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Wilson Fong

Background​

  • Gary Sheng's mentor and trusted advisor
  • Head of brand agency responsible for notable designs including:
    • Grok logo
    • Tampa Bay Buccaneers redesign
  • Familiar with the Gauntlet AI program and Gary's previous work/experiences
  • Expert in brand strategy, visual identity, and ecosystem-level branding

Professional Expertise​

  • Brand architecture development
  • Visual identity systems
  • Messaging frameworks
  • Ecosystem-level brand thinking
  • Connecting brand to business outcomes (fun, clarity, growth)

Alpha Schools Role (as of May 2025)​

  • Brand Strategy Lead for Alpha Schools
  • Leading complete Alpha ecosystem branding initiative
  • Responsible for creating unified identity for:
    • Alpha ecosystem (overarching brand)
    • Alpha Schools (plural) branding
  • Timeline: 30-day initial strategy, 60-day complete rollout
  • Direct integration with marketing overhaul and movement building

Perspectives & Advice​

  • Encouraged Gary during the Gauntlet AI program to focus on making connections and getting the most out of the limited time.
  • Likely prompted Gary to prioritize clarifying the underlying strategy, assumptions, and "Spiky POVs" behind major initiatives (like America 2.0 Summit) before focusing excessively on tactical details.
  • Values clear articulation of foundational principles and hypotheses.
  • Direct feedback to Gary (Nov 2025): "You seem to have grass is greener syndrome... In the middle of what you're doing, you seem to try and trick yourself into believing that there's something better somewhere else."
  • Philosophy on partnerships: "We have to enjoy the people that we rub shoulders with... build a rapport that feels meaningful."
  • Business approach: "Not a fucking get rich quick... If you and I wanna find success, we have to stay at it as the same team."
  • On commitment: "I've been married 30 years. That's my mindset. Try and stay with the same people as long as possible."

Life Philosophy & Character Development Approach​

  • Daily Practice: "I wake up in the morning. I make Ashley coffee. Sometimes I make her oatmeal. I'm already giving."
  • Value Creation: "All I do is fucking produce. Produce moments with care and with attention and with joy."
  • Relationship Building: "I like it when people pay me a lot of money to hang out with them because I want to add a shit ton of value."
  • Long-term Thinking: "30,000 days is 82 years. How do you make every day valuable to you and the people around you that you love?"
  • Embracing Challenges: "It makes me feel alive... it's like squeezing fucking pressure to try and make diamonds."
  • Partnership Selection: Prefers people who "embrace every situation with love" over those who approach with "judgment and negativity and criticism"

Mentorship Style with Gary​

  • Direct Feedback: "You're still very green. You're young, you're green, but you're fucking talented and smart. Sometimes you have a bit of hubris. You gotta watch that."
  • Character Growth Recognition: Acknowledged Gary's improvement since summer 2025, noting "cleaner mindset and purpose"
  • Humility Teaching: "Hubris is something that never goes away until the day you die. It always wants to come out unless you really understand humility."
  • Strategic Guidance: Advocates for targeting "top of food chain" clients with higher budgets rather than starting small

Connection Points​

  • Gary values Wilson's feedback and perspective.
  • Serves as a sounding board for Gary's strategic thinking and reflections.
  • Understands the context of the Alpha School / Gauntlet ecosystem.
  • Brand expertise perfectly aligned with Alpha's need for clarity and unified identity
  • Potential business partner offering concrete freelance opportunities
  • Mentor providing direct, sometimes challenging feedback about Gary's patterns
  • Access to extensive enterprise network for business development

Current Business Ventures (as of November 2025)​

  • Signal Pattern Partnership: Exploring partnership with David Thompson (ex-CEO/founder of Momentum Labs) on AI-powered strategy and development platform

    • Platform generates comprehensive strategy docs in 7 minutes using 36+ specialized AI agents
    • Includes market validation, user understanding, competitive analysis, PRDs, pseudocode, and full product specs
    • Wilson would lead BD efforts leveraging extensive enterprise network
    • David sold his UX company to global engineering firm ~4 years ago
    • Status: In discussions for Wilson to become founding partner

  • Creative Partnership Network:

    • Vio (Visual Artist): External creative lead for XAI team, created Grok logo and extensive XAI branding, specializes in complex technology storytelling
    • Contino Partnership: Consumer product focused, different expertise from Vio
    • Business Model: Wilson handles relationship management and business development while creative partners focus on execution

  • Active Deal Flow (November 2025):

    • Nile Database: Postgres multi-tenant database startup, founded by first 2-3 employees from Confluent ($8B company), raised $11.5M
    • Semiconductor Startup: Y Combinator 2024 graduate, raised ~$10M, claims chip 26x more powerful than Nvidia's N100
    • Mugen (Web3/Cayman Islands): Foundation services agency for 25+ crypto foundations, treasury in billions, founder was #2 at Chainlink
    • Challenge: Startup founders often have "sticker shock" at six-figure creative costs when expecting $10K budgets

  • Jollibee Foods Corporation Project: $6 billion Filipino food conglomerate engagement

    • Client owns 19 brands including Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Smash Burger, Chow King, Mang Inasal
    • 5,000+ franchisees across 60+ countries struggling with brand consistency
    • Core problem: Standards shared via hundreds of PDF pages; franchisees hire junior local designers with no context
    • Brand Operating System (BOS): AI-powered chat interface + asset validation portal
    • Phase 1 Scope: Pilot with Chow King or Mang Inasal
      • Ingest brand standards and 15 stakeholder interview recordings
      • Build chat interface (similar to Gary's Lumina work)
      • Asset upload with compliance check (pass/fail with specific feedback)
      • Test with 10-15 real franchisees
      • A Primo (DAM) API integration potential
    • Phase 2: Refinement based on real usage
    • Phase 3: Apply to Jollibee mothership brand, then potentially 17+ other brands
    • Technical Requirements: Enterprise grade (HIPAA, GDPR compliant)
    • Success Metrics: 75% user adoption, 90% answer accuracy, info retrieval < 5 minutes
    • Gary positioned as technical lead for implementation
    • Key stakeholders: Sandeep (ex-Bain, 17 years Unilever), Adam Diamond, plus heads of Loyalty/AI/Data Analytics
    • Long-term vision: Create repeatable system to sell to Dunkin Donuts, KFC, and other franchise brands
    • Already completed: Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand refresh (font, illustrations, color palette, photography guidelines)

  • Solana Foundation Role: Negotiating chairman-type role running foundation operations with outsourced team

Business Network (November 2025 snapshot)​

  • VP Product Management at GE Venova ($2B P&L division)
  • Growth/Go-to-Market Lead at Accenture
  • Oracle's largest partner
  • McKinsey contacts
  • Chainlink Foundation #2
  • Head of Apps for Autonomous Vehicles at Hyundai North America
  • VP Product & Design at Intuit
  • Multiple Fortune 500 innovation leaders

Interactions​

  • Pre-2025-04-13: Provided encouragement to Gary during Gauntlet AI program.

  • 2025-04-13: Phone call with Gary Sheng (Gary's side recorded). Gary provided a detailed update on his first week at Alpha School, his strategy, relationship building, understanding of Joe Liemandt, and the evolution of the America 2.0 Summit plan, incorporating Wilson's inferred feedback about focusing on core principles.

  • 2025-05-25: Identified as key brand expert to lead Alpha Schools' branding overhaul as part of Alpha Scale initiative. His agency's work on Groc and Tampa Bay Buccaneers cited as evidence of capability.

  • 2025-11-23: Strategic business and mentorship conversation covering multiple opportunities and personal development:

    • Business Opportunities Shared: Demonstrated Signal Pattern platform, discussed Nile database startup, semiconductor company, and Mugen Web3 foundation projects
    • Gary's Applied AI Community Vision: Discussed Gary's plan to build two-sided marketplace connecting businesses hungry for AI with implementing engineers, supported by Travis Oliphant funding
    • Strategic Synergies Identified: Wilson's enterprise network and conference strategy (16 conferences in 2026) aligns with Gary's community building needs
    • Character Development Focus: Extensive discussion on Gary's personal growth since baptism, shift toward valuing character and integrity over achievement
    • Direct Mentorship: Provided feedback on Gary's hubris while acknowledging significant character improvement since summer 2025
    • Partnership Philosophy: Emphasized long-term relationship building, shared values, and mutual value creation over quick wins
    • Corporate Perspective Shift: Gary expressed new respect for large corporations and their stakeholder responsibilities
    • Future Collaboration: Explored potential for Gary to serve as technical lead on Wilson's enterprise projects while building his own community

  • 2025-11-24: Strategic business discussion about potential partnerships:

    • Demonstrated Signal Pattern AI platform for strategy development
    • Offered Gary freelance opportunity on Jollibee brand standardization project
    • Direct mentorship about commitment and avoiding "grass is greener" syndrome
    • Emphasized building long-term partnerships based on trust and shared values

  • 2025-11-25: Comprehensive technical briefing on Jollibee Brand Operating System (BOS) project:

    • Detailed project history: Contino lost initial Jollibee RFP but proposal impressed stakeholders; Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf requested direct engagement

    • Explained core problem: 5,000 franchisees across 60 countries creating inconsistent brand execution; current PDF-based standards ineffective

    • Technical scope: AI-powered chat interface for brand compliance, asset validation portal, A Primo (DAM) API integration

    • Phase 1 pilot brands: Chow King or Mang Inasal, then Jollibee mothership

    • Success metrics: 75% user adoption, 90% answer accuracy, time-to-information reduced from hours to under 5 minutes

    • Long-term vision: Create repeatable franchise brand compliance system applicable to Dunkin Donuts, KFC, and other global franchises

    • Preparing Gary for vendor evaluation call with Jollibee's Head of Loyalty, Head of AI, and Head of Data Analytics

    • Key quote: "I'm going to prepare you to be a slow, confident technical leader"

    • Partnership philosophy: "As long as we have trust in each other, and we give each other space to make mistakes, and communicate when we do make a mistake. You and I are gonna fucking kill it, man."

    • 2025-12-04: Strategic business and mentorship conversation covering multiple opportunities and personal development:

    • Business Opportunities Shared: Demonstrated Signal Pattern platform, discussed Nile database startup, semiconductor company, and Mugen Web3 foundation projects

    • Gary's Applied AI Community Vision: Discussed Gary's plan to build two-sided marketplace connecting businesses hungry for AI with implementing engineers, supported by Travis Oliphant funding

    • Strategic Synergies Identified: Wilson's enterprise network and conference strategy (16 conferences in 2026) aligns with Gary's community building needs

    • Character Development Focus: Extensive discussion on Gary's personal growth since baptism, shift toward valuing character and integrity over achievement

    • Direct Mentorship: Provided feedback on Gary's hubris while acknowledging significant character improvement since summer 2025

    • Partnership Philosophy: Emphasized long-term relationship building, shared values, and mutual value creation over quick wins

    • Corporate Perspective Shift: Gary expressed new respect for large corporations and their stakeholder responsibilities

    • Future Collaboration: Explored potential for Gary to serve as technical lead on Wilson's enterprise projects while building his own community

  • 2025-12-08: Strategic partnership discussion introducing Gary to David Thomson and Signal Pattern platform:

    • Connection Purpose: Wilson facilitated introduction between Gary and David, recognizing synergies in building applied AI solutions
    • Signal Pattern Deep Dive: Witnessed David's demonstration of meta-reasoning platform, Prism causal analysis engine, and Forge instant backend generator
    • Partnership Framework: Discussed three-way collaboration model with David (technical), Wilson (BD/enterprise), Gary (technical/community)
    • Conference Strategy: Confirmed plans for 16 conferences in 2026 as go-to-market approach
    • Mentorship Moment: "Gary is like raw talent. He needs to surround himself with a couple of old 50 year old cunts like us"
    • Integrity Emphasis: Reiterated importance of working with high-integrity partners: "It's not about the contracts, it's about the integrity"
    • Business Philosophy: "Finding somebody that you want to actually like, no matter what the situation is... That's one of the hardest things to do in life"
    • Applied AI Alignment: Recognized Gary's Applied AI Society vision as complementary to Signal Pattern's enterprise disruption strategy
    • Humanity-First Stance: All three committed to "standing on the side of humanity" in AI development

Transcripts​

Transcript IDDateSummary
2025-12-08-signal-pattern-meta-reasoning-partnership2025-12-08Signal Pattern AI platform discussion and partnership exploration
2025-12-04-gary-wilson-fong-business-opportunities-mentorship2025-12-04Business opportunities discussion, mentorship on character development, and strategic partnerships
2025-11-25-wilson-fong-jollibee-bos-briefing2025-11-25Technical briefing on Jollibee Brand Operating System project
2025-11-24-wilson-fong-business-partnerships2025-11-24Strategic business opportunities discussion covering Signal Pattern and Jollibee projects
2025-11-23-gary-wilson-fong-business-opportunities-mentorship2025-11-23Business development and strategic partnership discussion with mentorship on enterprise opportunities
2025-04-13-wilson-fong-call2025-04-13Gary's update call on Alpha School integration strategy and America 2.0 Summit refinement