Departing Meta: Building a Startup with an AI that Handles Calls Manifoldly

One of my most vivid childhood memories involves walking back and forth in my room with a phone, repeatedly saying 'wake' in hopes of perfecting a voice app I had created. The software only worked if I enunciated correctly, prompting me to continuously refine the code.

I became enamored with coding, spending hours post-school investigating app reviews before tackling homework. It was eye-opening to realize that software written in solitude could reach an audience far beyond my personal sphere.

After delving into dual studies of engineering and business at UC Berkeley, followed by a substantial tenure at Meta, I now lead Frontdesk, a burgeoning AI company designed to streamline business communications.

My initial forays into programming were purely experimental, like crafting a text-to-speech tool. A family incident, however, sparked a realization; a relative’s fall without immediate help prompted me to create solutions with tangible benefits.

This led to the creation of Rescuer in 2016, a voice-activated alert app ensuring emergency contacts received timely assistance. This project gained political and media attention but more importantly demonstrated the value code could bring to real lives.

Engaging actively in developer forums, creating YouTube tutorials, and blogging about engineering expanded my influence and reinforced a continual quest for learning.

The Academic and Business Intersection

While my apps were popular, I grappled with transforming them into viable companies due to a lack of business insight—specifically around pricing and client engagement.

Pursuing education at Berkeley's M.E.T. program provided clarity by blending technical mastery with business acumen, culminating in a dual degree in engineering and commerce.

From Experiment to Enterprise

In 2023, a bout of curiosity about ChatGPT's potential on real phone lines drove me to concoct an initial model over a weekend. It garnered significant online traction despite its imperfect state.

The prototype begged the question of its future utility in supporting businesses, a question that lingered persistently.

Upon graduation, I faced a crossroads between finance with Citadel or engineering at Meta. Despite desires to straddle both domains, engineering at Meta won initially.

Meta afforded an unparalleled growth experience, yet the technical realm overshadowed the business intricacies I desired to engage with.

Within the expansive scale at Meta, I yearned to return to integrating business fully into my endeavors.

Embracing AI

Aware of transformative AI strides within Meta and prompted by the potential spotted in my past college endeavours, I considered the unaddressed demand for automated communication solutions.

Despite Meta’s allure with its compensation and benefits, I asked whether remaining was worth ignoring unmet potential outside its walls. Thus, I departed to form Frontdesk.

Starting anew in New York, I founded and assembled a dedicated team drawn from similar backgrounds in leading tech firms who were similarly motivated.

Frontdesk embodies more than technology; it efficiently handles multi-channel customer relations with tangible outcomes like appointments and reminders.

Our SoHo-based cadre shares the mission’s commitment, striving ceaselessly towards perfection in our offerings.

From Past to Present

My work ethic echoes childhood; pacing and testing, with outcomes now resonating across innumerable interactions.

With the ceaseless improvement of these models, my mission remains steadfast: to immerse in the code and persist in constructing something that justifies relinquishing previous ease.