Tom Shapland

Yo, you gotta hear about Tom Shapland. This guy’s the real deal in the startup world, no cap. He’s a YC S14 alum, so he’s been in the trenches. Started out in the agtech scene with Tule Technologies, dude built sensors to measure water use in farms, which he actually invented during his PhD at UC Davis. That’s some hardcore science turned startup hustle right there. Tule was so legit, it got snapped up by CropX after YC, which shows he’s got that knack for building stuff people actually want.

But Tom didn’t stop there. He’s all about pushing tech into real-world problems. Now he’s running Canonical AI as CEO and co-founder. They’re building tools to make Voice AI way better, real-time analytics, so developers can finally get a grip on how their voice assistants perform, with metrics on latency, interruptions, and call success. Basically, he’s trying to fix the mess that is Voice AI right now, which, honestly, is a huge problem.

What’s crazy is how his process screams one thing: dude loves turning cool ideas into real shit that actually works. Whether it’s sensors for farms or making AI voice tech reliable, Tom’s all about applying hardcore research and making it practical. It’s not just about the tech, it’s about solving problems that matter: better farming, better voice experiences, smoother user flows.

He’s based in SF, obviously, and he’s all about that startup grind. His story says a lot about motivation, guy jumped into hardware, then software, then AI, and crushed it every step. He’s not just playing with ideas, he’s building the tools that change how industries run and how we interact with tech daily.

So yeah, Tom’s the type of founder who’s not just talking bullshit, he’s actually building the future, one real-world problem at a time. That’s why he’s important. Because he’s proving that you don’t need to be a literary genius, just relentless and passionate about making shit better.