Students Apply Classroom Lessons to Startups
Two MSAI students recently founded their own companies and tailored their program experience to understand how to advance their businesses.
Oct 13, 2022
It’s common for students to take what they learn in the classroom and apply it to businesses in the real world. Two current students in Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program decided to bring their own real-world businesses to MSAI.
Aleksandr Simonyan and Dimitrios Mavrofridis each launched a startup in the past 13 months, and the two tailored their MSAI experiences to help expand and grow their companies.
Simonyan is using artificial intelligence (AI) to advance the world of personal fitness training, while Mavrofridis’ company uses AI technology to build a next-generation online gambling platform.
“Doing a startup and studying at MSAI is a hard combination," Simonyan said. "However, those two elements are connected with each other and one certainly helps the other. I have had an opportunity to propose my projects for final presentations across different classes, and I've chosen topics related to my company.”
Simonyan’s startup is called Immensus, an AI-based fitness app that uses computer vision to detect users’ movements while playing sports, analyze their mistakes, and suggest ways of improvement.
Mavrofridis, meanwhile, founded Next Generation Technologies to provide AI-powered solutions for i-Lottery and online casino platforms. The company was launched in April, and over the summer, Mavrofridis completed his program-required internship at his own company. He and three classmates focused on algorithms and models to shape a platform to help attract and retain customers, as well as a safety feature to monitor gamblers’ behaviors and encourage responsible gaming free from addiction.
The ability to use their time in MSAI in a practical way that benefits their real-world interests is one of the reasons both students were attracted to the program. Both said the depth and the breadth of the program also played a significant role in their choice to apply.
“MSAI is one of very few programs from top universities that is concentrated specifically on AI and its different areas,” Simonyan said. “The program not only provides the opportunity to get a very deep knowledge of deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, but also other important aspects such as regulations in the field of AI and integration of AI in various industries.”
While the technical lessons have been important for Simonyan and Mavrofridis, so has the network they've been able to work with and learn from.
“The MSAI program allowed me to communicate with many different AI-related companies, as well as leading Northwestern faculty members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives on the nature and potential business applications of AI,” Mavrofridis said. “After participating in the MSAI program, I gained extensive knowledge of the field, enabling me to improve my current technology and business management skills while broadening my ability to achieve my future goals."
Simonyan agreed.
"The most important lesson that I have learned from the program is the importance of collaboration in the field and the importance of getting diverse views on a problem," Simonyan said. "Many people try to apply AI everywhere they can, however, to understand whether it's applicable or not and whether AI integration will bring the desired outcome requires significant collaboration between different people."
Aleksandr Simonyan and Dimitrios Mavrofridis each launched a startup in the past 13 months, and the two tailored their MSAI experiences to help expand and grow their companies.
Simonyan is using artificial intelligence (AI) to advance the world of personal fitness training, while Mavrofridis’ company uses AI technology to build a next-generation online gambling platform.
“Doing a startup and studying at MSAI is a hard combination," Simonyan said. "However, those two elements are connected with each other and one certainly helps the other. I have had an opportunity to propose my projects for final presentations across different classes, and I've chosen topics related to my company.”
Simonyan’s startup is called Immensus, an AI-based fitness app that uses computer vision to detect users’ movements while playing sports, analyze their mistakes, and suggest ways of improvement.
Mavrofridis, meanwhile, founded Next Generation Technologies to provide AI-powered solutions for i-Lottery and online casino platforms. The company was launched in April, and over the summer, Mavrofridis completed his program-required internship at his own company. He and three classmates focused on algorithms and models to shape a platform to help attract and retain customers, as well as a safety feature to monitor gamblers’ behaviors and encourage responsible gaming free from addiction.
The ability to use their time in MSAI in a practical way that benefits their real-world interests is one of the reasons both students were attracted to the program. Both said the depth and the breadth of the program also played a significant role in their choice to apply.
“MSAI is one of very few programs from top universities that is concentrated specifically on AI and its different areas,” Simonyan said. “The program not only provides the opportunity to get a very deep knowledge of deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, but also other important aspects such as regulations in the field of AI and integration of AI in various industries.”
While the technical lessons have been important for Simonyan and Mavrofridis, so has the network they've been able to work with and learn from.
“The MSAI program allowed me to communicate with many different AI-related companies, as well as leading Northwestern faculty members with diverse backgrounds and perspectives on the nature and potential business applications of AI,” Mavrofridis said. “After participating in the MSAI program, I gained extensive knowledge of the field, enabling me to improve my current technology and business management skills while broadening my ability to achieve my future goals."
Simonyan agreed.
"The most important lesson that I have learned from the program is the importance of collaboration in the field and the importance of getting diverse views on a problem," Simonyan said. "Many people try to apply AI everywhere they can, however, to understand whether it's applicable or not and whether AI integration will bring the desired outcome requires significant collaboration between different people."
