516: What It’s Like to Be CEO at a Machine Learning & A.I. Start-up With Shawn Olds, boodleAI. [Main T4C Episode]

Shawn is the Chief Executive Officer of boodleAI, the leading machine learning peer-to-peer platform that empowers nonprofits to connect with and engage new donors and supporters and companies to find their best customers. Shawn started his career in the U.S Army in the 82nd Airborne Division before transitioning to the private sector as a logistics operations and technology consultant as well as an IT strategy management consultant. He then helped found several startups.  After September 11th, 2001 Shawn joined the U. S. Department of State in its Office for Counter-Terrorism where he spent time in Southwest Asia as well as Africa.  Shawn was recruited by TAQA, a $30B Abu Dhabi Sovereign Wealth Fund as the Chief Procurement Officer. Shawn then co-founded and served as the Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director of The Belleau Wood Group LP, a merchant bank headquartered in Dubai. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT IN THIS EPISODE: What does boodleAI do (3:41) Where did the idea for boodleAI come from (5:48)  What difference does boodle’s technology make for its clients’ businesses (8:26) What does Shawn juggle as CEO (11:51) What advice does Shawn have for young people who want to get into machine learning and a.i. (15:35) How did Shawn’s military service help him move into the private sector (19:10) Why did Shawn decide to get a joint law degree and MBA (21:41)