After more than 30 years in the technology industry, serial entrepreneur Eric Adolphe founded Forward Edge AI in 2019. Eric has created a company that is at the forefront of embracing emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence, 5G and Robotic Process Automation. From an app that turns the tables on scammers to a hardware device that can detect the presence of MERSA and COVID-19, Eric and his team have no shortage of disruptive ideas to share with the world. Last week, I sat down with Eric to hear more about his approach to innovation and how he keeps his mission of employing AI for the betterment of humanity at the center of his company.
Tell me about your background. What inspired you to found Forward Edge AI?
A few years ago, I was in an airport restroom where I went to wash my hands. As you do, I waved my hands under the sensor to turn on the water and it didn’t turn on. Meanwhile the Caucasian gentleman next me simply waved his hands and the water came out. I then went and grabbed a piece of white toilet paper and waved it under the faucet and it turned on. Here is an example of the sensor not being calibrated for the color of my skin. In other words, an example of how technology choices can reinforce inequalities in the real world. This was the inspiration for Forward Edge AI. We want to be the voice that’s going to speak for underserved communities.
Much has been said about the bias that can be baked into AI. In this case, we see that you need to consider sensors and IoT devices that are inclusive as well.
I know you have released Gabriel an app to combat phishing and smishing scams. Can you talk a little bit about what inspired that?
Yes. This was from personal experience. I received a text from my wife saying: “Can you pick up the kids and can you wire money into this account? I’ve left my purse at home.” Right away, I knew it was a scam. In the 30 years we have been married, my wife has not once called me honey. This inspired me to start digging into this problem. Scams have moved from email, to peer to peer, and so you’re getting things like these phishing attacks and smishing attacks coming through text message. So we got to work on a way to combat these actors. Incidentally, these scams are targeted at those who are least able to protect themselves. We trained our models to detect the specific scams targeting these populations. Our app Gabriel incentivizes users to report scams so we can blacklist the senders. We are giving Gabriel users cryptocurrency for participating in the network to incentivize them to report the scammers. Close to 40% of people who have downloaded the Gabriel app routinely report scams. Then we have automated the process of reporting the offenders to civil authorities which can fine them up to $15,000 per incident. Since we’re using the entire Microsoft tech stack we have set up Power Platform Automate to automatically file the reports the FTC and FCC. We take the proceeds from those fines to fund the crypto incentives.
Busting scammers and getting Bitcoin, what’s not to love? What else are you working on?
Our second product, which we’re releasing soon is called Blaze. It is a handheld device that has the ability to detect pathogens like COVID-19, E. COLI, MERSA and Hepatitis. You scan a surface and the device will tell you if it contains MERSA for example. We’ll have more to share once it launches.
What advice would you have for other founders out there, particularly founders of color?
Bring perspective. Coming out of your own community have a point of view on what’s important to your community. Don’t let anybody tell you that what you’re doing is not important. Early on I could have walked away because people were telling me what I was working on wasn’t important to Silicon Valley VCs. Maybe not in their community, but in mine, vulnerable people are being hurt. That’s because investors are making decisions through their own lens, and think the entire world shares their experience. As a result, many deals are left on the table. In fact, Morgan Stanley stated that hundreds of billions potentially. That doesn’t mean it’s not important to other people, particularly in your community. So stay true to your point of view.
The other area I would encourage founders to explore is federal funding. The National Science Foundation provides seed funding up to $1.5M and will match an additional $500k all non-dilutive. The Air Force will match up to $15M. This can be a really powerful way to get seed capital.
