Why I’m optimistic on AI in public service

At this month’s AI+ Expo – a gathering hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP) of tech companies, academic institutions, government agencies and more – it was clear that skill in AI is the differentiator for today’s top employers.

My panel with Navy CTO Justin Fanelli, Maryland Chief HR Officer Neal Desai and Virginia Tech Pamplin College of Business Associate Dean Rajesh Bagchi dove into this topic, examining not just how we get more AI talent but why it’s so critical that we harness AI for the public good.

As Justin emphasized, there’s a direct connection between bringing in top AI talent and driving national security in today’s complex technological landscape. Neal reminded us that national security is built at every level, as is the efficiency of government service delivery. As a venture capitalist, I know that the most important thing to get right when driving any innovation is the people – and leveraging AI to solve big problems is something we can’t afford to get wrong.

Read my full takeaways from the conversation here.

In this newsletter, you’ll learn how students at Virginia Tech and Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business are innovating using AI and entrepreneurial methods, meet this year’s NobleReach Summer Interns and see how NobleReach is working with state and local governments to bridge the AI talent gap.

Where in the World is NobleReach?

Clockwise from top left: NobleReach staff with the Virginia Tech Masters in Business Administration – Business Analytics team after their successful final presentation, NobleReach’s Rebeca Lamadrid speaking with Oklahoma City CIO Dr. Kelly Williams on the AI+ Careers Stage at this year’s AI+ Expo, Tom Fewer signing copies of Venture Meets Mission for Drexel University students, and Rajesh Bagchi, Justin Fanelli, Arun Gupta and Neal Desai speaking at NobleReach’s session at SCSP’s AI+ Expo.

Around NobleReach

NobleReach Scholars placed in Oklahoma City will focus on more than just technological work, said Oklahoma City Chief Innovation Officer Kelly Williams during a fireside chat at the SCSP AI+ Expo. “They’ll be helping our staff, who have maybe done things in a very similar way for a very long time, really come up to speed with modern technologies – including AI and automation.” The key, she says, is empathy and curiosity, alongside technical skill. Watch the full conversation here.

This month, we hosted the final presentation from Virginia Tech’s Master of Business Administration – Business Analytics team at our Tysons office. The student team presented their capstone project, “AI-Powered Challenge Sourcing & Mentor Matching for Innovation for Impact,” an innovative platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to connect real-world challenges with appropriate student teams and mentors.

The tool streamlines the matching process through a user-friendly interface, enabling students to develop comprehensive challenge statements and connect with relevant mentors by simply completing a form. Developed by Hudson Aikins, Emily Saintsing, Aaron Gamarra and Nada Fitian, this AI-driven solution demonstrates the potential for enhancing educational outcomes and fostering meaningful partnerships between students and industry professionals.

Finally, our Summer Internship Program has begun, and our interns are already leaving their making a mark on NobleReach. Sydney Du joins us from MIT where she majors in Computer Science, Mark Wang joins us from Vanderbilt University where he majors in Economics and Management and Philip Clark joins us from the University of Florida. Click here to read more about them.

How You Can Make a Difference

As we continue to scale our successes, I’m particularly excited about these opportunities for engagement that will reshape how we approach mission-driven innovation:

First, S2V is translating university research into commercial ventures to serve the public good. If you’re involved in university research or early-stage venture development, we want to connect.

Connect with S2V

Second, we have expanded the Scholars Program to include state and local governments across the country. If you work for a state or locality who could benefit from access to top talent in Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Business Process Innovation, Cybersecurity, or Materials & Manufacturing, we’d love to hear from you.

Host a Scholar

I look forward to sharing more updates about our work in the months to come. If there are issues you want to hear more from us on or potential areas for partnership, we are always happy to connect. Just reply to this email and we’ll be in touch!