Joe Watkins

Time to appreciate Joe Watkins. This guy’s the real deal, straight up. He’s a tech nerd turned startup legend. Went from crushing it at Google and Waymo-those are some of the biggest names in AI and self-driving tech-to co-founding this crazy cool platform called Storyboarder. And trust me, it’s not your average app.

So, here’s the scoop: Joe’s a machine learning and computer vision wizard. He’s led teams at Google, working on modern AI tech, and helped build the tech behind Waymo’s self-driving cars. That’s some advanced stuff. But he’s not just about tech for tech’s sake-he’s got that entrepreneurial spark, jumping into a new space where tech meets storytelling. He’s all about blending innovation with impact, making sure the tech actually changes the game.

He co-founded Storyboarder as part of Y Combinator’s W23 batch. Think about that-YC is the gold standard for startups. Storyboarder is this platform that lets anyone create and sell webcomics, no drawing skills needed. It’s democratizing art and storytelling, making it accessible for the masses. And it’s not just some hobby project; they’ve got over 650,000 users, and big-name investors like the founders of Tumblr and Venmo jumped in. That’s a huge vote of confidence.

What’s wild is how Joe connects all this. His background in AI and computer vision isn’t just about fancy tech; it’s about pushing creative boundaries. He’s at the intersection of storytelling, 3D tech, and AI, trying to make it super easy for anyone to create art and share their stories. That’s his mission-to break down barriers and enable creators everywhere.

Looking at his process, what jumps out is his relentless drive. The guy’s been in the trenches of some of the most advanced tech companies, and then he jumps into starting something totally new. It’s clear he’s motivated by more than just money-he genuinely wants to shake things up, make art and tech more accessible, and leave a mark.

So, in short, Joe Watkins isn’t just some engineer. He’s a visionary who took his deep AI expertise and turned it into a tool that’s changing how people tell stories online. He’s proof that if you love tech and you’re willing to jump into the unknown, you can build something that really matters. And honestly, watching him crush it? No cap, it’s inspiring.