A Raleigh tech startup working to make AI more transparent has a new CEO.
Gaurav Rao has been named CEO of Howso, taking over the top spot from company co-founder Mike Capps.
Rao is based in Boston, but plans to be in Raleigh “frequently,” he said in an exclusive interview.
Rao brings two decades of experience in machine learning and AI, most recently as general manager of AI at AtScale and product lead at Neural Magic. Rao, also an IBM veteran, said the Howso opportunity is particularly enticing amid the current “renaissance period” for the sector.
“We become the way to make the data ready, usable and trustworthy for the businesses that want to incorporate AI into their offerings,” he said.
Howso offers an engine that helps companies like Mastercard and Scanbuy build modern AI and ML applications that they can audit and explain.
Task number one is getting a good understanding of where Howso’s technology sits today – getting a clear understanding of the roadmap and market potential, he said.
“We want to continue to build on this growth,” he said. Leveraging Raleigh-area resources – primarily its talent – is going to be “crucial” as the company grows, he said.
Rao will have help. Capps is staying on as chairman. With Rao in the CEO seat, Capps can focus more on advocating and contributing to the national AI policy dialogue, such as he recently did on a trip to Washington, D.C., to address Congress.
Rao said he’ll personally work closely with Capps, who gave him some advice when he was hired.
“The advice he gave me was look, be yourself, and trust your instincts,” Rao said.
Howso, formerly known as DivePlane, was cofounded by Capps following his tenure at “Fortnite” developer Epic Games.
In 2022, the firm, which Capps described as “putting the humanity back into AI,” closed on $25 million. It was Capps that pushed for the firm to keep its headquarters in the Triangle, even when a major investor asked that it move to San Francisco.