Description

Frans Cronje, co-founder and CEO of DataProphet, talks us through how he went from a promising career in management consulting having studied Actuarial Science to co-founding one of South Africa's leading AI companies. DataProphet develops machine learning solutions which enable manufacturers to significantly increase production efficiencies. DataProphet has been named as one of the most promising AI start-ups in the world by CB Insights, and Frans has been invited to present at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Until only recently in South Africa, there was very little in the way of formal education in AI and machine learning, and like Frans and his co-founders, many of today's AI experts are self-taught. You'll hear the word "pioneer" feature heavily in this episode, as Frans and the DataProphet team have built a successful business in an uncertain space where there was a nascent market and very little available technical expertise. If you're interested in learning about a career in AI and machine learning, or how to build a business in a new and untested field, this is the episode for you.

Jared and Frans discuss a variety of topics:

1. DataProphet, AI and machine learning (3:10) 
2. Industry 4.0 and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (5:50) 
3. Frans' entrepreneurial roots and the founder story of DataProphet (10:20) 
4. Self-teaching machine learning (18:15)
5. The highs and lows of being a tech pioneer (23:05)
6. Reflections on the early days of a start-up (27:15)
7. Focusing on purpose rather than milestones (33:50)

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