UPDATE: Emerging tech founder Thomas Lee Young is making headlines with his San Francisco-based startup Interface, which leverages AI to prevent industrial accidents. At just 24 years old, Young is disrupting the oil and gas sector with a revolutionary approach to safety management.
Young’s journey from Trinidad and Tobago to Silicon Valley is nothing short of remarkable. Growing up surrounded by oil rigs, he was inspired by his family’s engineering legacy. Now, his unique background gives him an edge in a predominantly traditional industry, allowing him to connect deeply with executives and frontline workers alike.
Interface’s impact is immediate and significant. The company’s AI technology autonomously audits safety procedures, finding and correcting errors that could lead to catastrophic accidents. In an impressive trial with one of Canada’s largest energy companies, Interface identified over 10,800 errors in just two and a half months, a task that would have cost more than $35 million and taken up to three years if done manually.
Young’s path to Silicon Valley was fraught with challenges. After being accepted to Caltech in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans, complicating visa appointments and wiping out his college fund. Undeterred, he pivoted to the University of Bristol, where he gained invaluable experience at Jaguar Land Rover, focusing on human factors engineering in industrial systems.
While at Jaguar, Young identified a critical gap in safety documentation processes that many companies still rely on, such as outdated manuals and inefficient management tools. When Jaguar declined his pitch to develop a solution, he took a bold step. He applied to Entrepreneur First, a European talent incubator, and successfully secured a spot despite a 1% acceptance rate.
After his acceptance, Young cleverly informed Jaguar he was attending a wedding in Trinidad, but instead went to pitch his vision at Entrepreneur First. Upon returning, he resigned to co-found Interface with Aaryan Mehta, who brings a complementary skill set in AI and engineering.
Their partnership has flourished, with Young and Mehta’s diverse backgrounds enabling them to tackle the complexities of industrial tech. Interface is now gaining traction in the market, with contracts worth over $2.5 million annually and additional clients in regions like Houston, Guyana, and Brazil.
The startup currently employs eight people, primarily engineers, and is racing to keep up with demand. Young’s relentless drive is evident as he balances his responsibilities while nurturing a unique culture that values both innovation and safety.
Young’s age and outsider perspective have proven to be assets in a field dominated by seasoned veterans. He often faces skepticism but quickly wins over clients by showcasing his deep understanding of their operations and the considerable savings Interface can deliver.
“Once you can flip them, they will absolutely love you and advocate for you,” Young states, reflecting on his interactions with industry leaders. His ability to resonate with the operational realities of frontline workers has been pivotal in building trust and securing buy-in.
With the oil and gas sector comprising around 27,000 companies in the U.S. alone, the potential for Interface to scale is enormous. Young’s innovative solutions are not just changing safety protocols; they are saving lives and redefining how industries approach operational safety.
The urgency of Interface’s mission could not be clearer. Young emphasizes the importance of addressing systematic errors that can lead to disasters, stating, “They’re just lucky that nothing happened” in reference to a decade-long error in documentation he discovered.
As Young continues to grow Interface, he remains grounded, often reflecting on his roots in Trinidad and the stark contrast of life in Silicon Valley. “I think back to what life was like in Trinidad. I mention these ideas to people back home, and they just don’t believe me,” he shares.
The tech world is watching closely as Young and his team at Interface forge a new path in industrial safety, proving that sometimes, an outsider’s perspective can lead to groundbreaking innovation.
Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story as Young continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in industrial technology.