Sairam Sundaresan is a seasoned Machine Learning Leader with over 14 years of experience in the tech industry. He currently spearheads advanced AI projects at Valeo, managing a large team of researchers who teach automobiles to understand the world around them. Before this, he pioneered research at Intel Labs centered on deep learning algorithms, specifically algorithm-hardware co-design and multimodal models. 

He began his career at Qualcomm as a Senior Machine Learning Engineer. Sairam's work on the development of Qualcomm's FastCV library, Touch to Track, and real-time 3D reconstruction on mobile devices earned significant recognition and was featured in Forbes. Some of this technology found its way into consumer devices.

His research work has earned him several patents and led to numerous publications.

An educator at heart, Sairam has served as a Machine Learning Lead and Mentor at the Frontier Development Lab (collaboration with NASA) since 2019. During this time, he has led projects on understanding the Sun, focusing on Starspots, Solar Wind, and reconstructing its surface. The teams he mentored have achieved significant recognition, with their work accepted at high-profile conferences such as NeurIPS.

Passionate about making complex concepts accessible, Sairam created "Gradient Ascent," a weekly newsletter to demystify AI even for non-technical audiences. His skill at breaking down complex jargon has enabled a wide range of people to engage with the world of AI, from product managers at top tech companies to CEOs and analysts at premier VC funds. 

Sairam is an alumnus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, from which he holds a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering: Systems. There, he specialized in Computer Vision, Signal Processing, and Machine Learning. This academic foundation underpins his work, enabling him to integrate practical applications with a robust understanding of theoretical principles.

Outside the lab, Sairam is an award-winning nature photographer, illustrator, and writer. These perspectives enhance his problem-solving approach and fuel his creativity.

Avinash Mahalingam brings 14+ years of strategic product management , product and career coaching and business development experience across diverse global industries in USA, Canada and India, led AI platform innovation at RBC and earlier led several 0 to 1 Products at Amazon. He's passionate about empowering product professionals with practical insights gained from building and scaling successful products. He currently is the Co-Founder and CEO for an AI-powered conscious wealth creation Platform and leads a Product Management Course on Maven.

Key Experiences & Expertise:

1- He led AI platform product development for an internal developer platform at a major Canadian bank, offering first-hand exposure to the intricacies of building and scaling AI-powered products.

2- At Amazon Freight, Avinash spearheaded the product strategy and launch of 4 0-to-1 products in billing and payments, demonstrating a proven ability to navigate the complete product lifecycle from inception to market.

3- A highly-rated mentor (4.9/5) who has guided 60+ product professionals 1:1 on career growth and skill enhancement, bringing a wealth of experience in nurturing product careers.

4- He Co-led product management courses for 60+ individuals in live cohorts.