LZDXN - Jing Gao

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TL;DR

Hi all, Jing here, the founder and CEO of WrapperAI, also a Computer Science and Entrepreneurship double major student at Washington University in St. Louis.

I am developing my own startup idea called WrapperAI, an business local data sanitizer. Further information can be found on WrapperAI.org.

About Me

At the heart of my academic pursuits at Washington University in St. Louis, where I am majoring in Computer Science and Entrepreneurship, lies a deep-rooted passion for technology and innovation. My journey is not just about building a robust technical foundation in programming and data analysis but also about weaving these skills into the fabric of my personal interests and aspirations.

When I was in high school, I worked with a team to deploy a website for an event. Right before the event, our website was hacked; everything was blocked except for a message left by the hacker: “Send me Bitcoin to unlock your website.”

A ransom of Bitcoin valued at 400k was demanded for this small event. What if it happened to a larger-scale group – or to businesses? This experience constantly reminded me of the importance of privacy and has kept motivating me to protect it.

WrapperAI originated from a lab project under the guidance of Yevgeniy Vorobeychik (Eugene). It was initially an anti-jailbreaking solution for a business hosting an LLM. However, during our discussions, Prof. Eugene mentioned, “Well you know, not many businesses in life notice or care about others jailbreaking their model in general, but they do concern themselves with privacy.” This statement greatly inspired me to pivot my idea, and following this insight, I’ve interviewed and had coffee chats with 30 people from target industries in occupation and business development. This has shaped what I have today, and the number is continuously growing.

Due to the unique features of WrapperAI, I am facing significant technical challenges throughout this journey. I am grateful that Prof. Eugene has been so supportive, nominating me for the dean’s selection to WashU’s Ph.D. program to work directly in his lab on the startup WrapperAI and to address these challenges through research.

Outside the realms of academia, I find solace and excitement in writing. As a budding novelist, I am currently working on a fantasy novel in Chinese, with over 20,000 words already penned down. This creative endeavor reflects not only my love for storytelling but also my keen interest in exploring new-world settings and intricate plot developments. However, the challenges of maintaining consistency and integrating new ideas into an evolving storyline led me to conceive the idea for a saga - a project that triumphed at the HackDartmouth event, winning three awards including the prestigious Contrary Capital sponsored prize. This recognition is not just a testament to the project’s innovation but also a stepping stone in my journey as an entrepreneur.

As I gain more experience at WashU and delve deeper into the startup ecosystem, my resolve to work in a startup environment has only strengthened. I see myself as an AI technical founder and data scientist, driven by the core values of freedom and free will. I aspire to merge my technical expertise with my narrative flair, aiming to make writing more approachable and accessible for everyone. In this fusion of technology and creativity, I seek to carve a unique path that resonates with my personal and professional ethos.