An AI keynote for the physical world

Most AI keynote speakers are writing for the same audience: marketing leaders and SaaS executives who already live inside software all day.

Zach Rattner's customers are moving companies and insurance adjusters.

Zach is one of my exclusive speakers at Silicon Valley Speakers, and he's the CTO and co-founder of Yembo. He's spent the last decade selling AI to industries that don't naturally believe in it. That's exactly the perspective I think most rooms need right now.

Zach built Yembo from scratch — an AI platform that powers virtual inspections for moving and logistics companies, insurance adjusters, home services teams, and financial services firms in over 20 countries. Millions of videos run through it every year.

Before Yembo, he worked inside Qualcomm's internal incubator on computer vision and consumer electronics. He holds 30 granted US patents, ranks in the top 2% of contributors on Stack Overflow, and LinkedIn named him a Top AI Voice.

He also wrote a book called Grow Up Fast: Lessons from an AI Startup, a candid account of what it's like to build AI for an industry without a CTO on staff.

How he works with teams:

Most of Zach's recent work is hands-on. He runs half-day and full-day workshops with engineering and leadership teams to surface why their current AI initiatives are stalling and which projects to actually ship. He also takes on quarterly advisory engagements where he embeds with a team to help them get that first project across the finish line.

When the format calls for a keynote, his most-requested talks are "Why AI Initiatives Fail and How to Fix Them" and "Automating the Ordinary to Elevate the Extraordinary."

He's spoken at AICPA & CIMA ENGAGE in London, Virginia Tech, and conferences across insurance, logistics, home services, and financial services.

The thing that sets Zach apart from most AI experts:

Zach has actually shipped the thing he's talking about. He's not a researcher who left academia six months ago, nor is he a consultant who has only read about AI implementations from the outside. He's a CTO whose AI platform is currently running in over 20 countries, generating revenue, and being used by people who don't care about model architecture.

That credibility lands differently in a room full of operators. When a VP of Operations at a logistics company asks what AI projects to start with, Zach gives an answer from someone who's been in his exact seat — picking the project, scoping the engineering, managing the customer rollout, and watching some experiments fail before others worked.

If your team has been told to "use more AI" and is stuck on what to build, Zach is the one to call. In fact, he’s doing a keynote in Japan to educate movers on how to leverage AI in their businesses as we speak.

You can check out his full profile or just reply to this email and I'll tell you more.

One more thing: a new monthly newsletter for Silicon Valley Speakers

This Thursday I'm launching the Silicon Valley Speakers Newsletter — a separate publication from this one, focused entirely on the speakers I represent. Case studies, client feedback, new reels, and the occasional bureau-partner note.

It ships in two editions:

• Event planners and buyers get the newest additions to my roster, plus a quick AI workflow you can use on your next event.

• Bureaus and production companies get the latest updates on my exclusive roster, plus hands-on tips on how to use AI for prospecting and sales in your own pipeline.

If you’re interested in following along, subscribe here and I’ll make sure you receive the right edition.

Don't worry, Do More With Less Using AI (this one) isn't going anywhere. Same Tuesday and Thursday rhythm, same focus on AI for event pros.

Till next time,

Noah Cheyer

Do More With Less Using AI

Do More With Less Using AI

PS: Know an event planner whose team has been told to "use more AI" without a clear next step? Forward this one their way. Zach is the master of turning "we should do AI" into actionable workflows that will save your company money.