Empowered by 50+ patent claims, our platform and people accelerate enterprise ML/AI.
Industry leaders call us best in class.
And once upon a time, we
only served big tech.
Now we serve you.
“They blend best-in-class operating experience honed at Fortune
1000 e-commerce companies with a comprehensive, strategic approach
that will help their customers improve their marketing programs by
orders of magnitude.
MBA at Harvard University
Our journey in numbers.
“These leaders have built the data science and engineering
programs underlying some of the most sophisticated brands in the
world. And then, just as important, they've gone past the science
and software to real world application across sales, marketing, and
product. More personally, I've worked with and known these
leaders for over a decade, and
Epic endorsements from epic individuals.
These leaders have built the data science and engineering programs underlying some of the most sophisticated brands in the world. And then, just as important, they’ve gone past the science and software to real world application across sales, marketing, and product. More personally, I’ve worked with and known these leaders for over a decade, and they represent some of the smartest, kindest, and value-add focused people you’ll meet.
Juney Ham
Chairman at Beacon ex-Director at Airbnb ex-Global VP at Expedia ex- COO at Porch.com
They blend best-in-class operating experience honed at Fortune 1000 e-commerce companies with a comprehensive, strategic approach that will help their customers improve their marketing programs by orders of magnitude. I’ve worked with them personally and give them my highest recommendation.
Greg Revelle
CCO at Capital Hill Brands ex-CMO at Bestbuy ex-CMO at Kohl’s ex-CMO at Autonation
Though they produce the most thoughtful and comprehensive technical work I’ve encountered, their individual and organizational humility is what elevates my endorsement to “best in class”. This combination of industry-leading empathy paired with uncanny technology-level expertise results in processes and outcomes that far exceed expectations. Others have said it, but I’ll say it again: I’ve never encountered work of this caliber. They have my strongest recommendation.
Victor Cheng
Distinguished Architect at Walmart Technology
I had the opportunity to work extensively with both Kirsten and Wing Yew at Amazon. I can confidently say they both are some of the sharpest people I have ever worked with, and as a pair are basically a force of nature. In particular, their ability to simultaneously envision the future and then actually deliver on that vision I believe is unparalleled. They both have my complete trust and I continue to seek them out for advice and council. In an industry so full of jargon, hype, and empty promises Kirsten and Wing Yew are the rare real deal.
Eric Lynch
Global VP at EA Sports ex-Director of Science and Engineering, AWS
I’ve worked with the team behind the scenes. Their approach and practices towards ML algorithms while providing empathetic, flexible development with partners produces effectiveness I have never seen in any company. Achieving real-world ROI and driving tangible impact, the team has true secret sauce based on seemingly unquenchable curiosity and brilliance.
Shujie Xu
Research Scientist at Facebook, Inc.
I have worked with Wing Yew and his team multiple times over ten years and can attest to the vast experience and expertise they possess. They built innovative and scalable solutions in analytics, data science, and marketing that improve relevance to customers globally and add significant value at some of the largest companies. The award-winning team always strives to improve and will be a tremendous asset for you and your business.
Nathan Lam
Director of Science, Expedia
Distinguished Architect for the Fortune 1 company says Storytellers.ai work is the “most thoughtful and comprehensive technical work I've encountered”.
“Though they produce the most thoughtful and comprehensive
technical work I've encountered, their individual and
organizational humility is what elevates my endorsement to
“best in class.” This combination of industry-leading
empathy paired with uncanny technology-level expertise results in
processes and outcomes that far exceed expectations. Others have
said it, but I'll say it again:
Read some epic case studies.
Major University Chooses Storytellers.ai to Build Institution-Wide Data Science Plan and Models
The Client
A top-tier U.S. based university with over ten thousand active students.
The Challenge
Despite needing data science to serve students more effectively, one of the most prestigious consulting firms in the world told this client that the school's data could not support machine learning.
The Quote
"This work is the definition of overdelivery -- in all aspects. It's rigor, but it's more than that. It's an act of concern, even love, for our organization and our people like I've rarely, if ever, seen." - VP, Admissions
LIFTING KEY PERFORMANCE METRICS OVER 50% THROUGH DATA SCIENCE
Step 1: Radical candor leads to unexpected opportunity. We presented to the Head of Education, the VP of Admissions, and the VP of Technology. We walked them through an unflashy, data hygiene obsessed path to high performing data science.
We would map and prepare their data, table by table and column by column, build a representative data hygiene artifact and address findings, interview stakeholders and define helpful predictions, consolidate our data hygiene work with recommended science applications, then soberly talk through what is possible (and what isn't) given the data. The lack of hand waving around the grit required to combine and clean data gave our client the confidence to step into a model prototype. Step 2: Building prototypes, implementing them in production, and measuring lift via A/B tests. We did everything we said we'd do -- clean and map data, interview stakeholders, build a prioritized list of opportunities, and build multiple prototypes. We then walked with the institution through how to implement A/B testing with ML outputs, supported their internal engineering teams with ETL work to smooth ingestion and action, then administered the tests -- driving a more than 50% lift on key metrics. Their testimonial speaks loudest:
"I've never had a partner return this amount of value." - VP of Technology
If this journey inspires you, please reach out for a free, no-cost consultation.
Top US County Selects Storytellers.ai to Build Data Science Plan and Prototypes
The Client
One of the largest counties in the United States by population, geography, and revenue.
The Challenge
The County possessed a massive trove of disconnected data spread across dozens of services. They wanted to build a machine learning plan, connect and clear their data, and build practical, production ready machine learning models.
The Quote
"In over 30 years of leading large-scale technology initiatives, I have found few partners as dedicated to ensuring customer success as Storytellers.ai." - Chief Information Officer
UNLOCKING A PATH TO MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COUNTY-WIDE MAINTENANCE EFFICIENCY
Step 1: We begin a journey of trust building with county executives, operational leaders, and data gatekeepers. Storytellers partnered with the county CIO and a key program manager to educate more than 50 stakeholders. Together, we codified and captured dozens of needs from key organizations -- from the Department of Public Works to the police department and onto the Department of Health. Together with the central technology team, we wrestled through months of security protocols, data transports, and data quality qualifications.
Over six months, we traversed approvals but also hundreds of data tables across multiple sources -- column by column and field by field, building a rigorous map with their analysts of county data to understand the available inputs for machine learning and their readiness.
Step 2: We complete a data audit, build and present applications, and earn trust across multiple organizations. Through interviewing stakeholders and navigating data gatekeepers, more than 450 tables and millions of data points were cleaned and stitched together. Six months into this process, the CIO marveled. "Any other vendor would have dropped off long ago, but you guys kept plowing."
Having interviewed stakeholders and cleaned/combined the data, we presented a fleet of machine learning applications in a practical prioritization framework that could impact the entire county.
Step 3: We deliver high performance models to unlock county potential in machine learning. We selected a series of models and produced half a dozen to fundamentally unlock the capabilities and efficiencies of core county tools and processes. Successful initial model deliveries led to opening the eyes of multiple (previously and reasonably cautious) senior leaders to the possibility of ML in augmenting everything from government mandates regarding health & safety to maintenance of hundreds of miles of pipeline. One of those models, an unflashy but incredibly impactful and practical one, helped the county – for the first time – gain a detailed picture of their soil composites across their more than 580 square miles of county land.
While less flashy, knowing soil composites is a radical leap forward in the predictive maintenance of any underground object -- informing millions of dollars of maintenance on their many hundreds of miles of pipes.
"Their grit and commitment to succeed is matched by their remarkable differentiated expertise, determination, and problem solving capacities. I count it a privilege to engage them on any data mining AI/ML adventures we take on, as well as trust them as market explorers for new technology assessements." - Chief Information Officer
If you're interested in learning more, please reach out for a free, no-cost conversation to explore your needs. We'd love to hear from you.
Global Streaming Service Hires Storytellers.ai to Increase Engagement
The Client
An international media service with millions of viewers.
The Challenge
Faced with daunting goals, this client asked us to apply a full ensemble of analytical, machine learning, and growth techniques to their business.
The Quote
"You doubled our conversion rate."
DOUBLED THE CONVERSION RATE OF THE PURCHASE FUNNEL... AND EQUIPPED THEM TO DOUBLE IT AGAIN
Step 1: We complete executive and line leader education on growth, product, and data.
Storytellers.ai provided hands on education on growth -- a future state empowered by high performance machine learning, cutting edge data warehousing, and rigorous as well as frequent A/B testing.
We built a suite of growth focused ML applications and simultaneously helped them establish next generation datawarehousing, including ETLs. We simultaneously provided a suite of growth techniques to improve their growth functions.
Step 2: We test recommendations, evaluated results, and test again -- empowered a culture of testing.
The client would go on to implement a host of A/B tests using our recommendations. In the first several months, we increased conversion rates by more than 100% and set them on a course where they would more than double that conversion rate again.
If this journey inspires you -- we've love to connect. Please reach out for a no-cost consultation.
Publicly Traded Bank Selects Storytellers.ai to Upgrade Data Science Program
The Client
One of the largest financial service companies in the United States.
The Challenge
They had yet to build a performant set of machine learning models to accelerate their sales and marketing programs via machine learning.
The Quote
"Wing Yew (Storytellers.ai CEO) is probably the smartest person I've ever met." - Executive Vice President
ANTICIPATING CUSTOMER CHURN AND EMPOWERING A NATIONAL SALES TEAM VIA MACHINE LEARNING
Step 1: We provide executive education and make a series of ML application recommendations.
Despite a massive engineering team and one of the largest and effective sales teams in their vertical, our client lacked practical knowledge about machine learning. We spent two months educating leaders on a variety of applications, the implementation path with the applications of greatest interest, then how to apply deliberate testing to validate impact.
Step 2: We build a formal machine learning plan, including a prioritization model and data audit.
We completed a full data audit of their existing warehouse, built transport and access protocols the client was satisfied with, then presented a set of algorithms to prototype.
Step 3: We complete high performance machine learning algorithms that informs and changes sales behavior at scale.
We built multiple high performance models -- including models to predict customer attrition and likeliness to engage. Those models were then audited for performance repeatedly before end-to-end implementation with the national sales team.
If you're interested in partnering, we'd love to connect for a no-cost consultation.
Industry Leading Ad Agency Hires Storytellers.ai to Rebuild Machine Learning Program
The Client
A national advertising agency with a client roster featuring globally recognizable brand names.
The Challenge
The agency president wanted a new set of ML applications for clients and an upgrade of their existing algorithms.
The Quote
"We value real partners, especially when it comes to complex data issues. In our work with Storytellers.ai, we have found exactly that: real partners who truly understand us and the challenges we face, who have legitimate world-class expertise to help us address them in ways that exceed our high expectations, and who are fully committed to always ensuring the work is delivered impeccably." - Agency President
REBUILT A MAJOR AD AGENCY'S MACHINE LEARNING PROGRAM AND IMPROVED EXISTING MODEL PERFORMANCE BY OVER 30%.
Step 1: The Agency President asks Storytellers.ai to upgrade their machine learning.
With dozens of customers (and a lotof competition) this agency head recognized a need to create novel and impactful new value for customers via machine learning. He invited Storytellers to build a host of new machine learning applications to improve revenue with existing customers as well as rebuild their existing machine learning models to enhance their performance for customers.
Step 2: We build new, highly performant applications and radically upgrade their existing algorithms.
The right answer was a journey. We completed a data audit, constructed a universe of opportunity based on that data, selected multiple options from that universe, contemplated it with one or more potential agency customers, then built dozens of iterations until we landed on high performance versions for customer adoption and unlocking millions in potential new sales opportunities.
Step 3: We radically improve their primary machine learning algorithm.
One of the org’s crowning achievements involved eliminating wasted advertising spend. And while the agency had saved customers millions in potentially wasted dollars, they recognized Storytellers.ai might give them and their dozens of clients a greater cost savings (and greater yield). We upgraded their "crown ML jewel" and delivered an up to 31% lift on performance (more than ten million dollars in potential lifetime impact to customers).
Hear from the Agency President directly: "We value real partners, especially when it comes to complex data issues. In our work with Storytellers.ai, we have found exactly that: real partners who truly understand us and the challenges we face, who have legitimate world-class expertise to help us address them in ways that exceed our high expectations, and who are fully committed to always ensuring the work is delivered impeccably."
If you're inspired by this journey, we'd love to connect for a free consultation.
Global Consulting Firm Hires Storytellers.ai to Architect Their Growth Engine
The Client
A nationally recognized, highly rated global consultancy with more than 1,000 staff and hundreds of millions in revenue.
The Challenge
They incubated a fast growing dual sided job marketplace to supply contractors for clients and wanted deep automation to accelerate out of painful, expensive manual processes.
The Quote
"Thank you will not suffice... I've been growing and changing businesses using technology for close to 30 years. I have never traveled to this point with a partner and been so certain that the set of solutions is 'right,' nor have I come to this point having enjoyed the journey so completely." - Managing Director
UNLOCKED A PATH TO 25% REDUCTIONS IN SYSTEM INEFFICIENCY THROUGH DATA RE-ARCHITECTURE, NATURAL LANGUAGE MACHINE LEARNING, AND PROCESS RE-ENGINEERING
Step 1: CompleteD an end-to-end system, process, and data audit and visualization.
In direct response to the painpoint of a lack of automation, we engaged in a process, systems, and data deep dive. We interviewed nearly two dozen leaders across the rapidly growing business, codified an ultra detailed map of their existing processes, and then provided the only end-to-end view of the user experience they'd ever had.
In parallel, we built a systems diagram paired with an inputs/outputs data representation model, so we could understand the field level transports and transforms.
Step 2: We provided a four dimensional view of business metrics, user experience, services architecture, and data flow from, and into, services.
We showed the most granular and comprehensive views they'd ever seen of both the pre-optimization state and the post-optimization state. Alongside these granular, multi-disciplinary views, we provided a set of heuristics that drove prioritization with tight quantification of trade offs.
We reviewed the plan with more than a dozen senior leaders and the feedback from this top tier, national tech consultancy shop was clear:
"Thank you will not suffice... I've been growing and changing businesses using technology for close to 30 years. I have never traveled to this point with a partner and been so certain that the set of solutions is “right”, nor have I come to this point having enjoyed the journey so completely."
If you're inspired by this story, we'd love to connect for a no-cost consultation.
The head of science and technology for AWS marketing — a leader over hundreds of technical staff, calls our leadership “the rare real deal.”
“I had the opportunity to work extensively with both Kirsten (CPO) and Wing Yew (CEO) at Amazon. I can confidently say they both are some of the sharpest people I have ever worked with, and as a pair are basically a force of nature. In particular, their ability to simultaneously envision the future and then actually deliver on that vision, I believe, is unparalleled. They both have my complete trust, and I continue to seek them out for advice and council.We offer end-to-end data science delivery.
If you're a visionary who wants to introduce data science techniques into your organization, we partner to help you lead the way. If you have an ambitious roadmap and an overworked data science team, we are an extra set of hands equipped with cutting edge tools to deliver on your priorities.
Data Science Roadmaps
You've read enough generic articles about ML in your space. It's time to map out what's possible.
Our “Universe of Opportunity Map” combines your data and insight with our experience across dozens of verticals into an ultra high fidelity roadmap.
More than just a stack ranked list of applications of machine learning, we evaluate and recommend data sources for models as well as estimate likelihood of successful prediction and return on investment.
Best of all, no need to clean or standardize your data for us to complete this review and recommendation — our systems and team will handle the investigating and document construction from end-to-end.
Click here to get started with a free consultation.Data Cleaning and Labeling
Years of mislabeled inventory bogging down your analyses? A dozen disconnected data sources? A mountain of documents that need to be categorized? We can help with that.
No data size is too big, no data mess too messy — that's our motto. Take a deep breath; we've served over a dozen companies with data cleanliness and orderliness ranging from “we still have work to do” to exceptionally disorganized and undocumented.
As any good practitioner knows, cleaning and preparing data is (at least) 80% of the machine learning process. We're here to not just help, but own as much of the data hygiene process as you are comfortable.
Getting started is easy with a no-cost consultation — click here.Predictive Machine Learning Models
We'll deploy Storytellers.ai's proprietary platform with a team of operating experts (think: Amazon veterans) to build a fleet of high performance models for your business. At prices that are less than 50% of the industry average, but speeds 2x to 4x faster than the standard, we get you performant models in the span of weeks — not months.
As a reminder, no need for pristine data — and certainly no need to clean any data before we begin our build process. We guide the project from end-to-end, including use case identification, model definition, data sharing and preparation, feature engineering, training, deployment, implementation, testing, impact measurement, monitoring, and retraining.
Sound interesting? Reach out to get started!The CIO for one of the largest counties in the United States by population, budget, and geographical size celebrates Storytellers.ai expertise and commitment.
“In over 30 years of leading large-scale technology
initiatives, I have found few partners as dedicated to ensuring
customer success as Storytellers.ai.
Predictive machine learning models (a shortlist).
Predict key events and attributes that improve efficiency, agility, and scalability of your decisions. We work with you to design custom models based on your unique data and organizational goals, and partner with your team to integrate them into your existing architecture. We deploy applications within months, not years – and at a fraction of the price of hiring an in-house team.
Predictive models can be used in a wide variety of contexts including:
Sales
A lifetime value machine learning model forecasts the future value of a customer to a business. It can take into account factors like the customer's likelihood to make future purchases, the amount they are likely to spend, and the length of time they are likely to remain a customer. It seeks to answer the question: “How much is a user worth over their lifetime?”.
Lead scoring models use lead behavior and demographics to predict their likelihood to complete a conversion event (e.g., a purchase). We do this by assigning a quantitative score to each lead, with higher scores indicating a higher likelihood of conversion.
A customer retention model forecasts a customer's likelihood to continue doing business with a company over a given time period. It seeks to answer the question: ‘How long will the customer stay with the company?”
These models can use data on customer behavior, demographics, and other specific engagement factors, including customer's past purchases, their engagement with the company's marketing efforts, and their satisfaction with the products or services.
Marketing
Outreach timing models predict the optimal time to contact potential customers in order to maximize the likelihood of success. They seek to answer the question: “When should I reach out to a customer for maximum impact and efficiency?” These models use data like past response rates to marketing and sales efforts, time zones, and preferred communication channels.
These models predict the degree to which offers (or incentives) are likely to be effective for a given customer. An offer affinity model might predict a customer is more or less likely to respond to a discount on a product they have purchased in the past, rather than a free trial of a new product. At their foundation, they seek to answer the question: “How effective is each promotion or offer for this customer?”
A propensity model can predict the the next products a customer will purchase. Advanced applications might prioritize moving customers to a preferred action based on its relatively high ROI and low cost as compared to other available actions. This model, and models tangential to it, seeks to answer the question: “Of available products, which one is the customer most likely to purchase?”
Content Engagement
A media recommendation model recommends videos, articles, or songs based on a user's stated or implied goal. These models often use data like the customer's past interactions with media content, their demographics, and their engagement with the company's marketing to predict which content is relevant; they often look at the behavior of other, “look alike” customers as well.
An intervention recommendation model recommends “interventions” (or actions) that may positive impact user or customer experience. These models can radically improve the ROI of high cost touch allocations (e.g., a 1:1 sales call) as well as the full system of interventions across the full customer population.
A product recommendation model predicts which product should be suggested to a customer given a set goal. Classic applications of this model include search results in customer shopping experiences as the now ubiquituous checkout widget that highlights products other customers were interested in.
Meet the Storytellers.ai leadership.
“They blend best-in-class operating experience honed at
Fortune 1000 e-commerce companies with a comprehensive, strategic
approach that will help their customers improve their marketing
programs by orders of magnitude. I've worked with them
personally and give them my highest recommendation.”
— Greg Revelle, CMO of 3 Fortune 500 Companies (Best Buy,
Kohl's, Autonation) and CCO for Capital Hill Brands
Kirsten Lum
Founder, CEO & CTO
Oversees all aspects of data science, product, and engineering. A 9 year analytics veteran of Amazon and Expedia, she led dozens of leaders across core applied science, economics, as well as experience instrumentation and data architecture at global scale. Directly managed and led one of Jeff Wilke's core science and economics teams at Amazon, where she was selected for Amazon's top tier leadership program (500 out of ~1,500,000 employees worldwide selected each year). Graduated from the University of Washington with Distinction and now teaches at their Master's of Business Analytics degree program.
Phil Gallo
COO
Leads sales, operations, and account management. Led applied R&D globally for a 1,000+ person solutions consultancy spanning nearly a dozen verticals. Prior to that, led product delivery for one of the first open source software projects at the Pentagon. Had the privilege of serving as product leader for dozens of engineers at Microsoft, overseeing the optimization of the purchase funnel for the Xbox. A New Yorker at heart, he lives in Seattle with his four beautiful kids and wife.
Sheffield Leithart
VP of Engineering
A senior engineer and design technologist, Sheffield is a veteran of Amazon Marketplace and Amazon Web Services (AWS), as well as a host of other technology startups. A national merit scholar, Sheffield left the University of Idaho to join the Zac Brown band as their tour photographer. He's passionate about engineering, stories, and community. He lives in Idaho with his wife and four children.
Chris Gutierrez
Chief Scientist
Responsible for reviewing Storytellers.ai's approach to science as well as recommending next generation machine learning and engineering approaches and tools. Experience spans LinkedIn, Airbnb, Mesosphere, Google, and Expedia where he led delivery of multiple company-wide models spanning recommendation engines, image recognition, auction optimization, financial prediction, fraud detection, and customer segmentation. Led science and analytics for multiple institutions as the Principal Scientist to Chief Scientist.
Garrett Fiddler
Senior Scientist
A graduate of Yale University, Garrett has been passionate about the intersection of coding and language for nearly 15 years, with multiple years solving data science problems across diverse verticals, including insurance, higher education, marketing, and anomaly detection. Garret leads bespoke machine learning projects, especially those including natural language processing, sparse datasets, or unusual operating conditions.
Shujie Xiu
Senior Scientist
A research data scientist with nearly a decade of work experience spanning everything from Meta (Facebook) to Progressive Insurance, Shujie has deployed dozens of advanced analytics solutions into production at massive enterprise scale and impact. Problems solved span everything from determining employee attrition to distribution of service cases to demand forecasting all the way over to product recommendations and pricing predictions. Shujie holds a Master's Degree in Computational Data Analytics from Georgia Tech.
Julia Hannula
Research Lead & PM
Julia will quickly become a familiar face as she drives the timely delivery of machine learning projects, including deep research into the use cases, system architecture, and organizational goals that inform impactful applications. She brings with her over 12 years of experience in healthcare administration, and graduated cum laude from Trinity Western.
Jason Pamer
VP, Strategic Partnerships
Responsible for building the next generation of Storytellers.ai’s relationships. Has created partnerships across a bevy of verticals, including with industry leaders (e.g., Jada Pinkett Smith, Steph Curry, and Lionsgate). Founded the award-winning Sypher Studios in Los Angeles and was an early investor in Saturation.io, a technology suite of tools (incl. greenbudget.io) focused on revolutionizing cloud-based film tools.
Myron Chiu
Engineering Partner
A self-proclaimed human embodiment of Stack Overflow and Google Search, Myron is a full-stack engineer with a decade of experience. He was the first employee for a 9-figure app analytics platform ($45M raised and hundreds of employees), and has served as a full stack engineer for multiple startups. At Storytellers.ai, he continues to use his pattern recognition abilities with Stack Overflow and Google Search as we build the next generation of data and ML-focused applications alongside his wife and cat.
Erin Torgerson
Data Scientist
A data science leader trained at the University of Washington, Erin has built and deployed high performance models in multiple industries, including higher education, non-profit donor management, marketing, and content engagement. A Washington native, Erin is also a certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and yoga instructor.
Victor Cheng
Technical Partner
Advises on solution architecture, system design, and technology selection. Served in roles as substantial as Distinguished Architect for Walmart Global Technology to CTO of a fast growing identity resolution software company which was bought (also by Walmart Global Technology). Graduated from Yale University with a degree in Computer Science.
Doug Treff
Advisor
Provides strategic guidance on a wide variety of topics, including vision and operations. Current CFO of World Vision and board member of publicly traded firm Crox. Former CFO for multiple publicly traded firms. Doug graduated with an MBA from Wharton.