Nick Locascio

Don’t sleep on the legend that is Nick Locascio-this guy is the real deal, no cap. So he’s part of YC W23, which is already a big sign he’s got the juice. But what’s wild is his process-started from the tech grind, and now he’s straight-up disrupting the visual content game with AI.

First off, he was a top engineer at places like DoorDash, Fitbit, and Symantec-dipping his toes into voice AI, deep learning, and software engineering. Then he jumped into academia at MIT, where he didn’t just learn but actually built and taught a deep learning course (6.S191). That’s some serious creds. Basically, he’s been deep in the trenches of AI and ML for a minute, and he’s got the research to back it up.

But what really kicks things up a notch is his move into startups. He co-founded Booth AI-this is where he really crushed it. The idea? Using generative AI to automate product photography. Think about it-brand managers and marketers no longer need to spend a ton of cash and time on photoshoots. Nick built solutions that generate high-quality lifestyle images instantly, which is a total big change for e-commerce and branding. They raised over $3 million from YC and top VCs-so yeah, they’re the real deal.

Before Booth AI, he was the Director of Engineering at Standard Cognition (Standard AI), helping them scale to unicorn status. He led ML teams and launched over 10 models for autonomous retail-talk about moving fast and breaking stuff. He’s all about building killer teams that can execute at the highest level, not just about the tech itself.

What does all this say about Nick? Dude is relentless. He’s always been about pushing the boundaries of what AI can do, whether it’s in retail, deep learning academia, or now visual content. His process screams one thing: he’s motivated by turning bold ideas into reality, and he’s not afraid to jump into the deep end. Starting Booth AI wasn’t just some side project; it’s a major leap to redefine how brands create visual content-no bullshit, just pure innovation.

In a nutshell? Nick Locascio is a tech powerhouse who’s always been ahead of the curve. He’s the guy who’s not just riding the wave but making the wave himself. If you ask me, he’s someone to watch because the best is yet to come.