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Evan Meyer

Met at: Email introduction from Shawon Jackson Met date: March 18, 2023 Role(s): Co-founder & CEO of Mod AI (Y Combinator Fall 2025), Former Software Engineer at Kariba, Aspiring Product Leader Last interaction: 2025-10-09 (video call catch-up)

Contact Information​

Personal Background​

  • Currently based in San Francisco for Y Combinator program (3 weeks as of October 9, 2025)
  • Originally from Chicago
  • Studied Computer Science and Statistics at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • Living in Airbnb during YC program, working with EDM music playing
  • Describes the SF experience as "like a movie" or "video game" rather than traditional work
  • Acknowledges the homeless problem in SF ("all the stories... about the homeless people and how sketchy is true")
  • Has a strong appreciation for the importance of relationships and seizing opportunities
  • Remembers key relationship moments that led to his current success

Professional Background​

  • Co-founder and CEO of Mod AI (Y Combinator Fall 2025 batch)
  • Previously worked at Kariba (Carl and Rey's company) - started part-time through school, went full-time over summer
  • Former experience at LinkedIn working with data, machine learning, and AI
  • Experience in data engineering, data science, and product management
  • Quit Kariba internship halfway through to build his own startup
  • Got into Y Combinator about a month after leaving Kariba
  • Learned Palantir's business model through Kariba, which proved crucial in YC interview
  • Not from an accounting background but "fell into" the enterprise invoice processing space
  • Was initially looking for side projects during gap year after high school (2023)

Connection History​

  • March 18, 2023: Shawon Jackson introduces Evan to Gary as recent high school grad looking for data-related side projects
  • Initial connection: Gary provided LinkedIn feedback and early mentorship
  • Denver event: Gary invited Evan to event; Evan and friends rearranged classes/tests to attend
  • Dune discussion: Conversation at Denver event led to future connection opportunities
  • Kariba connection: Gary connected Evan to Carl and Rey's company based on Denver interaction
  • YC journey: Evan credits chain of connections for enabling Y Combinator success

Expertise​

  • Data science and machine learning
  • Product management
  • AI agent development
  • Enterprise software
  • B2B sales and business development
  • Browser automation and RPA
  • Invoice processing and accounts payable automation

Current Projects & Interests​

  • Mod AI: Building AI agents to automate accounts payable process for enterprises
    • Target market: Companies with 50-2000+ employees
    • Focus: Complete automation of invoicing process (receiving, matching, fraud detection, ERP integration, payment)
    • Vision: Eventually autonomous agents handling entire accounting processes
    • Official launch scheduled for early next week (October 14-15, 2025)
    • Demo Day: December 3, 2025
    • Primary goal: Achieving maximum traction before investor presentations

Relationship Dynamics with Gary​

  • Connected through Shawon Jackson (high school classmate connection)
  • Gary provided early career guidance during Evan's gap year
  • Gary invited Evan to Denver event early in their relationship
  • Discussion about Dune at Denver event led to Gary thinking of Evan when Carl reached out
  • Gary helped connect Evan to Kariba (Carl and Rey's company)
  • Evan credits Gary with teaching him importance of relationships early on
  • Scheduled to meet with Shawon on Monday following October 2025 call
  • Gary offered to help with introductions to finance/accounting leaders
  • Evan requesting Gary's support for LinkedIn/Twitter launch announcement

Notable Interactions & Quotes​

  • On SF experience: "It doesn't feel like work at all... it feels more like a movie or like a video game"
  • On current venture: "It feels like we're really building something here that has the potential to be worth a lot"
  • On team dynamic: "It doesn't feel like any of us really know what we're doing, but it's a ton of fun"
  • On chain of events: "If [Gary] didn't introduce us, then, you know... if I didn't go to high school with [Shawon]... That's just how life is"
  • On Palantir knowledge: "If I didn't go do that with Kariba, learn about Palantir... I wouldn't have been able to reference that [in YC interview]"
  • On Carl and Rey: "I don't think I would be where I am right now... without that"
  • On Gary's mentorship: "I learned that from people like you... that were always very kind and showing me the importance of relationships"

Kariba Experience & Learnings​

  • Worked part-time through school year, full-time over summer
  • Carl and Rey were supportive mentors, not just employers
  • Participated in 2-week in-person meetups in New York
  • Regular strategy sessions where Carl and Rey walked through their thinking
  • Learned about Palantir's business model in detail (crucial for YC interview)
  • Told them upfront: "I'm doing this because I want to be an entrepreneur"
  • Quit halfway through to start own company - they were "super nice about it"
  • When told about YC acceptance, Carl and Rey were "very, very supportive"

Requests & Needs​

  • Introductions to finance/accounting leaders at companies (50+ employees)
  • Support for social media launch (LinkedIn and Twitter reposts)
  • Looking for early enterprise customers for Mod AI
  • Focused on showing traction before December 3 Demo Day
  • Specifically mentioned NBA finance division contact and music festival finance leaders as potential intros

Professional Philosophy​

  • Values learning from experienced entrepreneurs
  • Believes in importance of relationships and networking
  • Appreciates chain-of-events thinking and providence in life
  • Wanted to be an entrepreneur, not just a software engineer
  • Learned importance of understanding business models, not just technology
  • Documents "miracle moments" - chain of events that led to success

Gary's Recent Updates Shared​

  • Deactivated LinkedIn temporarily ("not on the LinkedIn grind right now")
  • Completed AI coding bootcamp in Austin (January-March 2025), graduated top of class
  • Thousands of hours with Cursor building apps
  • Consulted for a billionaire briefly (described as "kind of a dick")
  • Deep exploration of Christian faith over past ~2 months
  • Visiting pastor who reportedly heals cancer and helps deaf hear
  • Planning movement around "music and miracles" - Christian music events with healing
  • Thesis: Most people don't believe Christianity is real because they haven't felt anything
  • Maintaining runway to explore faith direction before potentially returning to consulting/engineering

Transcripts​

transcript-iddateone-line-summary
2025-10-09-gary-sheng-evan-meyer-yc-journey-faith-transformation2025-10-09Y Combinator catch-up conversation covering Evan's entrepreneurial journey and Gary's faith exploration