, and the importance of culture and diversity in the tech industry. They also touch on Mike's passions for group dynamics and video games, providing a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and human experience.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Mike Pappas is the CEO/Co-founder of Modulate, which uses machine learning to help make online voice chat safe, inclusive, and more immersive. Mike’s work at Modulate ranges from developing new partnerships within the industry, monitoring trends and new opportunities for Modulate’s unique technology to have a positive impact, and reinforcing an internal and external culture of passion, respect, and personal growth. Mike graduated from MIT with a BS in Physics and Applied Mathematics in 2014. Before Modulate, Mike spent time at Bridgewater Associates working on cloud technology until joining Lola Travel as an early employee to learn more about building a startup from an experienced entrepreneur (CEO Paul English, who co-founded Kayak.com.) Outside of work, his passions include philosophizing about group cultures and dynamics, video games, and creating experimental cocktails.

Show Notes:

02:00 Mike Pappas background and career paths 

04:12 Role of applied mathematics in AI development

05:37 The importance of math in ai startups

09:03 Possibilities of real-time voice changing in online games

14:07 Exploring voice moderation solutions for gaming platforms

18:55 Discussion on go-to-market strategies

21:33 Understanding the complexities of selling to businesses

24:02 Benefits of AI-powered voice moderation for game studios

28:17 The challenges of building an ML team

30:26 Exploring the value of AI in moderating online platforms

34:22 Transformative potential of AI-powered voice chat moderation

36:42 Analysis of speech attacks and moderation of online games

42:16 Modulate early hiring and funding journey

44:32 Challenges of raising funding for an AI SaaS company

48:00 How to get in contact with the Modulate team

Resources:

Company website: https://www.modulate.ai/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/modulate-ai/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/modulate_ai

With the advent of online shopping, the supermarket industry is undergoing a major transformation. As more consumers shift to online grocery shopping, experts predict that it will make up 20% of all grocery shopping by 2026. In response, grocery stores are seeking innovative technologies to enhance the in-store experience and stay ahead of the competition.

Today, we speak with Henry Michelson, Co-Founder and CTO of Halla IO. Halla is using AI to revolutionize personalization in grocery shopping. Its unique technology predicts shopper intent and recommends items they may want to purchase, offering true one-to-one personalization.

Listen to this episode to learn more about the journey from idea to finished product, strategies for increasing profitability in online grocery shopping, and the benefits of enhanced shopping experiences. Henry also shares insights on building an AI product, hiring for data science teams, and starting a successful startup.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Founder Bio:

Henry Michaelson, is the Co-Founder, President and CTO of Halla IO. He has a background in Computer Science, Mathematics, and Cognitive Science. Henry has worked on a variety of projects that include a machine learning algorithm to classify supernovae for the UC Berkeley Astrophysics department. He patented an algorithm that has distributed over $7M in awards to mobile gamers. Henry is a member of Forbes Technology Council and a regular guest in magazines and podcasts on AI and retail innovation. Henry’s day-to-day involves constantly improving Halla’s machine learning algorithm and leading internal technology operations.

Show Notes: 

01:58 Background and how Halla was started

03:54 The journey from idea to finished product

07:00 A software company making taste intelligence solutions

08:54 Strategies to increase profitability in online grocery shopping

10:51 Consumer problems in grocery shopping experiences

13:00 Proprietary technology for grocery shopping recommendations

18:04 Benefits of enhanced grocery shopping experiences

20:00 Increasing profitability and acquiring data for knowledge graphs 

25:49 Exploring grocery e-commerce innovations

31:29 Building an AI product: The process of architecting a ground-up project

36:09 Hiring seniority for data science teams

41:02 Exploring strategies for building a successful startup

42:31 How to get in contact with the Halla team

Resources

Company website: https://halla.io/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/halla-taste-intelligence/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/halla_io

The use cases for AI are ever expanding, especially in sectors that typically wouldn’t have been known for using AI. For example, Canvass AI offers an Industrial AI platform that fast tracks operational efficiency, profitability, and sustainability goals for large scale oil and gas, chemical and manufacturing operations.

In this episode, I sit with Humera Malik the founder and CEO of Canvass AI to discuss the growth of AI in the industrial sector, how the application of big data analytics is critical for businesses and her company’s fundraising success. 

Canvass is leveraging artificial intelligence to serve large scale oil and gas, chemical in manufacturing, operations.  Their product is enabling complex troubleshooting, operational disruptions, early event detection and predictive maintenance. 

Founder Bio: 

Humera Malik is CEO of Canvass AI, a software provider that empowers industrial companies with AI to make faster data-driven operational decisions. Internationally, Ms. Malik is one of the leading voices in Artificial Intelligence and how it can help industries accelerate growth, augment human expertise, and achieve net-zero sustainability goals. 

Humera Malik is a recipient of the RBC Women of Influence Entrepreneur of the Year award and the Women of IoT/M2M award. She frequently speaks at industry conferences and has been featured in publications such as Bloomberg and Forbes.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Show Notes:

2:01 - How did Humera Malik become interested in Artificial Intelligence?

5:00 - What is Canvass and how does it serve the industrial engineering sector?

12:00 The early days of Canvass and the major use cases to drive impact for companies using this technology 

16:55 - Where is Canvass today and how do customers interact with the software

21:22 - Building the team: the first employees, establishing a sound engineering organization 

28:09 - Having the right mindset about building while being remote

30:42 - Working with the World Economic Forum's, global Innovators Community

34:35 - The fundraising process for Humera and Canvass

39:02 - The best way to get in contact with Humera Malik and Canvass

Contact Humera Malik _ https://www.linkedin.com/in/humera-malik/

Learn more about Canvass _ www.canvass.io

Today, I sat with Adam Gibson, the founder of Konduit, who is building the tooling for AI development and model deployment.  Konduit is on a mission to help run AI models where developers want them to run -  whether that be in the cloud on premise, the edge, or mobile. Adam explains the new projects they are working on and the importance of the acceleration of AI adoption.  

Founder Bio:

Adam Gibson is the creator of Deeplearning4j and Konduit serving. He has been focused on building open source AI infrastructure complimenting production deployments since 2013. Adam is a multi book author publishing for O’Reilly Media and Impress Japan. He is based in Japan and focuses on helping companies to strengthen their production deployments.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

Timestamps:

2:03 - How Adam got started

6:46 - In what ways are people deploying models for use cases 

10:20 - The process of customizing a pre-built model 

15:30 -  Why the volume and quality of data impact the model

19:45 - What they are working on today Konduit Survey and Eclipse Deeplearning4j

23:37 - The challenges of deploying a model in various environments 

27:58 - How is the adoption of AI being used globally to create a competitive advantage

33:09 - The importance of creating a talent pool that can accelerate the adoption of AI

37:30 - If you give people the ability to automatically generate models they will have tools  without the discipline and instructions on how to use them and that is a problem

40:29 - How to find Adam Gibson

Resources:

Company website: https://www.konduit.ai/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/konduitkk Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konduitai/ Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/KonduitAi

In this episode we sit with Bibhrajit Halder, Founder and CEO of SafeAI. SafeAI is leveraging artificial intelligence to enable the transition to autonomous mining in construction. They're retrofitting heavy vehicles in site operations with autonomous technology  to enable a safer and more productive worksite. 

Bibhrajit is a seasoned operator and technologist in the AI space. He has led and supported AI initiatives at some of the world's largest companies, including Apple, Ford, and Caterpillar with a focus on autonomous solutions. He shares with us his deep understanding of AI technology, team building, and fundraising.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

1:50 - Bibhrajit’s early career in autonomous vehicle technology

3:11 - Aspects of the mining industry that made it prime for autonomous vehicle technology 

5:02  - History of AI technology and its development over the past 30 years 

6:07 - Comparing and contrasting building AI technology within a corporation vs a startup 

7:45 - Bibhrajit’s catalyst for starting the company and explaining the SafeAI product 

13:00 - Understanding how safety precautions and accuracy rates are considered when building the product

17:47- The role that data plays in AI technology development and how they gathered the relevant data for their product

20:40 - Bibhrajit’s approach to team building and the importance of investing in young talent 

24:20 - Understanding how they’ve approached international data regulations as they’ve scaled the product 

26:41- How they work with customers to continuously improve the product 

28:50 - Why enterprise’s turn to SafeAI vs trying to build similar products in house

32:02 - How users interact with the SafeAI product 

34:50 - Bibhrajit’s fundraising process and growing investor interest in the AI space 

40:00 - Skill sets and background of the founding SafeAI team 

42:50 - What’s next for the SafeAI and how you can connect with the team

In this episode we sit with Anu Shukla, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Botco.ai. Botco.ai is a conversational marketing platform, enabling meaningful and intelligent conversations between businesses and their customers. Leveraging conversational AI, its platform, optimizes marketing performance by enabling businesses to create personalized experiences. 

Anu is a serial entrepreneur with 20 years of high-tech industry experience with multiple exits under her belt. She also founded Rubric, a software company that pioneered the enterprise marketing automation systems innovation that empowered teams to collaborate, plan, execute, manage, and measure marketing campaigns. 

She shares with us her approach to building solutions around specific problems, how to utilize customer relationships and public information to build foundational data sets for AI companies, and experience building multiple types of software and AI0-based companies. 

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

01:07 -  Anu’s entrepreneurial career before starting Botco.ai and how she became one of the pioneers of marketing automation 

06:53 - How Anu thinks about building a business that can be acquired vs building a team to solve a distinct problem 

08:56 - How Anu approached the marketing automation problem and their solution

17:00 - Breaking down the interaction between user and the Botco.ai product 

21:13 - How Botco.ai is differentiated from other conversational AI tools

25:21 - Understanding how Botco.ai’s customer relationships helped build the data behind their product 

27:11 - Anu’s advice on how early stage companies can work with companies for valuable data sets or find solid alternatives

29:53 - Understanding the metrics enterprises wanted to see to drive the sale

36:12 - The differences between building a traditional software company vs an “AI company” 

38:25 - Fundraising for a software company vs an AI company

39:10 - How to get in contact with Anu and the Botco.ai team

In this episode we sit with Kirk Marple, Founder and CEO of Unstruk Data. Unstruk Data is enabling its customers to utilize information stored in video image, 3D and industrial files with its knowledge hub, which is designed specifically for spatial and unstructured data. Its technology unlocks the information stored in these data files so that you can easily search, visualize, analyze, and integrate them into existing data workflows. 

Kirk is a serial entrepreneur, operator, and technologist. He started his career in media management and entertainment at Microsoft and his own media transcription company, which was acquired by ESPN. He shares with us entrepreneurial, approach to collaborating with customers on product development, and his approach to fundraising.

If your company is looking to scale its AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com). We are experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

1:47 - Kirk’s background and the experiences that led to starting Unstruk Data

3:52 - The pros and cons of building a private equity backed company vs bootstrapped company 

8:21 - Managing ethical decisions in building AI products 

9:28 - Understanding the catalyst behind Unstruk 

11:51 - Breaking down the Unstruk product 

16:21 - Industries that are becoming more comfortable with utilizing AI tools like Unstruk 

19:04 - How enterprise customers interact with the Unstruk product 

25:16 - How Kirk approached building the founding team 

26:58 - Utilizing the MVP stage to get vital feedback from customers 

28:41 - How to manage customer feedback and internal strategy for product development  

31:46 - How they’ve approached the fundraising process 

34:33 - Investor knowledge on the AI space 

38:38  - How to get in contact with Kirk and the Unstruk team

In this episode, we sit with Hila Goldman Aslan, Co-Founder and CEO of DIA analysis. DIA analysis leverages artificial intelligence to analyze ultrasound images.  Historically, this been a complex, manual process requiring trained professionals.  With the help of AI/automation, Hila and her team are enabling fast and accurate analysis with users of various levels of experience.

Hila is a former lawyer who has spent several years advising startups. She's quickly becoming a leader in AI health tech and is leveraging her business acumen to help DiA Analysis grow its base of commercial partnerships.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

2:04  Hila’s background as a lawyer and her transition to DiA Analysis and data science

5:31  What is DiA Analysis?

6:11  Discovering a use case for automation and AI in ultrasounds

11:32  Simplifying ultrasound analysis via automation

13:30  Gathering the quantity and quality of data needed to build an AI solution

15:25  Identifying data partners, label automation tools and talent

18:16  Prediction accuracy and winning the trust of physicians

21:00  The importance of setting customer expectations to drive product engagement

24:30  Go to Market | Leveraging channel partners to break into the market

31:08  How COVID accelerated the adoption and increased demand for AI

33:50  The fundraising journey of DIA analysis | Rasing $25mm

36:30  New product and features coming out for DIA analysis

In this episode we sit with ZeZe Peters, Founder of Beam City, a unified advertising automation platform that uses AI to help businesses. Beam City plans and optimizes ads across all top ad channels.

ZeZe and I discuss several topics related to building and launching an AI product, building effective teams, how the pandemic shifted the conversation around adtech, and much much more

 If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

1:57 Background is in aerospace engineering at Cornell University

2:48 Before launching Beam City | A product engineering expert for Fortune 1000

4:58 Discovering pain points and the value of automation in advertising

6:26 How the Beam City platform works

7:45 How Beam City is applying AI ad automation

9:40 The impact of Covid on the AdTech market and how Beam City is positioned

14:02 Go-to-market strategy | Finding early traction with businesses that understand adtech

15:29 How ZeZe approached building the first version of Beam City

19:30 How ZeZe’s previous experience in product development helped hire the right initial team

22:20 Determining what accuracy rate makes the most sense for their AI predictions

27:12 Building a startup as a solo Founder + the importance of experienced mentors

32:32  How to keep up with ZeZe and his journey with Beam City

If you are inspired by this episode, be sure to go check out Babak’s new book “The Konar and the Apple”.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

2:00  Babak’s experiences as a serial AI entrepreneur | Inspiring the natural language tech behind Siri

6:49  How Babak’s startup caught the interest of Marc Benioff and Sybase

8:52 A hedge fund innovator | Why AI has played a large role in stock market/trading related use cases

14:32  Babak’s role as CTO of AI at Cognizant | moving from research to commercial products

16:28  Measuring the impact/ROI of AI when feedback is not immediate

21:00  A starting point for making AI-driven decisions when there is little data

24:42  Unexpected challenges and opportunities when AI and humans work together

26:40  AI is not about big data, it’s about good data

31:40  How startups with no data can build a differentiated AI-native product

34:05  How your approach to delivering an AI prediction can be your sustainable competitive advantage

39:20  Identifying AI talent that can translate knowledge from academia to pragmatic problem solving

44:32  Check out Babak’s new book! The Konar and the Apple

Manufacturing is an industry that has taken early interest in the promise that artificial intelligence will deliver massive productivity gains.  Sectors such as autonomous vehicles are generating massive amounts of data that can be used to improve production and vehicle safety, reduce part recalls, and optimize costs using AI.

In this episode, we sit with Greta Cutulenco (Founder and CEO of Acerta Analytics).  Greta has been recognized as a member of Forbes 30 Under 30 in manufacturing.  Launching her startup in Waterloo, Canada, Greta and her team of 40 are enabling hyper focused on improving manufacturing quality using artificial intelligence.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

1:30  Early experience with autonomous vehicles + leveraging AI to improve manufacturing quality

4:00  Benefits of launching a startup in collaboration with a University: talent, data, trust

8:24  What is Acerta and why is it valuable?

10:00  How manufactures currently analyze machine generated data

14:05  How Acerta works with customer to collect data to drive analytics

19:47  Starting with zero data and finding partners to share data to build AI

24:05  Evolving from a University project to startup/commercial product

26:50  Establishing the initial team

28:30  Managing customer conversation in precision manufacturing

32:10  Adjusting to dynamic environments and data when operationalizing an AI model

37:30  Getting customers manufacturing operators to trust AI

43:20  The difference in fundraising as an AI startup vs traditional software

Google is the king of search.  But, is it the right search platform to use across all use cases?  Today’s guest, Leigh Fatzinger (Founder, Turbine Labs) explains why and how executive decision making requires a more contextually relevant solution.   

SEO and ad spend can reduce the relevancy of information served up to executives while they are trying to make critical business decisions.  Turbine Labs has built a platform that removes those elements of search and remains hyper focused on providing the necessary information to help make business decisions quickly.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

TimeStamps:

1:38  Leigh’s background and lead up to building Turbine Labs

3:08 Scaling Business Intelligence – Discovering AI as a tool to automate business processes

8:22  Example – Executive decision making | A once manual process automated by AI

12:26  Reducing mundane work for talented business analysts

16:25  Differentiation: Why Google search is not sufficient for executive decision making support

23:00  How Turbine Labs is used by executives

26:48  Acquiring enough data to train an ML algorithm

30:10  Turbine Labs’ approach to data labeling

35:22  Thinking through AI infrastructure as a non-technical AI Founder

38:21  Customer Conversations | What do customers care most about?

42:10  Explaining ROI through engagement metrics

Recently valued at $2 billion, Verbit is the latest AI-platform to reach unicorn status.  The startup has grown to $100mm in annual recurring revenue in only five years through its AI-driven transcription and captioning platform. 

In this episode we sit with Tom Livne, Founder and CEO, to discuss several topics including how he leveraged the gig economy to build a more powerful AI product, growth through acquisition, how a vertical focus can drive better predictions, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

1:36  Verbit receives $2B valuation on 6x year over year growth

2:30  Tom’s journey from military special forces to law to tech entrepreneur

5:25  The Genesis of Verbit: discovering the challenges behind transcription editing

9:20 Use cases for Verbit’s transcription automation services

13:15  Recruiting a technical cofounder to be the brains behind the AI

16:06  How Verbit works

18:15  Determining a suitable accuracy rate for Verbit’s AI-driven predictions

X20:15  How a focus on specific verticals impacted go-to-market and improved prediction capabilities

24:30  Building out a 35K freelance network of transcriptionists

27:35  Getting access to date to build an AI product

28:45  How Verbit acquired its first few customers + finding product market fit

34:12  Verbit raises $250mm Series E  and its plans for growth

35:53  A sneak peek into upcoming products

38:00  How Tom thinks about AI talent at Verbit

40:30 Growth via acquisition of mom and pop transcription services

Each bite of food we eat was prepared using a recipe with several ingredients with varying quantities depending on the food.  Apply that across a global food industry and you can understand the immense amount of data pouring out of this process alone.

Interestingly, the food industry still leverages dated processes for producing and delivering high quality food products.  Journey Foods has arrived as a data centric solutions for reducing supply chain costs while also recommending best fit ingredients en route to delivering tasty products.

Founder Bio:

Founder and CEO Riana Lynn leads fast-growing software startup Journey Foods. The company is backed by top VCs in North America, Europe and Asia. Riana has served as a top consultant and VC to fortune 500 food and CPG companies. She's currently an angel investor and former Google Entrepreneur in Residence. She is one of just a few dozen black women that have raised more than a million dollars in venture funding.

Riana has been featured in Forbes, MIT 35 under 35, USA Today, Fast Company, CNBC, Wired, TechCrunch, Entrepreneur Magazine and more.

Riana Lynn is a Chicago native and Austin-based entrepreneur that enjoys growing fruit trees, writing film scripts, and exploring black culinary and architectural heritage sites around the world.

TimeStamps:

1:55  Riana’s journey as a serial entrepreneur

4:28  Finding a need for data insights as a solution for supply chain issues in food and package delivery

5:57 Packaged foods – a $3 trillion dollar industry still using archaic processes

7:13  Use case discovery: Where AI and data science could have the biggest economic impact

9:37  Reducing supply chain costs and improving product quality leveraging ingredient/product data

11:57  Reinventing archaic, inefficient processes in the food industry

15:02  Enabling sustainability in food product delivery and packaging

16:10 How startup food product companies are disrupting traditional players

19:22  Accessing GOOD data as an AI startup

21:17  Defining a data methodology at Journey Foods

24:47  Deciding to build as a solo founder

26:42  Initial customer conversations and go-to-market with an MVP

28:50 Moving from SMB to enterprise clients

31:26  Journey Foods fundraising experiences

36:17  Riana’s vision for accelerating Journey Foods growth in South America and Africa

37:52  Journey Fods’ ideal venture partners

Manufacturing and design firms continue to stumble upon novel use cases for artificial intelligence.  Today we learn more about how 3D imaging data is reducing supply chain complexity for manufacturing parts.

Startups also have an interesting challenge in acquiring the data necessary to train machine learning models.  In this episode with Paul Powers, Founder and CEO of Physna, we dive into what it takes to build an AI startup.  We also discuss his early career in the legal field…in Germany.

Timestamps:

1:39  Launching a career in law in Germany

3:13  Where the idea for Physna originated

7:04  Funding Physna before raising venture capital

8:44  The evolution of Physna | Pivoting to a higher value use case in engineering productivity

16:32  How artificial intelligence is used to understand relationships in 3D images

19:45  Leveraging unique data sets to deliver customized, more accurate predictions

23:53  Acquiring the initial data a startup needs to train AI algorithms

28:25 Establishing data partnerships with the enterprise and public organizations

37:28  How much do customers care that AI is driving your product?

39:00  Perspectives on fundraising

45:00  Thangs.com – See what Physna can do…for free

There is always room for AI that improves the quality of human life.  In this case, we examine an artificial intelligence solution that is actually saving lives.  For stroke victims, the length of the process from scan to treatment is often the difference between life and death.  Today, many hospitals deal with preventable death due to processes that delay wait times for treatment of stroke patients.

In this episode, I sit with David Golan (Co-Founder and CTO of Viz.ai), to discuss various topics including AI in healthcare, data acquisition from startups, how AI forces you to reevaluate workflows, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.   

01:39  How a stroke mimic inspired David’s to build an AI to reduce healthcare system complexity

4:57  How strokes are caused and why patients experience delays in treatment

9:15 The genesis of Viz.ai – leveraging automation and deep learning to interpret scans

10:55  Working with physicians to determine best UI/UX

15:32  Determining the accuracy level required to deliver a high performing AI solution

17:38  Acquiring the data to train an ML model in healthcare

19:28  Solving challenges around data annotation

21:07  Great AI research vs great AI products

27:39  The importance of understanding customer workflow when developing AI solutions

29:41  Finding early adopters for the product

32:28 Favorite tech tool at Viz.ai

35:00  The people who have inspired David?

AI is often referred to as a “black box” as AI practitioners struggle to explain why a model generates a given prediction.  As AI is being deployed into the real world, organizations are not only tasked with producing high performance models but also with avoiding AI models that are bias (and have a negative impact on society).

In this episode, I am joined by Will Uppington, Founder and CEO of TruEra.  He and his cofounders have set out to enable deployments of high-performance AI solutions that are transparent and build trust.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, data labeling, and AI product development.

2:00  Before TruEra: Discovering the challenges in AI quality, model explainability and monitoring

5:00 Finding co-founders out of academia

6:00  Use case selection in the enterprise

8:00  Where and how to get the most business value out of AI?

12:03  The advantages of iteration when in comes to machine learning

13:45  Building a team of founders focused on societal impact of AI

16:34  The importance of explainability in AI

19:16  Speeding up the discovery and debugging of bias AI models

22:20  Engaging with the TruEra platform – how it works

26:47 TruEra’s value proposition explained

34:06 Most helpful tech tools at TruEra

35:00  Who has inspired Will most?

Legal fees – the line item in your budget you hate to see, but also the critical service that keeps your business afloat.  Most executives haven’t the slightest idea of what legal services should cost and how what they are charged compares to the market rates.  Simply put, transparency in legal spend does not exist – until now.  Bodhala is leveraging AI to demystify and recommend legal services based on talent requirements and internal budget.

In this episode, I sit with Raj Goyle, Co-Founder and CEO of Bodhala.  We discuss his background as a Congressman, why legal spend is an important problem to solve, developing a data strategy as a startup, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

AI is often thought of as the tech that is going to replace human workers.  Less often do we see opportunities for AI to improve and protect human life.  Active shooter threats have begun to become a more common media headline.  This issue also plays itself out in the commercial sector as disgruntled employees create unsafe environments in the workforce.  Security cameras are common and spread throughout our cities, but with AI we can now use those cameras to alert authorities to deadly threats, reducing response times exponentially.

In this episode, I sit with Mike Lahiff, CEO and Chairmain of ZeroEyes.  We discuss his career as a Navy SEAL, finding the right technical talent to build AI products, navigating the data journey, launching a public safety product, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

1:38  Mike Lahiff – Navy SEAL, private equity investor, AI founder

5:03  The origins of ZeroEyes – Solving the active shooter problem in the US

6:32  Finding talent to build the initial AI product

8:25  The data journey – inaccurate predictions that inspired better data collection processes

10:09  Acquiring early partners to demo and improve product

11:03  Building an AI product as a non-technical Founder “selling the mission”

14:43  When did it make sense to bring on technical AI talent as permanent team members

16:51  Building in-house vs outsourcing software development and data collection/prep

21:00  Building and selecting tools to speed data annotation process

23:10  Testing the product with the local police force | 50% reduction in response time

26:49  Expanding to commercial organizations

28:56  Self-funding the first $500K, then raising formal VC

30:33  Greatest challenge to building AI-driven software

32:12  Favorite tech tool: Slack, Label Box

33:17  Who inspires Mike

Virtually every company is becoming a tech company, or tech-enabled at the very least.  The challenge is that the global talent shortage for software developers is slowing the rate at which we can innovate.  This challenge is even more pronounced when we consider cutting edge technology such as artificial intelligence.  For more than 20 years, OutSystems mission has been to allow every organization to innovate through software.  In the past 3 years, they have brought on key AI talent to create products that allow customers to more easily adopt AI-driven solutions.

In this podcast I sit with Antonio Alegria (Head of AI) and Mike Hughes (Senior Director of Product Marketing) to topics such as what it takes to go from zero to deploying AI solutions, where to start with data strategy, leveraging prebuilt tools, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

After three hours of waiting to talk to customer support, you finally reach a real human who you hope will be able to solve your problems.  Unfortunately, that human doesn’t seem to care about your issues any more than the automated support system that had you waiting.  Is it because the support agent doesn’t care – potentially – but it’s nothing personal.  Consistently listening to customer issues is a tough job.  Knowing what to say and when is a support agent’s secret weapon to maintaining high customer satisfaction.  AI has arrived as a coach to enable this super power.

In this episode, I sit with Etie Hertz, who is the CEO of Loris.ai.  We discuss several topics including his passion for startups, building and exiting a fintech payments company, how AI solves tough customer conversations, the importance of maintaining a strong brand, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

The cloud was a gift to AI, enabling the compute power necessary for company to leverage powerful ML algorithms.  As edge technologies such as smart phones, drones, and autonomous driving begin to incorporate greater cognitive capabilities, processing speeds and decision making need to be more efficient at the device level.  To solve this problem, Deeplite has emerged with a solution that optimizes neural networks.

In this episode, I sit with Nick Romano, Co-Founder and CEO of Deeplite.  We discuss the challenges of deploying AI in the field, data collection advice for startups, getting an MVP off the ground, retaining senior level talent, and the greatest challenges to AI adoption.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

The gig economy has created jobs we never would have imagined.  This offered those in “boring, low skill” jobs an opportunity to earn a living while enjoying a better quality of life.  Fortunately, AI is stepping in to fill the empty seats these workers once occupied.  Manufacturing is a great example of this activity.  Production lines once required humans to review products for defects – a quite mundane task.  Today, the power of AI and machine vision enable a software driven approach.  Neurala is a startup integrating AI-based software into cameras to support vision inspection.

In this episode, I sit with Max Versace, Co-Founder and CEO of Neurala.  We discuss his move from Italy to the US to work on projects supported by DARPA and NASA, shortage of demand for jobs in manufacturing, how machines can catch product issues undetectable to humans, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development. 

he real goal of Conversational AI is not to make users believe they are speaking with a human.  The real goal is to enable robots to solve issues faster and more effectively, using conversation.  Chatbot technology was among the first AI use cases that received early hype.  Many early attempts to build failed due to an inability to truly solve issues or due to poor user experience.  As the hype has died down, companies are matching the demand and usefulness of Conversational AI with a more educated approach to deploying robots that can communicate.  Behind this push for innovation sits Rasa, a high growth startup providing tools for companies and developers to build and deploy Conversational AI

In this episode, I sit with Alex Weidauer, Co-Founder and CEO of Rasa.  We discuss topics such as the many pivots his company made to arrive at an AI solution, how Rasa enable developers to build better assistants, how people prefer to communicate with robots, the best approach to training robots on conversation data, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

The rate at which technology is advancing is incredible.  From all of the use cases we’ve explored in this podcast alone, we’ve seen some mind-boggling uses of AI.  As innovators, we’re always trying to push the boundaries of what’s possible – in this case via AI – but we also need resources to support rapid innovation when we get ahead of our skis.  DevOps is a field that is enabling more safe and efficient deployment of software.  Similarly, MLOps is exploding on the seen to enable ML teams to get models into production faster and more securely.

In this episode, I sit with Diego Oppenheimer, Co-Founder and CEO of Algorithmia.  We discuss topics such as Diego’s experience building legendary products at Microsoft, optimizing the deployment of ML models, who is actually leveraging AI at scale, leveraging a freemium strategy to build champions, the importance of customer feedback, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Timestamps:

2:15  Moving finance as a career starter to business intelligence Microsoft

3:00  How a career in business intelligence tooling led to expertise in predictive analytics and ML

6:13  Developing a passion for using data to provide insights to clients that had gone unnoticed

8:44  The origin of Algorithmia | “No tools existed to optimize deployment of ML models”

10:53  What matters to DevOps?  What is MLOps and why is it important?

12:42  Where Algorithmia sits within the ML Pipeline

14:00  How IT orgs and Data Scientists/ML engineers interact with the platform

15:23  KPIs and ROI metrics used when communicating value to clients (see algorithmia.com/resources)

18:45  Who is actually putting AI/ML into production?

20:25  Figuring out who the initial customer would be and what pains they’d experience

23:56  Creating a freemium model to entice data scientists | Building champions in an organization

26:15  Determining the first key hires as a startup

27:35  Establishing a process for getting early customer feedback

31:00 Favorite tech tool: Microsoft Excel

32:22  Why Diego has been inspired by Tableau and their approach to the data space

34:00 team.algorithmia.com – Try the product for free

The tech world is fired up due to the emergence of 5G and the potential for game changing technology that it is enabling.  From autonomous driving vehicles to AI applications running on edge devices, 5G is set to open the door to exponentially more powerful tech.  The challenge is that traditional systems are not best fit to move messages/signals from point A to point B with the proper efficiency and accuracy to manifest the full power of 5G.  AI has emerged has a solution to this issue, specifically addressing wireless signal processing challenges.

In this episode, I sit with Jim Shea, Co-Founder and CEO of DeepSig.  We discuss his preference for starting a business from scratch vs. acquiring an existing company, leveraging AI to solve issues in wireless signals, preparing to raise funds for a startup, creating data strategy when starting from zero, the promise of 5G and its future uses, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

How customers experience a company’s product or service is always top of mind for executives.  However, wise executives know that employee experience should be equally valued.  As businesses become increasingly driven by technology, the quantity of help desk tickets are growing exponentially.  Quickly solving these issues results for employees has a direct impact on employee downtime and satisfaction.  Automation and artificial intelligence have emerged as a key solution to reducing mean time to response (MTTR) for help desk resolution.

In this episode, I sit with Pat Calhoun, who is Founder and CEO of Espressive.  We discuss how he raised money on an idea alone, how automation is revolutionizing help desk resolution, building product for greater user adoption, developing and NLP stack, data labeling, finding your first customers, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Sales coaching is big business.  The challenge is that it’s generally a 1:1 activity, whether done in-house or leveraging consultants.  With AI’s ability to gain a contextual understanding of conversation, combined with powerful recommendation engines, sales professionals can now be coached at scale, real-time, and with a strong dose of personalization via AI.

In this episode, I sit with Marc Bernstein, Co-Founder and CEO of Balto.  We discuss Balto’s breakout success as an AI startup, why sales teams don’t follow scripts, providing in-context talking points in real-time, moving from idea to MVP as a non-technical founder, starting with bad UI/UX, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Whether we are talking investing or sports, pattern recognition reigns supreme as the key characteristic enabling top performing professionals to rise above the competition.  For the industrial manufacturing industry, pattern recognition in IoT data (as well as video and image data) have opened an opportunity to drive operational efficiencies and greater profit margins.  Artificial intelligence has emerged as thee solution to innovate in manufacturing.  Falkonry is a bootstrapped startup that is attempting to revolutions manufacturing operations.

In this episode, I sit with the Founder and CEO of Falkonry, Nikunj Mehta.  We discuss the genesis of Falkonry, opportunities to drive operational efficiencies in manufacturing, data acquisition, why real-time prediction is critical to proving ROI, early hiring, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

With ‘computer vision’ we give machines the ability to see the world around us.  Computer vision is enabling the use of game changing technology such as self-driving vehicles, medical image analysis, and facial recognition.  Historically, computer vision was only accessible to deeply technical AI experts.  Today, innovative companies like Roboflow are reducing its complexity, enabling both technical and non-technical enthusiasts to build and deploy vision applications.

In this episode, I sit with Joseph Nelson (Co-Founder and CEO of Roboflow).  We discuss his experience as a serial entrepreneur, building and selling his first AI startup, Roboflow’s major pivot/evolution, a walkthrough of the ML pipeline, leveraging content strategy to attract customers, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

The demand for healthier food and the fear of food shortages have had farmers scrambling for answers for years.  Vertical farming has emerged as a solution, but its not scalable enough to feed a growing global population.  Thus, farmers have had to rely on chemicals – until now.  Innovative minds at Biome Makers have come up with a better solution, utilizing AI to understand the biological makeup of the soil, how microbes are interconnected, and how farmers can leverage this knowledge to grow via biological improvements vs chemical treatments.

In this episode, I sit with Adrian Ferrero (Co-Founder and CEO of Biome Makers).  We discuss his team’s transition from Spain to the US, applying AI to soil analysis, supporting farmers’ efforts to produce quality food at scale, methods of delivering insights to farmers, organizing data needed to train AI models, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

You get an email regarding a package being delivered.  It says you should log into your account. Seems legit, but you never ordered a package!  Fraudsters are trying every trick in the book to fool you into sharing sensitive information.  This activity is especially difficult to catch when you, specifically, are the target – which is the case with spearfishing email.  For most of us, there isn’t enough time in the day to stay up to date on the latest Phishing strategies. Fortunately, AI has arrived to keep us safe and in-the-know.

In this episode, I sit with Tiffany Ricks, who founded HacWare to provide easily digestible content to educate those individuals in an organization who are vulnerable to phishing.  We discuss her lifetime love for entrepreneurship, why starting as a services business is a great first step for product companies, how AI is combatting cybersecurity challenges on the job, data strategy to train AI models, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

The manufacturing industry contributed to one of history’s greatest productivity revolutions.  However, today the industry has been left behind by the technological revolution.  Despite attempts at automation in manufacturing, the industry remains known for its tough and mundane manual labor which leads to safety risk and high employee turnover.  Technologists are rethinking manufacturing with artificial intelligence as their primary tool.

In this episode, I sit with Brian Mathews (Chief Technology Officer) and Abhishek Pandi (Chief Product Officer) of Bright Machines.  We discuss the process of automating automation, redesigning manufacturing with a primary focus on software, why traditional automation approaches can’t deliver ROI, the process for training on synthetic data, go-to-market strategy, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

In crime shows, you often see a sleep deprived security guard snoozing in front of his monitor at the very moment suspicious activity occurs.  This may or may not be a Hollywood creation, but what is real is the challenge of vigilantly monitoring a camera feed 24/7.  Interestingly, most criminal and suspicious activity occur in front of a camera, but timely recognition and reporting create the greatest barriers to response from law enforcement.

In this episode, I sit with Micheal Bingham (Founder and CEO of xIris) to discuss how his team is leveraging artificial intelligence to improve public security.  We discuss his beginnings in small town Mississippi and the move to the Big Apple, launching a product built for law enforcement, collecting and training data to detect criminal activity, benefits to joining an accelerator, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Have you created a burner account to research your competitors?  No judgement here! Sales is a competitive space and knowing how you stack up against the competition is an asset that can set your sales team apart.  With so much data, AI should be able to serve up relevant details to help win deals, right?  This is the challenge that Klue has taken head on.

In this episode, I sit with Jason Smith (Co-Founder & CEO of Klue) to discuss: getting early funding, how to win more deals utilizing competitor information, data collection strategy, hiring early employees on the AI team (on a limited budget), sticking with lean principles of building a business, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Powerpoint is a thing of the past.  Organizations and individuals with valuable data want a way to build dynamic dashboards and data driven apps, without having to acquire front-end experience.  Enter Amanda Kelly (Co-Founder and COO of Streamlit).  Amanda leads a quickly growing startup focused on turning data scripts into shareable web apps in minutes.

In this episode we discuss: how Amanda leveraged her experience in business operations to add value to AI organizations, AI-hype and the real users of cognitive solutions, strategy for selecting the first few hires, the role of a COO in a startup, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Some things are difficult to truly appreciate until they aren’t available – clean water is one of those things.  Our guest, Elango Thevar (Founder and CEO of Neer.ai), grew up in India in an area where clean, drinkable water was a privilege.  Elango explains that anywhere between 30% of clean water coming from water management facilities is wasted in its commute to US citizens.  Artificial intelligence has emerged as a tool to solve this issue.

In this episode we discuss the unseen issues facing water management, how Elango’s passion for efficient clean water delivery led him to AI, working with government organizations to organize data, launching a startup in the Midwest, and much much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, data labeling, and AI product development.

A 2-minute scroll through any social media platform and you can see that advertising has exploded.  Performance marketers, who make creative decision on ad display, struggle to understand what works, what doesn’t work – and why.  Leveraging artificial intelligence, Viralspace has come to the rescue, allowing performance marketers to stop guessing and start making data-driven decisions on ad optimization.

In this episode, I sit with Apoorva Dornadula (Co-Founder & CTO of Viralspace), who was recently named to Forbes 30 Under 30 for Marketing and Advertising.  We discuss her perspective on ethics in AI, how Viralspace approaches the collection and organization of data, finding talent, acquiring the first few customers, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development

Home maintenance probably isn’t an industry most would associate with artificial intelligence, but Dobby is bringing the industry into the 21st Century.  With a focus on increasing home value and providing the homeowner with a luxury experience, our guest Satadru Sengupta is hyper focused on bring operational efficiency to the maintenance process via digital transformation.

In this episode, we discuss best practices for implement artificial intelligence in enterprise organizations, how to prioritize use cases, creating an AI architecture as a startup, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

If only real life were like your favorite crime series – zoom in on low quality images from surveillance cameras and up comes an HD image with immaculate detail.  Surprise! Neural networks are turning what was once fiction into reality.  Photoshoots are expensive, but the rise of social media is demanding high quality visuals, especially for consumer focused businesses.

In this episode, we chat with Sofiia Shvets, Co-Founder and CEO of Let’s Enhance.  We discuss how her team is leveraging neural networks to produce high res images from low res photos.  Other topics covered include: identifying a viable product, launching on Product Hunt, finding a co-founder, when to work with contractors, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, data labeling, and AI product development.

Field service workers generally aren’t tech savvy, but whether we are talking about industries such as oil & gas, facilities maintenance, construction, or manufacturing - artificial intelligence is a tool being used to create massive productivity gains.  The challenge for AI vendors is to develop solutions that encourage adoption by non-technical users.  This is the task our guest, Vikram Takru (Co-Founder & CEO of Kloudgin), is taking head on in field services.

In this episode we sit with Vikram to discuss the greatest challenges in field services, creating a data strategy, driving ROI via user adoption and worker productivity, designing an engaging UI/UX, and more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Field service workers generally aren’t tech savvy, but whether we are talking about industries such as oil & gas, facilities maintenance, construction, or manufacturing - artificial intelligence is a tool being used to create massive productivity gains.  The challenge for AI vendors is to develop solutions that encourage adoption by non-technical users.  This is the task our guest, Vikram Takru (Co-Founder & CEO of Kloudgin), is taking head on in field services.

In this episode we sit with Vikram to discuss the greatest challenges in field services, creating a data strategy, driving ROI via user adoption and worker productivity, designing an engaging UI/UX, and more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

In this new remote work we live in, we have all been forced to experience the pain of meeting scheduling.  From back and forth emails, to time zone mistakes, to calendar confusion – all of these represent wasted time and resources.  Undock, which identifies itself with a spaceship, is to prepared to bring us into the new world, leveraging artificial intelligence to solve our scheduling woes.

In this episode, I sit with Nash Ahmed (Founder and CEO) as well as Chenda Bunkasem (Head of AI) to discuss predictive scheduling, fundraising while building game changing products, being intentional about hiring diverse talent, as well as the people that inspire our two guests.

Undock has an ambitious goal of 1 billion users.  If this podcast resonates with you, visit www.undock.com and download the app.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Social Networks, CRMs, and even Excel spreadsheets have been great for storing professional relationships.  For dealmakers, getting a foot in the door with a new client requires access beyond 1st degree connections.  Who do your colleagues know?  What is the nature of the relationship and how strong is it?  These questions are golden, yet current systems underperform in providing answers.  4Degrees, a Chicago-based AI startup is seeking to be the solution.

In this episode, I sit with Ablorde Ashibe (Co-Founder & CEO of 4Degrees) to discuss how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing relationship management, finding the right co-founder, evaluating whether and accelerator is right for a startup, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Few industries took a bigger hit than retailers relying on in-store purchases.  Ironically, it appears this adjustment period forced them to heighten their focus on better understanding their customers.  Artificial intelligence has emerged as one way to gather deeper customer insighst.  Rillavoice, led by Co-Founder and CEO, Sebastian Jimenez, is enabling retailers to analyze unique customer feedback provided in live conversation. 

In this episode, Sebastian shares how stand-up comedy led him to a career as an AI Founder, why accelerators are important to young founders, and how data can be leveraged to better serve retail customers, plus much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

What’s the best way to get inside of the mind of a customer or audience you’re serving?  Traditionally, we’d hire market research experts or run a survey.  These methods are limited by scale, but with AI we may be able to dive deeper into real-time customer conversations to derive insights that speed the feedback look and accelerate the innovation cycle.  Remesh, led by our guest Andrew Konya, is tackling this head on.

In this episode, we discuss how AI can understand large population in-depth, finding an instant audience, training on the most useful data sets, and go-to-market strategy for startups.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

We often think of insider threats, related to cybersecurity, as the rogue employee hacking internal systems.  However, well-funded nation state attacks have increased complexity as individuals inside the network collaborate with outside organizations with malicious intent.  DTEX Systems has set out to leverage AI to combat this issue.  In this episode, Mohan Koo (Co-Founder & CTO), walks us through how DTEX developed its data strategy, finding top talent, avoiding “AI science projects” and more.

If you are hoping to expand your AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Imagine AI solving challenges related to loneliness and social isolation. Aging adults would certainly benefit as many health related issues they face could be mitigated by having a non-judgmental sounding board to converse with. Care.coach is taking this challenge head on, providing AI-enabled avatars to improve patient engagement. In this episode, I sit with Victor Wang, Founder and CEO of care.coach. We discuss how to get the data needed to launch an AI platform, strategies for finding healthcare companies, and differentiating AI solutions from tech giants.

The fashion industry keeps us on our toes with jaw dropping creativity and design.  The challenge is that the products we see are often the result of an endless amount of wasted material, unproductive human labor, and design limitations.  COUTURME, a startup led by Yuliya Raquel (Co-Founder & CEO), seeks to solve those issues.  In this episode, we discuss AI’s ability to enhance design creativity, starting an AI company as a non-technical founder, and transitioning from a B2B to B2C customer base. 

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development

Chatbots and Conversation AI solutions have been a buzz in the enterprise as organizations look to better communicate with customers (and internally). But, what happens when you don't have the internal resources to build this tech - in steps Symbl.ai. In this episode, Surbhi Rathore (Co-Founder & CEO) reveals how Symbl is leveraging it's own AI to empower organizations to implement conversational technologies.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

When Tony Stark started talking to his AI assistant, the world was in awe.  We are nearing a world where that is becoming a reality.  Leveraging artificial intelligence, Josh.ai has created smart home automation technology that is built to enable voice control of the home.  In this episode, we interview Alex Capecelatro, Josh.ai’s Co-Founder and CEO, and discuss voice control, competing with big tech, data strategy, and much more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

How long before we can order a driverless rideshare vehicle?  Billions in investment dollars are being put into the autonomous driving industry with the end goal of vehicles operating without a steering wheel, brake pedals, or a driver.  Metawave is building revolutionary technology, leveraging AI, to improve autonomous vehicles’ ability to navigate uncertain paths.  In this episode, Maha Achour (Founder, CEO, & CTO of Metawave Corporation) takes us the through where we are today with autonomous driving, accuracy standards, data strategy, and much more.

 If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.

Software development and IT teams spend their day making our lives more efficient – but who is helping the helper? DevOps teams have emerged to increase an organization’s ability to deliver applications and services at a higher velocity - but things break - constantly. Zebrium is leveraging machine learning to remove the manual work from catching software incidents, speeding up the mean time to resolution (MTTR). In this episode, Larry Lancaster (Founder and CTO of Zebrium) we discuss how AI is making DevOps teams more efficient, raising money with only an idea, building an AI team, and more.

If your company is looking to scale it’s AI initiatives, head over to Tesoro AI (www.tesoroai.com) – experts in AI strategy, staff augmentation, and AI product development.