ALICE Technologies recently announced that I’ll be joining the company as CMO. Over the course of a six month consulting gig, I came to know ALICE extremely well and am excited to have made the transition from consultant to team member. Why am I fired up about ALICE?
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I’m a Construction Geek
Over the past few years, in addition to consulting for fast-growing tech companies, I’ve built a real estate development company in Phoenix, Whiskey Creek Properties. At Whiskey Creek, my business partner and I started by building and selling the most energy-efficient single family homes in the state of Arizona. Recently, we expanded our business model and now also develop small multi-family buildings, which we lease and hold over time. For me, founding and growing Whiskey Creek gave me an opportunity to take the marketing and management skills that I honed during my career in Silicon Valley and apply them to a new industry. And in doing so, I became a big fan of the construction sector -- particularly “tech-forward” construction like that kind we do at Whiskey Creek. At ALICE, I’m able to combine my deep knowledge of tech marketing with my enthusiasm for the construction and the technology that powers it. For me, it’s a fantastic fusion.
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I See a Big Opportunity
Prior to working with ALICE, I spent nine months on another consulting gig as acting CMO for Yalo, one of the fastest-growing AI start-ups in Mexico. At ALICE, I’m able to build on this interest in AI and apply it to a $12 trillion dollar global industry -- one with substantial room for improvements in efficiency. General contractors building big projects such as roads, bridges and office towers often use technology that is decades old to plan and manage their construction schedules. They don’t simulate multiple options before settling on a plan, nor can they easily adjust a plan when circumstances change. And this is why large projects typically take 20% longer to finish than projected and run 80% over budget.
With ALICE, companies can leverage the computational power of AI to simulate millions of possible options in the drive for efficiency. And if a plan is thrown off-kilter by a delay in materials, a labor strike, or even a global pandemic, ALICE users can quickly re-evaluate their options and recalibrate their schedules. This AI-driven insight can trim months off a construction schedule and save companies tens of millions of dollars in labor, materials and equipment costs. And so far, ALICE is the only company in the world to have developed solutions that solve these fiercely complex problems.
A large market, customers aching for answers, sophisticated core technology … these are key attributes that I look for in a company that I consider joining long-term. The ALICE opportunity has all these in spades, and I believe sincerely that this company is onto something big.
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I Love Start-up Land
Over the course of a 30 year career in marketing, I’ve worked for multiple start-ups -- as well as behemoths like Microsoft and Intuit. For me, start-ups have consistently been my best path to career satisfaction and success. A leadership role in a young company gives you a chance to shape the future of a business and its culture, which is incredibly rewarding. Just as satisfying is the opportunity to build that company alongside motivated, energetic colleagues. And if you play your cards right -- and if the fates favor you along the way -- the rewards can be outstanding.
With ALICE, I see all the right signs for another excellent start-up adventure. Together with my teammates, I’m looking forward not only to building a successful company, but to changing the way one of the world’s largest industries does business. The challenge is tremendous -- and tantalizing. I’m in!
