António Andrade is a promising young entrepreneur in the field of Artificial Intelligence technology and online sales. Together with partners Shahriar Kabir and Kat Garcia, he is the co-founder and CTO of Ground, one of the newest technology companies based in New York, with links to Silicon Valley. Since 2021, Ground has aimed to help e-commerce companies find consumers quickly and efficiently by using AI.
Born in Macau and with an eclectic academic and professional career, António has made a name for himself internationally, studying and doing research in the field of AI at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. He has worked as a Data Scientist and Full-stack Software Engineer at companies such as Arup and Zendesk. His global journey has taken him to Singapore, Switzerland, Germany and, most recently, the United States, where he lives between Los Angeles and New York.
What is the goal of your company Ground?
Ground is a technological start-up in the field of Artificial Intelligence. We help digital commerce companies, also known as e-commerce, to increase their sales. We occupy a very specific area as we act as a kind of Artificial Intelligence agent. We scan the companies, all the services they have, looking for all the opportunities that exist to generate more sales. We have various models that use AI to attract more users and give them incentives to make more purchases. Based on the first purchase, we can target that user and give them more incentives to buy more. All this through an automatic AI system.
How did you become interested in Artificial Intelligence?
I studied for my Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering at the Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, but it was during my time in Switzerland that my interest in AI deepened, purely out of curiosity. Later it became the subject of my thesis, which led to a PhD. During my research I was fascinated by the potential of this technology and what it could do. I thought “this is going to change the world”. The way it has access to everything in the world, I believe it will help humanity to understand all the natural processes and phenomena in the universe. Everything that exists will be touched by AI and it will increase our capacity as humans to do ever greater things. When I realised this, it was easy to make the decision to go down this path.
How can Macau take advantage of this new technology?
Digital commerce is not restricted to geographies. We have a large market in the United States, where we are now. But we have customers all over the world, in Europe, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia, among others. What we want as a company is to help entrepreneurs. Everyone has a presence on the Internet, whether through social networks or online shops. That’s why we’ve been growing so fast. Macau has a different market, but it’s not restricted from our reach. It’s a small place, with more of a focus on gambling. But it could be a base for boosting investment in the rest of Asia. If there are any companies with that goal, we’ll be ready to help, of course.
Does the new development zone in Hengqin and co-operation with China present any opportunities for a company like Ground?
China has a very strong e-commerce market. It also has a rapidly expanding digital commerce ecosystem. Macau, being part of this market, would be a good investment opportunity for any local entrepreneur. And Ground could be a great partner for anyone interested in investing in this market.
How do you feel your time in Macau influenced your career?
Even though I grew up in Portugal, the most important years of my adolescence were spent in Macau, and very much formed who I am today, especially during my time at the Portuguese School of Macau (EPM). In fact, I didn’t have much interest in studying when I was living in Portugal, but it was the teachers at EPM who sparked my interest, especially in physics and maths. It was the influence of these teachers and the good education I received there, that sparked my curiosity for what I do today, the world of technology and AI. Another important part was Macau’s multiculturalism, which has helped me to be more open and adaptable to different circumstances, an important aspect of meeting people in different countries and knowing how to deal with differences, which is so important in the world of start-ups.
