Meetup Summary: Supabase X DreamBase - Building Applied AI Community Connections

Overview

Gary attended a Supabase X DreamBase meetup hosted by Andy Keil, connecting with multiple engineers and entrepreneurs focused on applied AI consulting and practical business applications. The event yielded valuable connections for the Applied AI Society initiative and insights into effective community building strategies.

Key Connections Made

Daniel Knight - Event Management Software Founder

• Background: Former VC/growth equity investor turned entrepreneur, originally from Warrenville (near Gary's Aurora hometown)
• Current Project: Building Turnout.info, an AI-powered event management platform for organizing vendor quotes
• Previous Achievement: Built analytics product at Meritech that became crucial for winning investment deals
• Event Philosophy: "Let the bees buzz" - create conditions for organic serendipity rather than forced networking
• Key Quote: "You can only lose your money at the start of an event... you make your money at the end of an event"
• Next Steps: Coffee meeting scheduled for next week to discuss event planning strategies

Julien Charton - Applied AI Consultant

• Background: French mechanical engineer who transitioned to software, lived 12 years in Sydney, now leading US operations for international consultancy
• Focus: Applied AI for "boring but profitable" industries - construction, manufacturing, oil/gas
• Business Model: Partners with IT management companies (MSPs) to reach traditional businesses using legacy systems
• Notable Projects:
  • Insurance inventory AI using computer vision for automatic valuation
  • Construction surveying AI with predictive alerts for structural issues
  • Automated screening system replacing 15-person jury for business awards
• Key Insight: "The big models today are great for a lot of things. They're just not as good for a medium-sized company"
• Collaboration: Eager to present case studies and do live architecture sessions at Applied AI events

Business Development Strategy Discussion with Julien

• Target Market Philosophy: "Try to get boring companies... small construction, electricians, small manufacturers"
• Client Acquisition: "They never go to look for software developers because they don't know what it is. So they go to their IT guy"
• Success Formula: Partner with IT management companies who refer custom software opportunities
• Pricing Insight: These traditional companies "produce boring shit but make shit ton of money"

Kliment Minchev - ATX Builders Leader

• Background: Bulgarian immigrant, studied at Worcester Polytechnic and UT Austin, hardware/software engineering background
• Current Role: Co-founder of Prism Health, leads ATX Builders community and Hack AI meetups
• Event Philosophy: Highly critical of traditional networking - "None of these people right now are building"
• Vision: Planning innovative hackathon where existing builder groups compete as teams (February 2025)
• Key Quote: "The energy that you put out is going to attract that same [energy]"

Reid McCrabb - Linkt AI Founder

• Background: From Columbus, Ohio (like Gary), Ohio State alum, former VC analyst at Covenant Venture Capital
• Current Focus: Building Linkt AI for agentic AI systems helping companies scale operations
• Event Experience: Hosts regular AI developer events (Voltron, Captain's Back) with technical talks and networking
• Alignment: Extremely excited about "deployed engineers" concept - "I get so excited. I keep hearing for deployed engineers"
• Collaboration: Open to partnering on Applied AI Society events

Applied AI Society Concept Validation

Gary pitched the Applied AI Society concept multiple times with strong positive reception:

Event Format Proposed:

1. Featured Practitioner: Someone successfully monetizing applied AI consulting presents case studies
2. Live Architecture Session: Business owner brings real problem, gets live solution architecting
3. Networking Component: Engineers meet business owners with actual budgets and problems
4. Regular Cadence: Start monthly, potentially increase based on demand

Reactions:

• Daniel Knight: "That's fucking sick"
• Julien Charton: Immediately volunteered to be featured speaker
• Reid McCrabb: "Super excited" about the deployed engineers focus
• Multiple attendees: Recognized the clear market need

Key Insights on Community Building

Effective Event Strategies:

• Daniel's Wisdom: Focus on end-of-event value when people are relaxed ("two beers in, the garden is down")
• Avoid Over-Programming: Don't be prescriptive; engineer serendipity instead
• Hidden Agendas: Never explicitly state transactional goals (hiring, sales) at events

What Doesn't Work (per Kliment):

• Events where people come just for "swag and food"
• Uncoordinated networking without clear value exchange
• Traditional hackathons with forced team formation

Travis Oliphant Connection

Gary mentioned Travis Oliphant as mentor and sponsor for Applied AI Society, generating interest:

• Recognized as NumPy/SciPy pioneer
• His community-building approach with Python data science as model
• Financial backing for neutral ground in emerging field

Business Model Insights

Applied AI Consulting Opportunity:

• Sweet Spot: Traditional companies with legacy systems (SAP, Oracle, XSuite)
• Access Point: Partner with IT management companies for referrals
• Value Prop: Custom solutions cheaper and better than enterprise software
• Target Industries: Manufacturing, construction, oil/gas - "boring but profitable"

Pricing Models Discussed:

• Fine-tuning projects command premium pricing
• Traditional businesses have larger budgets than startups
• MSP partnerships don't always require rev share

Action Items & Next Steps

1. Coffee with Daniel Knight - Learn event planning best practices
2. Follow up with Julien - Plan featured speaker session and case study presentation
3. Connect with Reid McCrabb - Explore event collaboration and cross-promotion
4. Research Austin Associations - Association of Manufacturers and other industry groups
5. Develop event format - Incorporate feedback on live architecture sessions

Notable Quotes

• On finding clients: "These companies, they don't do any software development. So I'm partnering with the main IT management company in the region, and I get business from it" - Julien
• On event success: "Your job is to engineer serendipity" - Daniel
• On builder culture: "You get what you put in. The energy that you put out is going to attract that same" - Kliment
• On market opportunity: "Every company is a media company... The amount of business that I could funnel to you" - Context about content/AI services

Overall Assessment

The meetup was highly successful in validating the Applied AI Society concept and building initial network. Multiple attendees are doing exactly what Gary envisions - practical AI consulting for traditional businesses. Strong interest in collaboration and clear market need identified. The combination of technical expertise and business development strategies shared provides solid foundation for community launch.