Travis Dirks

About Travis Dirks

I’ve held a simple belief throughout my entire life:With the right technology and consistent effort, every one of humanity’s problems is figure-out-able.Which is why I’ve been drawn to impact-driven initiatives throughout my career.It started way back in grad school, where we were seeking the world’s next great computational material in carbon nanostructures.Then, I founded Rotary Gallop - a machine learning fintech firm that applied game theory to measure corporate control (for M&A, hostile takeover, and activist situations) for the first time.Then, I moved my focus to more pressing socio-cultural problems as the Co-Founder of Seldn - an AI that accurately predicted the rise of ISIS, labor strikes, massive jumps in 30+ commodities & currencies, and societal riots months before they happened, with 95% accuracy.This was my first ever moonshot - an achievement that changed what was believed to be possible. We went into Seldn expecting it to be impossible. Shockingly, it wasn’t. The differentiator came from optimizing everything not for productivity, but for maximizing the chances of eureka moments. To enable more such technological leaps forward, I co-founded XLabs, an AI-powered moonshot factory.There, we incubated Ribo, where as CTO, I led the development of RNA + AI technology that uncovered 40 potential cancer drugs across 11 oncology indications.But perhaps my most immediately impactful role was as CTO of Hala Systems. Where we created and maintained technology now deployed in three active conflict areas, with nearly 2 in 5 users crediting it for saving a family member\'s life.I’ve had the privilege of having a diverse set of life-changing experiences — on both professional and personal levels.For a large part of this journey, up until Seldn was starting up, I sidelined my own wellness. I bought into the false dichotomy between mind and body and faced the consequences.But slowly, I realized that despite working with cutting-edge tech, the biggest changes in my life AND the biggest improvements in my work came from upgrading my human hardware through simple lifestyle changes.It may sound pedantic but, the biggest leverage point in improving yourself is to improve your self. So now, I’m on a quest to combine health & wellness with my tech & AI expertise to build a holistic life — for me and for you.Have an idea along similar lines, or want to chat about potential moonshots for your ventures?Drop me a connection request or message - let’s chat.

Experience

1. Board Member

   Intelligent Medicine Exchange Imx

   Nov 2022 — Present

   will be the first financial futures exchange for the health care industry (pending regulatory approval) Creating a transparent, two sided market for pricing of health care assets, hedging opportunities for payers and providers, other health care market participants and patients benefit through competition for services and through cushioning price shocks in the marketplace, leading to lower prices and premiums.

Education

• Purdue University

  Bachelor of Science

  2001 — 2004

• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  Doctorate

  2004 — 2010

Skills

• Big Data Analytics
• Dealing with Ambiguity
• Identifying New Business Opportunities
• Crisis Communications
• Private Equity
• Business Strategy
• Electron Beam Lithography
• Valuation
• Analysis
• Physics
• Data Science
• Afm
• R
• Machine Learning
• Data Analysis
• Probability Theory
• Due Diligence
• Finance
• Cvd
• Business Statistics
• Experimental Research
• Carbon Nanotubes
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Investor Relations
• Entrepreneurship
• Competitive Advantage
• Shareholder Disputes
• Strategic Planning
• Critical Thinking
• Equities
• Venture Capital
• Nanofabrication
• Experimental Physics
• Photolithography
• Investments
• Value Investing
• Research
• Nanotechnology
• Strategy
• Business Development