michael's update #14

summer 2024

hello!

here's a seasonal update with three things:

1. coaching: testing an ai assistant coach

2. cohort: launch global health studio

3. community: growing global hardware meetup

my goal is to share important updates from the last few months.

i like a menu format so if you’re curious for more, then i shared links for more.

enjoy,

michael

🌍

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1. coaching: testing an ai assistant coach

this summer, i tested a workflow for an ai assistant coach for time management.

the use experience:

• input: screenshot of weekly calendar

• output: personalized feedback with overall score, specific scores on personal goals, and action items to improve

after a few rounds of tests and iterations, my main learning was that it very much was an “assistant,” and it did not stand alone as an offering that people wanted to re-engage with.

many people liked the hype of an in person walk through or demo, but very few followed through with using it week over week for review.

when thinking of an assistant coach, i think of it like in placement for a football team: head coach, offense, defense, and special teams. if skillsets like time management are defensive strategies in productivity, then a defensive assistant coach isn’t worth much without being integrated into a full team of coaches with a clear objective function for what winning looks like.

and so, for now this stays a proof of concept as i explore the collaboration between ai and client and ai and coach.

on the client side, it’s been fun working with a new early stage founder in the non invasive brain computer interface space.

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2. cohort: launch global health studio

this summer, i’ve been cooking up a new fall program in partnership with the okb hope foundation, a non profit in ghana that is doing some of the most innovative work in the country for healthcare. for example, they have the country’s first mobile clinic, which is a van outfitted to deliver vaccines and do health pop ups in areas without the support.

we have our first cohort in a pilot program exploring how to speed up idea to implementation cycles, while enabling personal growth and portfolio development.

we kicked off with a hack in sf, with some really interesting demos like:

• a multimodal second brain and assistant for those with dementia (winner)

• a home collection method for menstrual discharge for stem cell viability testing (most innovative)

• a voice assistant for youth mental health in ghana as the ratio of mental health staff is 1 to 12,000 people who need support across the country (most impactful)

and the best part was the fact that the third team that made the voice assistant for mental health:

1) made a team by saturday,

2) first prototype by sunday,

and 3) debugged andput into the hands of the okb staff in ghana by monday.

a 48hr development cycle for first feedback point on the ground was a great showcase of what this collaboration can be in the fall studio.

up next for this fall’s program will be new sessions paired with individual coaching for new projects like this to hit the ground in ghana (or elsewhere) for first feedback loops.

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3. community: growing global hardware meetup community

the last two years, i’ve been part time supporting the hardware meetup community, where a team of 2-3 has supported local organizers across 30+ cities run monthly events.

this summer feels like different cities are building momentum as there’s been 24 events with different topics, venues, and founder features.

one of the newest projects is a global newsletter that helps connect the larger community, as it’s been tough building connection across the discrete events.

so far, we have 3 updates out. the community seems to be responding positively from this new initiative.

check out the first few monthly updates below.

next up is running the largest events in sf and figuring out global support to continue this growth.

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and as a bonus, if you made it this far, here’s one highlight from the summer: helping tks (the prior organization i ran global programs for) launch a new program in dubai.

with their core program running 10 months during the school year, they are working with partners for new summer offerings. this was their first fully sponsored 2 week program so that anyone in the sharjah area (outside of dubai) could join for free.

we had tours and talks at google hq, yc funded companies, and deliotte, as well as sessions in quantum computing, generative ai, synbio, and more.

team selfie in one of the student’s robotic prototypes for the showcase

it was great reconnecting with the tks team and giving back to teens for a lite version of the program. my favorite part was seeing how quickly students could move with new generative ai based tools, like coding video games from scratch in 30min or designing technical diagrams with biorender. these skillsets transcend language barriers and geographies for their usefulness.

i was also impressed by the optimism that dubai has around education both in new forms of unconventional education as well as investment in a better future from the youth. in the u.s., we seem to take education for granted and maintaining of the status quo seems to build tension in rising costs and lack of innovation.

up next for me:

• work on end of year marketing to secure 2x more coaching clients for 2025 as the new year is a time people are seeking new forms of growth and support

• end the fall global studio strong with more examples of projects getting their first data points and prep for next year’s iteration

• experiment with a new podcast with a founder friend for keeping up with updates in the ai space

always cooking something,

michael

ps. if you made it this far, here’s a recipe for a super simple and delicious red sauce for any pasta night from nyt cooking.