Today we’d like to introduce you to Tristen Blake.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Founders Log|September 3, 2016:
It’s almost midnight and my flight is 20 minutes from touchdown. This is the 4th time that I am starting my life over again in a new city. Months earlier, I failed to launch a Commercial Real Estate practice in New York City. “Everything is ok,” I told myself,”Real Estate isn’t going to change the world”. My instincts suggested that this thing called Machine Learning will transform society and this was my chance to make a difference.
The plan was simple, get into UCSD and become a Data Scientist. My friends politely suggest that without a Mathematics background, I am unlikely to find a job or get into the program. It doesn’t help that I have a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy (China Focus) without any relevant prerequisites.
Sep 30, 2016:
I am looking at a $25 invoice from Meetup.com, I put in my credit card, and the Machine Learning Society is born. This is how I am going to get into UCSD and make some tech friends. If I organize an interesting event on machine learning, surely one of the professors will attend and help me get into the program!
Oct 27, 2016:
My hands are shaking uncontrollably and I am struggling to breathe. Apparently I have very severe stage fright. This is the first time in my life holding a microphone and 50 people are about to see me forget every word that I prepared as panel moderator.
Somehow, I managed to solve a triple chicken and egg problem of securing a beautiful venue at Cyberhive, 5 panelists, quality food/drinks and 50 guests to attend a panel discussion on Machine Learning called, “Change is coming?”
Feb 16, 2017:
I’m staring at 212 people this time and the stage fright is four times more severe. Several weeks prior, I cold called and e-mailed hundreds of people from IBM, NVIDIA, Intel, and KnuEdge and now they are on my panel discussion for “ML Show & Tell: Processing Hardware for Accelerated Deep Learning”.
Feb 25, 2017:
Machine Learning Society: New York Chapter goes live. Our first event brings together 153 guests for a discussion on “The Future of Farming with AI: Truly Organic at Scale”.
Jun 23, 2017:
We hosted San Diego’s first Artificial Intelligence Hackathon. We record a total of 160 hackers, 650 guests, and 14 back-to-back talks on Genomics, Deep Learning, Neuroscience, and more.
Dec 12, 2017:
Our community has grown to 5000+ members, and we’ve hosted a total of 97 events in 4 cities (New York, Boston, San Diego, and the Bay Area.) Past events included: Hikes with a Data Scientist, Kaggle Competitions, AI Movie Night, and multiple panel discussions, all self-organized by local volunteers. But, it is time to evolve again!
Dec 15, 2017:
The “CO Network” is born. Registrations open for the world’s first Science & Technology social network built entirely on WordPress. She lives on www.mlsociety.com servers:
“Hello World”, my name is “CO Network” and I am here to connect you to the Computational Renaissance. I am still a prototype, so you may experience slow loading and occasional errors. Have patience with me, my evolution is inevitable!
August 6, 2018:
Innovation-labs.co is born. Our professional video was produced and now we are launching a Kickstarter campaign to raise $25,000 to cover development costs. Our community has grown to over 20,000 members around the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Before coming to San Diego, the road was full of landmines. Upon arriving in this city, every action and decision has been a step towards achieving my goals. Of course, building a team and learning how to lead is not easy and mistakes will be made, friendships are broken over the business. But I also discovered some of the most fascinating people in the world while pursuing my mission of acceleration innovations in science, technology and culture.
Please tell us about CO Network.
We are known for hosting hosting the most successful technology events in San Diego. What sets us apart is the culture that we infuse into every physical and digital experience.
What is the CO Network?
The “CO Network” is a technical social network engineered to accelerate global innovations in: Science, Technology and Culture. A trusted marketplace for the exchange of powerful ideas between scientists, entrepreneurs, innovators and organizations.
Mission:
Ignite a Computational Renaissance by reducing the transaction costs of scientific innovation.
Why we do it:
Today more than ever, the world needs leadership and COurage. We believe that “Magnetizing Intelligence” is a most powerful formula for solving global challenges.
What we do:
Connect Physically: We host a variety of community building events designed to educate, engage, and inspire our community to push the boundaries of Artificial Intelligence research and application.
Collaborate Digitally: We have developed an open and collaborative network for “Computational Explorers” to meet and share ideas.
Additionally, we provide our members with resources for learning, networking, and career advancement.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
Everything happens for a reason. I wouldn’t change anything because we never know how much of a role serendipity plays in our lives and our decisions.
Pricing:
- Technical Recruiting – $100 per month for an unlimited technical job posting.
- Event Hosting – 5% Fee per ticket sale.
Contact Info:
- Website: innovation-labs.co
- Phone: 347-308-3893
- Email: tristen@conetwork.ai
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/machine_learning_society/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MachineLearningSociety/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ML_Society
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/machine-learning-society/
Support our Kickstarter Campaign so that we may reveal the mathematical beauty which binds us all!
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
