HIGHLIGHTS: AI From Racetracks to Trading Floors: CEO of Zapata AI and Co-CEO of Andretti Acquisition Corp. in Fireside Chat
IPO Edge and the Palm Beach Hedge Fund Association hosted a fireside chat with Zapata AI on Jan. 31. The event featured Christopher Savoie, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, and Bill Sandbrook, Co-CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Andretti Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: WNNR), moderated by IPO Edge Editor-in-Chief John Jannarone and Editor-at-Large Jarrett Banks in a video session lasting approximately 60 minutes including a Q&A with the audience. Watch highlights below:
Mr. Savoie and Mr. Sandbrook discussed:
What differentiates Zapata AI from other AI-focused companies and the company’s products and services.
The market opportunity for Generative AI, Zapata AI’s business model and growth strategy, and why the company is positioned to succeed.
Zapata AI going public and its relationship with Andretti Acquisition Corp.
The most important thing investors should know about Zapata AI.
About Zapata AI
Zapata AI is the Industrial Generative AI company, revolutionizing how enterprises solve their hardest problems with its powerful suite of Generative AI software. By combining numerical and text-based solutions, Zapata AI empowers industrial-scale commercial, government and military/defense enterprises to leverage large language models and numerical generative models better, faster, and more efficiently—delivering solutions to drive growth, savings and unprecedented insight. With proprietary science and engineering techniques and the Orquestra® platform, Zapata AI is accelerating Generative AI’s impact in Industry. The Company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. On September 6, 2023, Zapata AI entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Andretti Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: WNNR), the consummation of which, subject to customary closing conditions, will result in Zapata AI becoming a publicly listed company on the New York Stock Exchange. To learn more, visit: https://www.zapata.ai
About Christopher Savoie
Christopher Savoie is a published scholar in medicine, biochemistry, and computer science, and his research and business interests over the years have focused on the intersection of machine learning, biology, and chemistry. Christopher is the co-inventor of AAOSA, the A.I.-based natural language interface technology used to develop Apple’s Siri. He has led big data analytics efforts at Nissan and has previously founded and served as CEO of technology companies that have been acquired or exited via IPO. He is a founding member of the steering committee of the US Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C). Christopher is also a licensed attorney and has served as the Vice-Chairman of the Big Data Committee of the American Bar Association and is founding and current Chair of the QED-C Quantum Law technical advisory committee. He is a published legal scholar on liability issues surrounding Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Information Security and Data Privacy and has lectured and taught continuing legal education courses on these subjects.
About Andretti Acquisition Corp.
Andretti Acquisition Corp. is a special purpose acquisition company formed for the purpose of effecting a business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Two key members of the management team are racing legends Mario and Michael Andretti. To learn more, visit: https://www.andrettiacquisition.com/
About Bill Sandbrook
Bill Sandbrook has extensive corporate management experience, most recently serving as the President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors of U.S. Concrete, Inc. (NASDAQ: USCR). Bill joined U.S. Concrete in 2011 as the President and Chief Executive Officer and spearheaded turnaround efforts, selling off low-margin units and refocusing U.S. Concrete on its core competencies. Under his leadership, U.S. Concrete became a top producer in North America and made more than 35 acquisitions, growing EBITDA by 24 times from 2011 to 2019 and the stock price by 14 times from January 1, 2012 to January 1, 2020. U.S. Concrete currently holds leading market positions in New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington, D.C. During his time heading U.S. Concrete, Bill worked with Matt Brown, who was the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2012 to 2015.
Additionally, in 2019, Bill was elected chairman of the National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association and in 2018, he joined the board of directors of Comfort Systems USA, Inc. (NYSE: FIX), where he is a member of both the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. He has also been recognized for his efforts at Ground Zero after the September 11th bombing of the World Trade Center. Bill was named the Rockland County, NY 2002 Business Leader of the Year, the Dominican College 2002 Man of the Year and the American Red Cross 2003 Man of the Year for Southern New York. Earlier in his career, Bill worked at Tilcon New York in 1992 and became President and Chief Executive Officer three years later. In 1996, Tilcon was acquired by Oldcastle Materials.
Bill graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. After receiving his bachelor of science in management, he spent 13 years in the U.S. Army, where his service included a four-year tour in Germany in cavalry and engineering units, three years as an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics at the Military Academy and two years as the Army Program representative to Raytheon. Bill also served as a social aide to President Ronald Reagan while teaching at West Point. In addition to his qualification as an Army Ranger, Bill earned four Master’s degrees while in the service. He has received an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master in Public Policy from the Naval War College and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Salve Regina University.
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