Anthony Luckett

There is such a temptation to jump to quick fixes when you're in startup mode. This is great advice for founders.

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What does it look like when lived experience meets deep technical expertise? You get founders like David Gory Jr, M.S., MBA., Richard Mariita, MSc., Ph.D., MBA Candidate and Ejike K - Opurum, Ph.D.. David and his co-founder Richard Mariita, MSc., Ph.D., MBA Candidate were both among the 2.3 billion people globally who lack access to clean water. That experience didn't just motivate them - it shaped how they think about infrastructure. At Airbuild Inc, they're not just treating wastewater. They're rethinking what infrastructure should do. Their Biopods use algae to: → Treat polluted water to EPA standards → Sequester carbon permanently as biochar → Boost solar panel efficiency by 12% One modular system. Triple impact. In two weeks, their first full deployment goes live in Green River, Utah!!! They've already secured: • $3.2M carbon offtake agreement • $37.5M in municipal letters of intent • 6 cities ready to deploy But here's what excites me most: David understands something many founders miss. Cities aren't looking for "sustainability" as an add-on. They need solutions that work better AND cost less. They need infrastructure that pays for itself. Airbuild Inc delivers that. And cities are lining up because of it! Doing well by doing good! This is what climate infrastructure looks like when it's built by people who've lived the problem. Proud to support David, Ejike, John William Bucur, Richard Mariita, MSc., Ph.D., MBA Candidate and the Air Build team. If you're working on water, climate, or infrastructure solutions — follow their journey. #ClimateInfrastructure #ImpactInvesting #CleanTech

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Brad Topliff spoke at KwaaiDay #115 Learn more at https://www.kwaai.ai/ #kwaai, #democratizeAI. Understanding the human element is crucial. While advancements in knowledge graphs and technology are vital, it's essential to consider the human aspect of identity and data portability. The challenges in this space often revolve around the complexities of making these concepts accessible and user-friendly for everyone. #kwaai #democratizeAI #identitymanagement #dataportability

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Reminder for the Black operators (in startups, large companies, and small firms): AI Hackathon for Black​ Operators. £1k prize 👩🏿‍💻📣👨🏾‍💻 If you're building with AI (which you should be) - this is for you. ​https://lnkd.in/e7NGeCJb

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For people who want to learn about AI but don’t know where to start, there should be a lot of good sessions in this week long conference on AI Literacy. Those who are experienced in AI may care to share this post with others who have not yet started on this journey. Phuti Ragophala Titus Shihlomola Boitumelo Makgoba Vanessa Willemse Ayanda Mahola Magaga Enos

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The latest The Hechinger Report Proof Points from Jill Barshay and Shirley Liu offers some actionable insights and directions for educators and #edtech developers exploring ways to use #AI to help students be better writers. Based on recent studies and an interview with University of Vienna professor Jennifer Meyer, they found: - Timing matters. AI should be delayed until students write first drafts by themselves. As messy as these rough drafts may be, getting these ideas out “manually” is a worthwhile effort. Adding AI feedback afterward can further boost brain activity. - Motivation is critical. Writing can feel like a slog, and students who got AI feedback said they feel more motivated to revise. “Often students aren’t in the mood to rewrite, and without revisions, students can’t become better writers.” - But don’t praise too much. ChatGPT and other off-the-shelf AI tools are notoriously sycophantic (“great job!”) giving students a false sense of confidence that can deter them from making further revisions. Getting straight to constructive, “praise-free” feedback seems promising. Their story: https://lnkd.in/dik8FmDK

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Closing Black History Month: Innovation, Leadership, and Building the Future 🚀🔬🤖 As Black History Month comes to a close, it’s important to remember that innovation isn’t just something we look back on — it’s happening right now. Across AI, robotics, advanced manufacturing, energy systems, and biomedical engineering, Black inventors and scientists are leading breakthroughs that shape how we build, automate, and train the next generation of engineers. Here are just a few leaders driving impact today: • Joy Buolamwini — Founder of the Algorithmic Justice League, pushing industry to measure and correct bias in AI systems. That work directly impacts automation, machine vision, and data systems used on modern shop floors. • Kimberly Bryant & Black Girls Code — Building coding and robotics skills in girls of color, strengthening the early pipeline that makes future internships, apprenticeships, and engineering careers possible. • Hadiyah-Nicole Green — Translating laser physics and nanotechnology into targeted cancer treatments. A powerful example of how deep STEM research becomes life-changing applied technology. • Ayanna V. Howard — Roboticist, entrepreneur, and educator bridging research, startups, and student mentorship — scaling lab innovation into real-world application. • Lonnie Johnson — Aerospace engineer turned prolific inventor (250+ patents), spanning consumer products to advanced energy systems — a model of applied R&D and entrepreneur-driven manufacturing. Organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) are running programs and camps that feed talent directly into engineering and manufacturing careers. Partner with them. Sponsor a capstone. Host a paid micro-internship this summer. Innovation scales when opportunity scales. At Pellissippi State, we’re committed to building real pathways into manufacturing, automation, robotics, and skilled trades — through hands-on labs, certifications, and measurable workforce outcomes. If you're looking to advance your technical skills or upskill your team: 🔧 Workforce Training Programs: https://lnkd.in/eBT-vRff If you have a middle or high school student ready to explore engineering, CNC machining, robotics, or advanced manufacturing: 🎓 STEM Youth Camps: https://lnkd.in/ebCSCrzu Black History Month reminds us: talent is everywhere. Opportunity is built. Let’s keep building. #BlackHistoryMonth #STEM #Manufacturing #WorkforceDevelopment #CTE #EngineeringEducation #Robotics #NSBE

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Generative AI is forcing higher education to confront an uncomfortable truth. The real crisis is not assessment integrity. It is a decades old educational model built on transaction, performance and proxy credentials rather than real learning. AI did not disrupt universities. It exposed a system that had already lost its connection to mastery, intellectual growth and verifiable capability. This article articulates that tension clearly and asks the right question. Not how to control AI, but how to rethink curriculum, pedagogy and purpose. This is exactly the problem we set out to solve at Eon University. Not AI added to education, but education rebuilt as AI native infrastructure with autonomous AI professors, real time mastery tracking, and cryptographically verified skills via VeriChain. The legacy model is collapsing. A new learning architecture is emerging. Full article below. https://lnkd.in/e5B3Xyzs

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Back in October, I spent an incredible week at AfroTech with founders and builders who are scaling products in real time. A friction point that continues to resurface in conversations in tech circles, and one I’ve seen repeatedly across companies, is the often rocky relationship between Product and Engineering. For early-stage teams especially, this relationship is not a “nice to have.” It directly impacts speed, burnrate, roadmap clarity, and ultimately… runway. Why Misalignment Happens Even strong teams break down when expectations between PM and engineering aren’t explicit. Here’s a pattern I’ve seen: A PM joins a team with an engineering org shaped by the previous PM (or by the absence of one). Whether that prior PM was a force multiplier or a bottleneck, they define the mental model of “what a PM should be.” The new PM inherits that history — trust or skepticism baked in. I’ve seen teams lose weeks because PM and engineering continually disagreed over who owns the what vs. the how. When those boundaries blur, you get stalled decisions, internal escalations, and roadmap drift — all of which compound quickly in a resource-constrained environment and often lead to losing sight of the original product goals in the first place. Teams that define decision ownership early reduce churn, ship faster, and protect precious runway. Two Principles for Better Collaboration 1. PMs are not interchangeable. People often assume a “PM is a PM,” but each one brings unique skills: technical depth, data analysis, domain expertise, stakeholder management and more. Miscasting a PM, or expecting them to operate like the last one, slows execution. 2. Clear decision frameworks are a competitive advantage. Ambiguity is expensive. High-performing teams know exactly who defines the problem, who decides the solution, and how to resolve conflicts fast. Teams that operationalize decision clarity see faster iteration cycles, fewer escalations, and more predictable product outcomes — which directly translates into better use of capital. The Takeaway Product and Engineering tension isn’t inevitable, but alignment doesn’t happen on its own. Make expectations explicit early, revisit them often, and treat the PM - Eng partnership as a core execution engine. For Founders and Builders: How have you structured PM and Engineering ownership to maximize velocity? #Startups #FounderAdvice #ProductLeadership #Engineering #VentureCapital #AfroTech

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"Innovation alone doesn’t create change—intentionality does." This line from Jotaka Eaddy's "Win With Black Women" talk at #Afrotech hit me hard. She spoke about leveraging tech as a force for good when it's designed with purpose and impact at the center. This is the entire reason I founded J² Elevate Consulting. I didn't start my business because I saw a market opportunity. I started it because I saw a broken system. After working under 30+ managers, I saw a system that promoted people for technical skills but never equipped them for the human side of leadership. My work is mission-driven. It's built with the intention of fixing this problem and amplifying the underrepresented voices who are so often overlooked for leadership. This is "The Leader's Leap" in action. #Afrotech #Afrotech2025 #MissionDriven #Intentionality #FounderStory #LeadershipDevelopment #TheLeadersLeap #WinWithBlackWomen #EmotionalIntelligence #J²ElevateConsulting   ------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi, I'm JD Johnson, a leadership development consultant and coach for emerging leaders.   ✨ My mission is to help ambitious professionals and new managers build the skills and confidence to lead empathetic, resilient, and successful teams.   🎙️ Follow me for insights on human-centered leadership and listen to the "Fixin' Your Crown Boo!" podcast for deeper conversations. Links to all published episodes available here: https://lnkd.in/gW5VibyZ   🤝 If you're ready to move beyond theory and master the people side of leadership, send me a DM to explore how my coaching programs can help you build a practical and effective practice.

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