Sam Shaalan

AI EdTech Venture (Pre-Seed)

I act as the technical and commercial architect for this AI venture, securing $500k in pre-seed funding. I identified that generic chatbots caused 'user paralysis' and failed government data residency requirements, leading me to pivot the product from a 'Wrapper' to a Multi-Agent AI System. To solve the 'Blank Page' problem, I replaced open-ended prompting with Agentic Workflows using Progressive Disclosure, where chat interfaces only appear *after* a specific task (e.g., 'Generate Quiz') is completed. On the backend, I architected a Hybrid Infrastructure featuring a Hierarchical RAG and Multi-Model Selector that routes sensitive data on-prem while routing complex reasoning to the cloud. I further secured the system by designing the 'Educator-in-the-Loop' framework, allowing physical classroom observations to deterministically steer the AI's persona, ensuring cultural alignment and solving 'Teacher Blindness.'

• $22M Commercial Pipeline: Unlocked B2G sales by proving we could operationalize National AI assets and guarantee alignment with local cultural values.
• 80% Success Rate (vs 5%): Achieved massive adoption in pilots by removing 'prompt engineering' friction and offering guided outcomes.
• 80% Cost Reduction: Designed a model selector that routes standard queries to cheaper local models, reserving expensive compute for complex logic.

People Analytics Unicorn

I led a cross-functional team of software engineers and data scientists to **Unblocked Enterprise Sales:** Shipped the Synthetic Data Engine, allowing sales teams to demo full platform power without exposing a single byte of real client PII.

• Improved Efficiency: Achieved 40% data processing efficiency by optimizing engineering workflows and data science hand-offs.
• Accelerated Deal Cycles: Delivered new feature sets that improved time-to-value, accelerating enterprise deal cycles by 20%.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Navigated a complex matrix organization to align engineering and product priorities.

Post-Acquisition Integration & Scale

Following the successful acquisition by Yas Holding, I led the post-merger integration strategy, reporting directly to the Group CEO. My mandate shifted from 'turnaround' to 'scale,' focusing on unifying the platform architecture and capitalizing on the COVID-19 remote learning surge.

• Led Post-Merger Integration: Consolidated product strategy across the group, aligning the acquisition roadmap with the $4B parent company's vision.
• Executed PLG Pivot: Launched self-serve onboarding during COVID, capturing massive remote learning demand without scaling support headcount.
• Platform Consolidation: Architected a 'Unified Core' reducing backend redundancy by 80% and allowing K-12/Corporate products to share infrastructure.

Product Turnaround & Portfolio Strategy

I was hired to fix a failing portfolio bleeding revenue. I first executed a deep turnaround for the 'Project Blue' (LearningCurve) product line, and subsequently rationalized the broader 13-product portfolio to execute the exit strategy.

• Flipped Revenue Mix: Aggressively shifted the P&L from 70% Services to 70% Product ARR, reaching ~$5M ARR.
• Saved the Product Line: Transformed LearningCurve from a 'kill candidate' to a growth driver, closing 10 enterprise deals in 2 months.
• Secured Exit: Provided the strategic narrative and operational efficiency that justified the acquisition valuation.

I served as the technical bridge between Engineering and Sales for high-stakes government and enterprise deals. I drove opportunities from leads to closure taking the lead in translating requirements to technical specifications, presenting solutions, and consulting clients, with a win ratio of 21% and closing multiple enterprise deals. Guided the organization growth and expansion, expanding the partner base to 20+ partners, driving ARR to $10M and expanded the sales engineering team to 6+ personnel.

• Scaled ARR 5x: Drove revenue from $2M to ~$10M through technical leadership in tenders.
• Built Partner Channel: Enabled Microsoft and HP partners to sell autonomously across North America.
• Grew the Partner Ecosystem: Expanded the partner base to 20+ partners, driving ARR to $10M.

Mobile-first Intrapreneurship

I led the 0->1 journey of TeacherKit with 2 software engineers for this mobile-first education ecosystem in a classic intrapreneurship role. Grew the app to 1.8+ million users and 500,000 MAUs making the app one of the most downloaded education apps in the world and topping the charts in 70+ regions and categories.

• Increased Retention: Implemented growth loops that delivered an 18% increase in 7-day retention.
• Validated SaaS Model: Launched first paid features with a 12% conversion rate in week one, moving from free to subscription-based.