A.Team

Exhausted by countless hours spent sourcing and interviewing mediocre candidates — while still being expected to get all your work done with a short-handed team? You’re not alone. Two-thirds of tech leaders are sick of an outdated hiring process. Why? Companies spend an average of over four months finding and hiring Silicon Valley talent, draining valuable time, money, and resources. Our AI cuts that 4+ month process down to minutes. Team Formation AI uses our proprietary TeamGraph algorithm, leveraging our vast data on skills, experience, and working relationships within our expert network to match companies with top talent who have solved similar challenges before. With Team Formation AI, industry leaders get access to the Silicon Valley talent they need, on demand. And our expert network gets an AI that won’t take their jobs; instead, it’ll get work for them. We launched A.Team in 2022 with $60M in funding from visionaries at Insight Partners, Adam Grant, and Jay-Z's Roc Nation. At that time, tech workers were just starting to leave Silicon Valley in droves for the freedom and flexibility of independent work. Today, over 70% of industry leaders use the "hybrid team" model to drive innovation and cut costs. Our network now boasts 11,000+ expert product builders. Companies like HCA Healthcare, Lyft, McGraw Hill, Grindr, D-ID, and Lifepoint Health® have built best-in-class teams with us, seamlessly integrating top talent into their teams to build industry-changing products. Early testing shows Team Formation AI is a huge win for our customers. It identifies the right talent and hones in on the roles and skills needed, leveraging insights from thousands of successful initiatives within the A.Team network. No more struggling to find and hire specialized tech talent. Now you can find the talent you need in minutes and deploy your dream team in days. Try Team Formation AI now: https://hubs.ly/Q02CPmcK0 Just tell it what you want to build or the roles you’re hiring for, and watch it take care of the rest. #TeamFormationAI

Revolutionizing a New Yorker’s coffee run takes more than just beans — it takes cutting-edge tech. Vinay Menda and Issam Freiha, co-founders of Blank Street, started with a single cart in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Their vision? To deliver high-quality coffee efficiently at prices lower than Starbucks and specialty cafés. And, they didn’t stop there. Blank Street reimagined the local coffee shop experience when they decided to create a mobile order-ahead app that integrated with physical cafés, offering a seamless experience for regular customers. But, first they needed the right tech team to bring their idea to life. “We needed to build something highly-custom on a startup budget with a team that felt they were a core part of ‘the family’.” Menda explained. So, Blank Street partnered with A.Team. Using A.Team’s TeamGraph algorithm, they quickly found and deployed developers skilled in FinTech, real-time services, and user onboarding who worked closely with them to understand their vision for the app, providing guidance on the product roadmap while integrating fully with their internal teams. Together, their team built a seamless connection between the Point of Sale (PoS) system and operations, leveraging Square's platform for a robust back end and sleek user experience with an intuitive interface, enabling customers to effortlessly place orders and pick up their coffee in-store. One of the main benefits of deploying a fractional team? It allowed Blank Street’s founders to focus on their core business operations. A.Team worked closely with them to understand their vision for the app, providing guidance on the product roadmap. Thanks to awesome builders like Martin Strutz, Dan Konstantinovsky, and more, in under a week, the team was able to build a fully-operational custom order-ahead app from 0 to 1, which eventually lead Blank Street to expand to 40+ locations, secure $94M+, and achieve a 4.9 App Store rating. Read more about how Blank Street took over the NYC coffee scene here: https://hubs.la/Q02CR8jY0

Last week, we hosted a Gen AI Salon in NYC with our friends at J.P. Morgan, bringing together some of the brightest minds in the industry, not just to discuss the future of AI, but to grapple with the very real challenges and opportunities it presents for consumer tech. Here’s what went down: ▶ Our expert panel, moderated by J.P. Morgan’s Monica Rincon, featuring luminaries from NVIDIA, ShipPlug, and Seek AI, showed us a glimpse into the future of how AI is not just enhancing business models—it's completely reimagining them. ▶ Our hackathon competition featuring five top A.Teams, guided by industry advisors from Microsoft, Google X, and Humane, presented fully functional consumer tech AI prototypes built in just 48 hours. ▶ We launched A.Team’s self-serve AI platform, #TeamFormationAI — designed to help leaders quickly find the talent they need and take the hiring process from months to minutes. What resonated with me most was the palpable sense of both excitement and responsibility in the room. Sarah Nagy's journey from frustrated data scientist to founder of Seek AI is a testament to the transformative power of AI when applied to real-world problems. Emphasizing the use of diverse data integration to uncover insights that were previously invisible. Nicholas DiNatale revealed how ShipPlug uses AI to enhance the delivery experience, prevents chargebacks, and optimizes customer interactions. It's not just about faster deliveries or smoother returns, it's about creating moments of delight in what used to be mundane transactions. NVIDIA’s Chris Brown discussed importance of nurturing the AI ecosystem. Nvidia's approach of fostering authentic relationships with startups without a sales agenda allows for genuine collaboration and innovation, where AI development is driven not by tech for tech's sake, but by real-world applications and human-centric solutions. Serving as a reminder that in our rush to innovate, we must never lose sight of the human element. Our hackathon was of course a highlight—not just because of the incredible prototypes our A.Teams built in just 48 hours, but because it demonstrated the power of diverse perspectives coming together. Watching our teams tackle challenges from healthcare to finance with AI-driven solutions, I was reminded of why we started A.Team in the first place – to bring together the right minds to solve complex problems. And with the launch of Team Formation AI, we’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible. By leveraging the vast amounts of data on the builders in our network, we’re not just assembling teams; we're fostering an environment where AI and human creativity come together to solve real-world problems for the future. Is an expert A.Team the key to building your next innovation? Try Team Formation AI here to find out, no strings attached: https://hubs.la/Q02FfbF-0 For more check out the full recording of our June Gen AI Salon here: https://hubs.la/Q02FfdVT0

Hot off the press — PR Newswire dropped a press release about the launch of Team Formation AI 👀 It’s made waves across major platforms, including C-SPAN, ABC News, Apple News, Fox News Media, CBS, and CNBC. What’s Team Formation AI? Our new Gen AI platform that uses A.Team’s proprietary TeamGraph algorithm, leveraging the vast data on skills, experience, and working relationships within our expert network to match companies with top talent who have solved similar challenges before. That means industry leaders get access to the Silicon Valley talent they need in minutes and can deploy an elite team of fractional experts in days. Check out the press release and see why everyone’s talking about Team Formation AI! https://hubs.la/Q02F3pWs0

Very cool! Go A.Team

In the height of a global pandemic, while the world wrestled with COVID-19, Apprentice.io found itself at the heart of a high-stakes race against time. Angelo Stracquatanio III, the company's co-founder and CEO, faced a challenge that would make even the most seasoned tech veterans break into a cold sweat: build an entirely new version of his platform to orchestrate the delivery of 400 million life-saving vaccines across the globe—in just 45 days. This wasn't just a test of speed; it was a trial of talent. In the heavily regulated world of pharmaceutical manufacturing, overhauling a complex, multi-stack platform required specialized skills and firepower that went beyond the capacity of his existing team. It was around this time that Angelo was introduced to A.Team — he brought in over 30 specialized fractional engineers from A.Team’s expert network to join forces with Apprentice’s core tech team, allowing them to quickly accomplish the unimaginable. Apprentice’s story is so remarkable because it’s so different from how most companies experience hiring. Our research shows that tech leaders spend an average of four months to hire a top engineer, a timeframe that would’ve spelled disaster in Apprentice’s case. And, the advent of Generative AI has only exacerbated this problem, igniting a digital transformation arms race and widening the already yawning skills gap. Meanwhile, hiring managers — juggling under-resourced teams and endless hiring cycles — are increasingly burning out. Over the past year, we’ve been working on a new generative AI platform at A.Team to solve these challenges and revolutionize the hiring process, enabling tech leaders to source, interview, and hire top-tier talent from A.Team’s network of 11,000+ pre-vetted experts. Enabling hiring managers to now get access to best-in-class Silicon Valley talent on demand that they can onboard in days, not months. We launched it publicly this week as an experimental new feature, and it’s called Team Formation AI. It’s a powerful leap in how companies can assemble world-class teams at exponential speed to solve their most critical business challenges. But don’t just take our word for it — early clients and prospects that have used the platform — like Angelo — have loved it: “The flow was so natural, and the caliber of candidates was so impressive,” said Stracquantanio. “With conversational talent acquisition methods, I don’t get this level of refinement. It’s something that’s always bothered me about traditional hiring — getting the right people for your team is so important, but there’s been a lack of deep and rich thinking about the process, until now. Team Formation AI was much better and deeper.” Try Team Formation AI for yourself. Simply tell it what you’re wanting to build or the roles you’re hiring for, and watch it work its magic: https://hubs.la/Q02F220l0

Is the future of work freelance? This week, I had the opportunity to be featured alongside some of the world's brightest global leaders in a Forbes article by Jon Younger PhD. Jon has been telling the stories of the freelance community since 2014, starting at the Huffington Post, then moving to the Harvard Business Review, and most recently writing for Forbes. His latest piece sheds light on the evolving landscape of freelancing, offering insights from global leaders who are paving the way in shaping the future of work. Here's my take on what's ahead: “Over the next 3-5 years, AI-driven platforms like A.Team's Team Formation AI will play a crucial role in transforming the workforce. These platforms leverage advanced algorithms and data analytics to match specialized talent with the right projects quickly, efficiently, and accurately. By tapping into an expert network, companies bridge the talent gap — already, over 70% of industry leaders have adopted the "hybrid team" model to drive innovation and reduce overhead. This approach meets the immediate talent needs of businesses and caters to professionals seeking autonomy and diverse opportunities in the evolving work landscape.” The freelance economy is undergoing a dynamic shift, driven by technological advancements and changing workforce preferences. The adoption of hybrid teams and AI-driven talent platforms is not just a trend but a transformative movement reshaping how businesses and freelancers collaborate. As companies navigate economic pressures and the continuous demand for specialized skills, platforms like A.Team's #TeamFormationAI offer a compelling solution to streamline talent acquisition and enhance project outcomes —making it an exciting time for both businesses and highly-skilled freelancers alike. Will AI-driven platforms like Team Formation AI become the norm, reshaping not just how we hire, but how we conceive of teams and organizations themselves? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure: we're at the cusp of a major transformation in how talent and businesses connect. In the race for innovation, the ability to rapidly assemble teams of specialized talent may well be the difference between being the next big thing and being... well, Blockbuster in a Netflix world. What role do you think AI and innovative platforms will play in shaping the future of work and freelance? Thank you to Jon Younger, it's an honor to be among industry leaders such as Patrick Petitti, Pavel Shynkarenko, Stephane Kasriel, Jeroen Tas, Alex Bouaziz, Thomas Maas, Leslie Garçon, Lee Willoughby, Thomas Jajeh, Maulik Sailor, Claus Leinøe, Runar Reistrup, Glen Hodgson, Ramiro Gonzalez Forcada, Steve King, Matthew Mottola, Michael Solomon, Robert Vlach, Cem Ciftgulül, Ricky Willianto, Ray E. Culver, Eldri Coll Mossige, Peter McPartlin, Abeer Qumsieh, and Weiting Liu. 👉 You can try Team Formation AI for yourself here: https://hubs.la/Q02F3x5R0 And check out the full article in the comments!

Decades ago, Daniel Pink predicted the rise of freelance work and how it would transform the traditional 9-5. Now, in a fascinating new interview with A.Team’s Joe Lazer (Lazauskas), Pink revealed insights on how Generative AI will reshape the future of knowledge work and creativity as we know it. Pink’s visionary ideas have shaped our understanding of work from the early 2000s to the present day. His 2002 book "Free Agent Nation" foresaw the rise of freelancing, while his 2005 book "A Whole New Mind" predicted the increasing value of creative skills in response to automation. Now, Pink examines how AI is rapidly accelerating these workplace transformations today, offering a vital perspective on our evolving professional landscape. As AI tools generate content at unprecedented speeds, Pink argues that humans retain the critical role of evaluation and refinement that will make them an irreplaceable asset—with a skill he calls "taste.” He notes, "AI is good at generation; we're good at taste. For now." Pink believes that human skills, values, and experiences augment, rather than compete with, machine intelligence. Pink envisions a future where AI enhances human capacity instead of replacing it. He sees a new partnership emerging, with humans focusing on directing AI tools and curating their outputs. This shift, he suggests, will redefine the nature of work and creativity in the AI era. Don't miss out on the full conversation — read the full interview in Build Mode: https://hubs.la/Q02Db2ky0

Remember that viral AI-generated video that reimagined Harry Potter as a BALENCIAGA campaign? The magic behind its virality was D-ID's Creative Reality Studio, an AI-powered video creation tool that was taking the digital world by storm. But despite it’s viral success, D-ID faced a challenge. Their platform was only for desktop — and in an increasingly mobile-first world, D-ID was missing out on a massive opportunity. They needed a mobile app, and they needed it fast. Recognizing the urgency and complexity of the task, D-ID partnered with A.Team to bring their desktop phenomenon to the mobile masses. "The A.Team model allows you to go from 1 to 100 very quickly, from conception to execution," explained Dor Bar-Shalom, Director of Product at D-ID. "There was hardly any onboarding." Within days, A.Team assembled a specialized team of six mobile development experts who seamlessly integrated with D-ID's existing product team. The result? A game changing MVP built and launched in less than 5 months. Today, D-ID's mobile app is a runaway success, boasting over 3 million users and a 4.5-star rating on the App Store. It empowers users to create customized digital humans that look, sound, and speak like real people, offering unparalleled creative freedom to both individual creators and businesses. From Warner Bros. Discovery to Publicis and MyHeritage, major players are tapping into D-ID's Creative Reality Studio magic. Inspired by D-ID's success? Last week we launched Team Formation AI so you can browse our pool of Silicon Valley talent and build a team that can turn your vision into reality, just like we did for D-ID. Try it here: https://hubs.la/Q02DST4W0 Dive into the full story of of D-ID x A.Team here: https://hubs.la/Q02CQBXr0

Gen AI is creating groundbreaking consumer solutions — but how can we harness its potential while ensuring privacy, security, and fairness? And how can we stay ahead of consumer expectations for more delightful and personalized experiences in the AI age? Last week, our very own AJ Thomas ⚡️, who leads A.Team’s CxO network, hosted an exclusive group of industry founders, VCs, researchers, and decision-makers in NYC to answer these questions during our Gen AI Salon: Consumer Tech in a Sci-FI World. Our expert panel, moderated by Monica Rincon (VP at J.P. Morgan), brought together Chris Brown (NVIDIA), Nicholas DiNatale (ShipPlug), and Sarah Nagy (Seek AI) to crack the code on Gen AI for consumers. They shared invaluable insights on integrating disparate datasets for holistic views, optimizing customer delivery experiences, and accelerating startup technology development. The consensus? Startups should consider how AI enhances their business model and messaging, not the other way around. Communicating differentiation, market size, and how retention and experiences will be driven is key to standing out from other AI-focused companies. The event also showcased the incredible potential of A.Team’s expert network through a hackathon competition featuring five top A.Teams. These teams, guided by industry advisors from tech giants like Microsoft, Google X, the moonshot factory, and Humane, presented fully functional consumer tech AI prototypes that they built in just 48 hours to push the boundaries of what's possible—from tailored health advice to financial management to AI-driven grocery shopping and marketing assistance. After careful deliberation, our panel of judges, including Chris Brown, Sarah Nagy, Maximilian Metti, and Lorenzo Colonna di Paliano, awarded the grand prize to FaceFutureAI! ⭐ This innovative tool for facial reconstructive surgery, developed by A.Teammers Dimos Papadopoulos, Bence Csernak, Viktor Miroshnikov, Linas Ozeraitis, and César Teixeira, impressed with its potential to revolutionize patient care and treatment planning. The fan favorite award went to VCGPT, an AI-driven venture capital platform that sources top investment deals using proprietary data on factors driving startup success. Kudos to team members Christine Chen, CFA, CIM, William Chan, Olivia Thompson, Duffle K., and Fernando Ferrer for capturing the audience's imagination with their innovative solution. As the evening drew to a close, attendees were treated to an exclusive first look at our brand new AI platform, Team Formation AI — designed to help industry leaders quickly assemble their dream team to build their next revolutionary product. Try Team Formation AI for yourself here, no strings attached: https://hubs.la/Q02DSFSv0 Missed the event or want to relive the magic? Watch the event recording here: https://hubs.la/Q02DSF2t0