Erin Yanacek

About Erin Yanacek

I work at the intersection of go-to-market strategy and execution, scaling Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning technologies from concept to real-world adoption. My current focus as co-founder, President, and COO at Perforated AI, is to lead our go-to-market and introduce the world to neuroscience breakthroughs in dendritic intelligence and non-linear learning that have transformative applications to modern ML models. The result is dramatic gains in efficiency and accuracy, including order-of-magnitude reductions in compute and energy costs. Our goal is to make high-performance ML practical and accessible for more real-world use cases.Before I turned my attention to frontier deep-tech, I spent nearly a decade working in Fortune 500 environments with McKinsey & Company, advising leadership teams on commercialization and growth strategy. As a result, I gained considerable experience in both developing and executing strategies to scale AI/ML technologies across domains including industrial tech, fintech, biotech, and autonomous systems.My path has included music and philosophy, competitive cycling in France, orchestral performance, collegiate teaching, and years of strategy work with technology and industrial leaders. These experiences shape how I think about systems, learning, and scale.Outside of work, I spend time with my husband, our two daughters, and our labradoodle Oscar; listening to podcasts, experimenting with AI tools, and maintaining a long-standing fascination with capybaras.If you’re building the next generation of AI, or if you have access to friendly capybaras, let’s connect!

Experience

1. Co-founder, President, & COO

   Perforated

   Feb 2026 — Present · Pittsburgh, PA, US

   Perforated AI is the dendritic intelligence company. We empower ML Engineers to build smarter, smaller, more accurate neural networks.

Education

• Carnegie Mellon University - Tepper School of Business

  Master of Business Administration (MBA), Finance

  2016 — 2018

• Carnegie Mellon University

  Master of Music

  2011 — 2013

• Western Michigan University

  Music & Philosophy

  2007 — 2011

Skills

• Public Speaking
• Business Analysis
• Music Industry
• Microsoft Excel
• Music Education
• Piano
• Contemporary Music
• Classical
• Orchestration
• Bands
• Business Strategy
• Music
• Band
• Chamber Music
• Performing Arts
• Choral
• Accounting
• Consulting
• Digital Marketing
• Sql
• Foreign Languages
• Nonprofits
• Leadership
• Nonprofit Management
• Ensemble
• Orchestral Music
• Musical Theatre
• Management
• Data Analysis