Alexandr Wang, 24
Co-founder and CEO of Scale AI
Location: San Francisco
Education: MIT (did not finish)
Resume: He worked as a software engineer in Silicon Valley before becoming Tech Lead at Quora from 2014-2016.
Funny but true: While at MIT, he worked on side projects such as a smart camera that would tell him if he needed to restock the fridge and what he needed to buy.
Musical instrument: Violin
Hailing from Los Alamos, New Mexico (better known as the birthplace of the atomic bomb) Alexandr Wang has always had an interest in scientific innovation and problem solving.
In fact, the inspiration for his company Scale AI came when he was a student studying mathematics and computer science at MIT, which is where he discovered the potential of artificial intelligence and realized that data was a key bottleneck for people looking to build meaningful AI. So, in the vein of tech magnates with names like Gates and Zuckerberg, he co-founded his startup with Lucy Guo in 2016 after dropping out of college at the age of 19.
The company specializes in accelerating the development of AI applications by helping machine-learning teams generate data using advanced LiDAR, image, video and NLP annotation APIs. Essentially, Scale AI delivers the high quality training data needed to fuel next generation industries like self-driving cars, virtual reality and robotics.
“The phrase ‘you are what you eat’ can apply to AI algorithms and data: consuming low quality data leads to garbage results and even dangerous outcomes,” he said. “To provide AI with a ‘balanced diet,’ Scale is like a chef preparing data to ensure it meets rigorous quality standards before feeding it to algorithms.”
Today, Scale partners with the largest technology companies in the world on their most ambitious AI projects, across industries like fintech with companies like Brex and Square; e-commerce businesses like Etsy, Instacart and Pinterest; transportation and logistics companies like Flexport, GM, Luminar and Oshkosh; as well as U.S. government agencies such as the Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force.
Wang said the AI industry is at a critical tipping point — similar to the evolution of the cloud — where companies are needed to help unlock the potential of AI and enable mass adoption. Investors seem to agree, pouring in more than $600 million in funding, including a recent $325 million in Series E at a $7.3 billion valuation.
“In Silicon Valley specifically, big tech companies have reaped massive gains from AI while other enterprises who don’t have the time or resources to invest in AI development have been left behind,” he said.
