A Chat with Taylor Shead: Founder and CEO of Stemuli (named the 2024 Global Champion of AI For Good, the U.N. platform on AI) and Dr. Matt Cummins: PhD, Head of Engineering & AI, Stemuli

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Taylor Shead and Dr. Matt Cummins.

Taylor Shead is the Founder and CEO of Stemuli, a gaming company at the intersection of AI, education, and workforce development. Stemuli's mission is to immerse and personalize education for 8 billion people while helping anyone navigate an intellectually and economically fulfilling career.

Taylor recognizes the urgency of addressing the inequities that hinder economic mobility, starting with our failing education systems impacting the workforce and people's well-being and sense of security. Her vision leverages AI and gaming to pull forward the future where every individual has one, equal access and two, can now reimagine career mobility at every level of their educational journey. Taylor currently leads an expert team of gaming and AI systems designers driving workforce innovation at the AI application layer to be the first ever 3D immersive generative gaming platform for kids and early job-seekers.

To date, Taylor is the 94th black woman in the world to have successfully raised over seven figures in venture capital. In May 2024, Taylor and Stemuli represented the United States and North America in the United Nations' global year-long competition for startups in artificial intelligence. Stemuli won and was awarded the 2024 Global Champion of AI for Good title by the U.N. and its associated agencies' platform on AI. Taylor is also celebrated as one of Dallas' most influential CEOs of 2023 and 2024 by D Magazine. Forbes and the Yass Prize have also recognized Stemuli as one of the most transformative applications for children.

Recent AI-driven accolades include:

• 2024 Global Champion of AI for Good, the United Nations and its associated agencies' platform on AI. (May 2024)
• Honoree at Dallas Innovates' AI 75. (2024)
• Tech Titan Startup CEO of the Year Award. (2024)
• 2024 Finalist, QS Global Ed Tech;
  2024 Gold Winner, QS: Developing Skills & Emerging Competencies, Global category

About Stemuli
Stemuli is a gaming company at the intersection of AI-powered Education and Workforce Development. We believe every learner, especially those from underrepresented groups, deserves an engaging and personalized career learning experience that leads to intellectually and economically fulfilling careers. Representing North America, Stemuli was awarded the 2024 Global Champion of AI for Good, the United Nations and its associated agencies platform on artificial intelligence (AI). Stemuli's tools responsibly leverage AI to support teachers with immersive 3D content that enhances student learning through interactive quests, connecting education to future careers.

Stemuli's Press Kit and Impact

Dr. Matthew Cummins is a distinguished technology leader and academic with expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and organizational behavior.

He earned a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford Graduate School of Business and an MPhil in Innovation, Strategy, and Organization from the University of Cambridge.

As the Head of Engineering and AI at Stemuli, Matthew spearheads transformative projects in educational AI and immersive learning systems. Previously, he founded Arbury Labs, where he developed multimodal AI systems, and played a key role in scaling GoCardless, a fintech company valued at $2.1 billion. Combining deep technical expertise with extensive leadership experience, Matthew specializes in merging innovation with organizational strategy to deliver AI-driven solutions in education and workforce development.