The Black Entrepreneur's Journal - Vol 2

BUILDING WHILE BLACK

By: Daniel Kamau

When the term artificial intelligence (ai) is mentioned, my mind quickly spirals to images of robots and complicated home appliances waging a post-apocalyptic war against humanity. Daniel Kamau of Sketch Deck AI, has however eased my irrational fears by providing better context around the value of these innovations, specifically in his world of construction.

The Kenyan native migrated to Atlanta, Georgia (USA) at the age of eight. He made his way to Ottawa, Canada to complete his university studies after excelling in high school. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Kamau was drawn to Alberta soon after graduating, hoping to take advantage of the opportunities in the field of construction. Speaking to what attracted him to structural engineering, he shares, “I wanted to see and feel the things that I built; another big part of my decision is that I wanted to contribute to development of the infrastructure in my home country”.

Kamau describes that his entrepreneurship path took a slight detour when he discovered that he could build things beyond physical infrastructure. Instead of building structures with metal and mortar, his skills are now channeled to the development of software. To understand the foundation of his work, we would need to understand the basics of AI. Kamau explains that AI is fundamentally “Computers trying to mimic human intelligence, and that can look very different. It can be learning much like you would teach a baby to read and understand the world. At some point, self-learning kicks in and the computer is able to teach itself”. He focuses on a subset of AI called machine learning which builds on the breakthroughs in computer vision. By labeling ‘data sets’ of either the physical world or within documentation, the computer can be trained to understand and interpret the information to support simple decision making. This innovation provides the foundation for Sketch Deck AI.

The documentation that provides the learning in this case are construction blueprint drawings. The software that his team designs, trains a computer to carefully scan data sets from each blueprint and produce a detailed materials inventory list. As with any business, construction companies are focused on the bottom line. The potential man hours saved in having software execute the calculations for material orders vs spending hours and hours manually counting lines and beams; and having more accurate calculations to reduce wastage, promises significant returns on this investment. Celebrating the wins at this stage of development, Sketch Deck AI currently boasts nine clients, all steel fabricators, who are intimately tuned into the software development process. Launched in January of 2021, it took the business an additional 4 months before securing its first client.

Great ideas however do not magically materialize into profitable businesses. Sketch Deck AI is self-described as a ‘startup’, meaning that they are new and still in the process of sourcing venture capital to launch this enterprise into full gear. What has this fundraising experience been like? Kamau shares the all too familiar sentiment for new business owners, “It’s been difficult”. However, he acknowledges that his team has been fortunate to have the support of family and friends who made early investments, coupled with their personal savings to get started. For many entrepreneurs, this is not an uncommon launchpad.

“Getting to the next level has been challenging”, he shares. Kamau goes on to describe their attempts at accessing funding through the Black Entrepreneurship Program, which is designed as a partnership between Black-led organizations, financial institutions and the Government of Canada, aimed at supporting the growth and development of Black enterprise nationwide. The catch for a startup however is that without a product in the market and a steady history of financial records that reflect growth, they immediately become unattractive candidates to the lender. Agility, perseverance and resilience weave the fabric of any successful entrepreneur. In spite of these hurdles, the team at Sketch Deck AI remains hopeful as they press forward in conversations with a client investor. “When fundraising, I’ve learned the need to understand the investor and what they care about, and communicating or shaping the business in a way that they understand”. In the face of rejection one must simply be prepared to move on and continue to find prospects that better align with the product that is offered.

While some burgeoning business owners go this alone, Kamau has partnered with Malid Dakka, an AI Engineer with a strong mathematical background. Fostering a progressive partnership is vital to the success of this venture. “Asking the right questions in the beginning to make sure you are on the same page rather than hoping you are on the same page” is one critical aspect to their relationship. Discussions around exit strategies, time commitments and competing projects were held in the early stages of their relationship. “Difficult conversations become more difficult the longer you wait to have them with your business partner”, Kamau chuckles, recognizing that much like a marriage, a business partnership requires ongoing maintenance and will move through ebs and waves.

The growth of their relationship has taken place in tandem with the development of his leadership skills. “Leading through vision, passion and influence” is the strategy that he has adopted; a strategy that recognizes and honors the value of each member of his team.While his cultural background is one that leans heavily on a structured hierarchy, this has been his first experience in leading a team to execute a project of this scale. Learning how to delicately balance his communication styles so as to not stifle the imagination, creativity and curiosity of the team, has been a steep learning curve. As a leader, it is also humbling to openly acknowledge that your team is not inherently obligated to the business. It becomes even more important to foster an environment where they feel that their contributions are valued and where the drive of their leader resonates deeply with them.

Contemplating the impact of this business on the wider community, it would be remiss of us to ignore the slow uptake of People of Color in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Although based on research conducted in the US, a report released by Pew Research Center merely three months after the launch

of Sketch Deck AI, reflects substantial gaps in diversity. Specifically in the areas of computing and engineering (the studies that most influence Kamau’s work), Black workers represent only 7% and 5% respectively of the workforce in those fields. Black peoples however represent 11% of the total workforce. Even more disheartening, is that in spite of the current wave of ‘Black consciousness’, the research reflects that the current enrollments for those seeking out these degrees will have little impact in narrowing this gap.

“I have thought about it and I just feel that I need to do more”, reflects Kamau; “to impact the trajectory of a young person’s life you need to be involved in their life on a more frequent basis beyond one or two conversations a year”. He expresses an interest in partnering with any organization that has created a structure for mentoring; he is willing to offer himself or his business in some capacity. In a brief exercise in mentoring, he offers the following advice to his younger self and to his readership: “Lean into your curiosity - a lot. When you find a passion, decide to give it a significant amount of time in your day, your week, and consistently over years. Focus on something you love, and ask a lot of questions, specifically ‘Why NOT me?’ ”