Artificial intelligence has ushered in a new world. And several Staples students are taking full advantage of it.
They’re using AI to turn innovative ideas into reality … using AI itself. Here are stories of 2 intriguing startups.
Noah Tomasovic is a rising junior. He’s runs track , plays rugby, is a member of Service League of Boys, started a club that monitors water safety, competes nationally with Future Business Leaders of America, and is working this summer at a commercial real estate firm.
Noah is also the founder of Pilotier. The company installs custom AI systems into local Fairfield County businesses. They handle many details a small business owner has no time or talent for, like building a website, organizing and responding to emails, and scheduling. It’s all done through a dashboard he devised.
Some of those tools already exist, of course. But, Noah says, configuring email through, say, Google Cloud can be difficult. His system allows a user to click one button to connect.
Pilotier integrates many functions into one.
One local client, the owner of Alma Mexican Foods, had trouble reaching decision-makers at large outlets like Big Y and Stop & Shop. Noah built a system that personalizes emails, and ensures they reach the right executive.
His agent also reads all emails that come in. It summarizes them, suggests follow-up actions — then handles them.
Pilotier also handles lead follow-ups for every inquiry and quote, so “nothing falls through the cracks”; social media content, drafted in the client’s voice on a pre-determined (yet flexible) schedule, and invoicing.
Every morning, there is a “briefing,” with to-do lists and suggestions.
Noah Tomasovic offers a free AI audit for businesses.
“The whole goal of AI is to automate tasks, and help you scale up,” he notes.
“A lot of businesses don’t know too much about AI — or they’re intimidated by it. They don’t know how to use it, but they’re worried about being surpassed by it.”
Noah charges a set-up fee, and a monthly retainer.
It’s all explained in a comprehensive, clear website. Built by Noah — with, of course, help from AI.
(To learn more, visit the Pilotier website, or email noah@getpilotier.com.)
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In the financial world, 4 students have spent a year building a tool for wealth management firms.
Right now, they say, advisors spend hours reading Department of Labor filings and data to find companies whose plans are not performing well, then write custom outreach by hand.
The quartet — Mikael Nagy, Ignacy Nieweglowski, Pranav Tamilselvan and Lucas Nilsson, all rising seniors and juniors interested in computer science and finance — make the prospecting process faster. They use AI to scan public data and create full pitches, score plans automatically, and help advisors land more clients.
Their company, Polamin (the name combines their Polish, American and Indian backgrounds), analyzes hundreds of thousands of retirement plan filings to help advisors find underperforming plans, then generates data-backed proposals.
They say all 146,000-plus plan sponsor in the country is profiled and searchable. More than 152,000 plans are scored, 0 to 100, against size, industry and regional benchmarks, using 3 “proprietary layers”: advisory, core and risk.
AI does all the (very) heavy lifting.
The 4 friends talked for a while about starting a company. They considered analyzing crypto, but realized it was complicated and scam-filled.
From left: Mikael Nagy, Pranav Tamilselvan, Ignacy Nieweglowski.
Speaking with a local wealth management analyst, they learned he spent an enormous amount of tedious time prospecting, looking for poorly performing plans, then reaching out to convert clients.
“We didn’t realize how massive the retirement plan industry is,” Ignacy says.
The proposals Polamin creates are tailored to a prospect’s experiences and interests. They use a variety of voices and styles: conservative, modern or data-heavy.
Screenshot from the Polamin website.
They were accepted to present at last month’s Yale Innovation Summit. “There were a lot of adults — really, really smart people,” Mikael reports.
They did not win. But they picked up a ton of tips, and networked well.
Since its March launch, the founders have added new features. It’s being tested by a Westport client now. Other interested users can test it for free, too.
Mikael, Ignacy, Pranav and Lucas are decades away from retirement. They haven’t even been to college, or landed their first full-time jobs.
But thanks to their start-up, retirement may become more affordable for countless older men and women they’ll never meet.
(To learn more, visit the Polamin website, or email mikael.d.nagy@gmail.com.)
(“06880” reports often on local businesses — and the achievements of Staples students. Sometimes they intersect. If you enjoy stories like these, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
The curriculum was demanding, but the growth happened in the small, quiet moments.
… and third.
