Managing The KORIL Application

2019/09/15 in Porfolio

TLDR: Basis Technology wanted to develop some ridiculously sophisticated AI tech, but they needed millions in funding to do it. So, I led a team to win a $2,000,000 grant.

Basis Technology was looking to develop a brand-new approach to building data sets for AI, dubbed “active learning,” but they needed serious funding to back an ambitious R&D project. 

The firm’s execs decided to apply for a $2,000,000 research grant from KORIL, a Korean & Isreali foundation that backed high-potential, innovative product development projects that included both Korean and Isreali companies. 

Basis Technology was going to submit two applications targeting different market applications of active learning technology, and I was selected as the lead for the application aimed at financial services.

The 60-plus page application included:

- Detailed R&D project breakdown (three-year budget & Gantt chart)

- In-depth descriptions of the technology, its advantages vs. current approaches, and its applications

- Market size, competitor landscape, and target customers

- Business model and commercialization strategy

Oh, and one more thing: the whole process needed to be squeezed into my evenings over the course of a month.

I managed the production of the entire application, orchestrating the work of our brilliant chief scientist, Kfir Bar, and our Korean partner, WISEnut. I also personally wrote substantial portions of the application, particularly those that addressed the application of the technology to the financial services market (my background). 

It was a monumental undertaking…but it had a happy ending: months after submission, we found out the application I had managed won the $2,000,000 grant.

We also found out that the judging system scored the writing quality of each submission, and that my application had the highest score in the history of the grant.