Description of Current Work

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Q: Can you describe the work you're doing and the field or space you're working in?

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A: Yeah. So I work for a company called Wordseye. And basically what we're doing is generative AI but focused on 3D. I'm sure you've all seen really interesting stuff done in 2D, but 3D is a little bit harder because you have depth. A lot of 2D stuff doesn't really do anything with depth. And then 3D adds this immersive ability where you can add in character interactions like you would in a video game to make things truly immersive. Being able to use text or voice input to create stuff really lowers the barrier to creation. If you have an idea for a game or a marketing experience, you can build that without having to hire a full stack of developers. My role focuses on growth and product strategy.

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Typical Daily Tasks

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Q: What are your normal tasks or daily activities like? What do you do on a daily basis, if you have a normal day?

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A: I'm at a startup, so the average day ranges pretty broadly. But in my position of focusing on growth and product strategy, you have these sprints where you focus pretty heavily on what you're rolling out next in the product. In those time periods, I work heavily with our development teams, analyzing a lot of feedback from early users, and having conversations with potential enterprise customers to understand what they're interested in. If that lines up well with what we're hearing from users, we can implement something that meets both their needs. When I'm not doing that, I focus on the growth part, which isn't just about getting users in the door. For me, it's a lot more focused on funding and evangelizing the product—getting people to understand why they should care about it. There's a lot going on, and it takes time and thought. It's about explaining and building material, getting it in front of the right people, and helping them understand why this matters to them or the broader public. That's a lot more external-facing. Since we're a startup and don't have a marketing team, I often find myself doing marketing, though it's not my strongest suit. It's really about focusing on people who could provide funds or customers. So when we're doing that, it's more external, and you're doing your own thing.

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Innovation in AI and Web3

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Q: What sets your work at Wordseye apart from other generative AI companies, and how does it integrate with the future of Web3?

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A: As I mentioned earlier, generative AI has been a buzzword this past year, but a lot of work has been done over the past decade to get to this point. Many generative AI applications you're seeing are helpful for getting things done, whether it's work-related or helping people find the right tone for marketing content. What we're doing pushes into the Web3 space, which is the idea that in the future, webpages will move more into a metaverse space. Through that, the marketing potential for up-and-coming artists or people who want to create something fun to play around with their friends is quite big. Right now, to create anything in 3D, you have to be a skilled graphic artist or developer. Our goal is to make it so that you don’t have to be either—you just need to be someone with an idea.

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Career Path

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Q: Can you share your career journey, including your education, previous jobs, and how you ended up in your current role?

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A: My path into the Web3 space, which includes blockchain and NFTs, was a bit roundabout. I went to GW for my undergrad and got a Bachelor of Science in economics. I worked as a management consultant for about four years, which set me up well for product and strategy—helping people understand how to launch new products, grow existing ones, and thinking about acquisitions but focusing on growth. After that, I worked for an education nonprofit for a couple of years, which got me interested in edtech. The company I work for has a board member who's involved in edtech, and I started talking to them about business school, as they're affiliated with Columbia, where I got my MBA. We talked about edtech, and they introduced me to this company they had invested in. I started working part-time as a product manager, and one thing led to another. I eventually helped them raise some money, which led to my current position. What attracted me to this space is that I’m not a very creative person, but I liked how this technology helps people like me, who have creative ideas but don’t know how to execute them. It lets you create images or experiences in a no-code environment, which is really cool.

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Future Career Opportunities

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Q: In the next 5-10 years, what career opportunities do you foresee for those entering the tech and AI industries, especially for people without a technical background?

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A: I don’t have a technical background, but I’ve worked with technical companies in materials chemistry and similar fields. Even without a computer science degree, it’s helpful to understand the technical side, especially in roles that bridge sales and product teams. On the business side, management consulting is a great option if you don’t have a clear path after college because it gives you exposure to many areas of business, and you get good training. While business skills come with experience, having analytical skills is something you can develop in college, even if it’s not your major. For example, I took a lot of math classes while getting my econ degree, which helped differentiate me in job applications. Even though I didn’t end up using the math, it was a differentiator, and I think you can find subjects that aren’t necessarily your main interest but still integrate them into your education. If you’re taking classes and you hate them, it’s probably a sign that it’s not the right field for you.

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Advice for Young Professionals, the Importance of Networking

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Q: What advice would you give to young people looking to break into your field, and is there anything you would have done differently in your own career?

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A: I would have networked more and earlier. It’s advice you’ve probably heard a lot, but I realized that it’s not necessarily about taking the most direct route. For example, if you want to be in generative AI, you don’t have to only network with people in generative AI. I’ve met helpful people through other interests like soccer and cars. When networking, follow your interests and find people who share them. You’ll often discover connections that help you professionally, even if it’s not your main field of focus. While the direct route works, sometimes the more indirect one is more effective because it’s less crowded.

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Career Goals

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Q: What are your short-term and long-term career goals, and how does your work with Wordseye and the blockchain space fit into those goals?

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A: Yeah. So, wow, I have not been asked that in a minute, but short-term plans? We’re going to try to see how much we can do with Wordseye AI in terms of enterprise adoption and getting a more built product out to market. Long-term goal? I think I kind of stumbled backwards into the blockchain space through Wordseye AI, and I think that’s a fascinating space. There’s obviously a lot of scams and a lot of murkiness around it, but the projects that are actually worthwhile, there’s a lot of impressive stuff there. It might not be super huge for the US market because we kind of have the best banking system in the world at our disposal, but a lot of other countries in the world don’t have that or don’t have stable currencies, and they could really benefit from the blockchain. Given what I just talked about, long-term, I think I’d like to end up doing something focused on that and helping other countries without the same economic system get up to speed.

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