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Partnership Discussion - Gary, Travis Oliphant, Lael Alexander

Date: June 6, 2025 Participants: Gary Sheng, Travis Oliphant, Lael Alexander Context: Strategic introduction and partnership exploration call Duration: Extended technical and business discussion

Executive Summary​

Gary facilitated an introduction between Travis Oliphant (AI/Python ecosystem leader, OpenTeams CEO) and Lael Alexander (industrialist, SiloCloud creator, former China tech executive) to explore partnership opportunities. The conversation revealed complementary capabilities between Travis's AI expertise/government contracting and Lael's manufacturing/systems integration background, with potential for significant collaboration in AI infrastructure, government contracts, and educational technology.

Lael Alexander's Technical Background Deep Dive​

Early Career and Android Development​

Lael provided extensive detail about his foundational role in major technology development:

Lael: "I was number 12 on the development of Android, for the most part, right? Android was an open-source thing. It was a bunch of us that would be... For me, 2009 was when I realized that the things that we were doing was actually, we were getting a little small tokens. Like, you know, I think I might have gotten the highest payment was like $8,000 for doing something that in today's dollars would have equated to $800,000 payday."

Smart Grid and Infrastructure Innovation​

Origin Story in Power Systems:

Lael: "2009, my life kind of changed when one of my life hacks actually changed our smart grid. So the creation of the smart grid, the development of Miracast, that's where I got my origin story. Yeah, I'm the inventor of screen sharing technology. I'm the inventor of the protocol 802.11 bGNA, the way you connect to the Wi-Fi."

Power Grid Problem-Solving:

Lael: "I literally spoke to the director and I was like, hey, listen, I don't think power generation is our issue. I think load management is our issue because we're not taking into account at three o'clock in the daytime, playstations were just coming into the entire market... So I built the first pole-top transformer monitor that literally became the nodes of our smart grid in the US."

China Experience and CECOM Leadership​

Scale of Chinese Operations:

Lael: "I was in China for 14 years... If you guys do a lot of work in the mobile space or the communication space, You've heard the name CECOM from China. I'm the founder of CECOM. It was the second largest company in China. We built for everybody ZTE, TCL, Alcatel, Hisense, Huawei. We built the Baidu Cloud."

Leadership Position:

Lael: "I was the head of China Select. Meaning of all the gansus, all the factory owners, I was the head of China Select... China's second largest darling was owned by a black American. And the trade war began, literally."

Forced Return to America (2017)​

Government Pressure:

Lael: "2017, our state departments realized that China... And the trade war began, literally... when Trump told me to come back to America, literally, I said told me, Munitions trading is a very big thing... they really gave me a pat to, it was an option that I could not refuse."

Financial Impact:

Lael: "We went public in Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and it was the largest IPO at the time, $158 million a day. And I couldn't take any of that, so China helped me. They subsidized my losses and turned it into raw material and goods... Of course, I kept $27 million."

Philosophical Frameworks Discussion​

Industrialism vs. Entrepreneurship​

Lael articulated a sophisticated hierarchy of business creation:

Lael: "I like to coin industrialism as the banner that I like to fly. I don't want to be considered an entrepreneur or capitalist. I'm an industrialist because we create the technologies that create the systems, the sectors, the business divisions. Entrepreneur is the actual lowest level on the entire hierarchy chart because entrepreneur is the one that's willing to put himself in high-risk situations to earn money."

The "Factory" Mindset - East vs. West​

Cultural Difference in Manufacturing Perspective:

Lael: "If I ask anybody today, what is a factory, they're going to say a building, heavy machinery, a lot of workers, and some assembly stuff happening. And if I ask a person from Asia, anywhere in Asia, take me to a factory, they're probably going to bring you a person. They're not bringing you to a building. They're going to bring you a person that had the creative mindset to know what it takes to take that product idea and make it tactile."

Personal Realization:

Lael: "When I first got there, I kept saying, hey, man, take me to the factory. Take me to the factory. And I didn't realize I was the factory, because I was a designer... I'm the factory. Someone else is procuring the things that are factored into that equation."

Technical Capabilities and Current Operations​

SiloCloud Operating System​

Lael demonstrated his comprehensive cloud-based operating system:

Investment and Development:

Lael: "This is SiloCloud. Like I told you, I was number 12 when we built Android, right? Before Android, there was only Symbian and Blackberry. So I've always wanted to host my own operating system to compete with Apple and Windows. So I built SiloCloud. It's about $12 million of my personal money into it. Seven years of total coding. We own the full stack."

Edge Computing Philosophy:

Lael: "We are all on the edge, there's nothing on my computer, period. I never save anything on my computer. I don't trust Windows because they use everything that you save in your Windows cloud is on someone else's computer... all of the things that I save, I save on my dedicated server."

Document Security Innovation:

Lael: "In emails or in security, every time I send you an email, I'm not confidential because I've just replicated that IP. Literally duplicated it. In Silo's world, I give you access to view it, but I never really send you the original file. So you can actually view it out of my silo, but you're never going to own a piece of it unless I give you that permission."

Advanced Hardware Capabilities​

GPU-Focused Computing:

Lael: "This is GPU. This is our GPU. This is AI on the edge. This is your dedicated server, thin client... that's 64 cores at your house. You don't have to depend on Rackspace or any of these other companies."

Next-Generation Architecture:

Lael: "CPU is only giving you 8 cores. The GPU has 64 cores. So you're multi-threaded... So you don't need the CPU anymore. Just to say power on, literally. So now with CUDA as a framework and everything that CUDA has packed in allows you to program in React.js and Python on top of that. And I built the operating system layer."

Travis Oliphant's Response and Expertise​

Recognition of Complementary Skills​

Travis immediately recognized the value proposition:

Travis: "That's what we're trying to do, is get it so that people are pulling in through their networks answers so we can get solutions that are real... People that don't get, you know, they don't get good solutions because they pull somebody in, and in AI right now that's a real problem."

OpenTeams Mission Alignment​

AI Infrastructure Needs:

Travis: "Open teams has a mission to build AI systems. And we're doing a lot of work with governments of all kinds in the West, typically. US and NATO... Everybody's AI curious. Everybody knows AI is coming down the road. But there's a lot of overhyped information."

Practical Implementation Focus:

Travis: "At the end of the day, you're doing something with it. You're manufacturing, you're selling, you're helping your sales team grow, you're educating, you're doing something with it. So to me, it's an enabler for massive numbers of subject matter experts and people that know their space."

Current Business Operations and Capabilities​

Lael's Diverse Project Portfolio​

Large-Scale Engineering:

Lael: "We're doing the shipbuilding in Seattle. My engineering company, we do Primavera project planning for a lot of the large-scale projects. Yeah, we did all the Amazon's new data centers. So if you need planners and schedulers, we deploy those as well."

Telecommunications Infrastructure:

Lael: "If you have a T-Mobile router in your house right now, that's our device package for T-Mobile... we did an integrated chip... This is supercomputing."

Strategic Positioning in Multiple Markets​

Oil and Gas Legacy:

Lael: "SoCalGas is still my customer today from that [smart grid work]."

Current Manufacturing:

Lael: "I still own three factories in China."

Partnership Opportunities Identified​

Government Contracting Synergy​

Travis's OpenTeams has extensive government relationships that could leverage Lael's manufacturing and systems capabilities:

NATO and US Government Work:

  • Travis's existing contracts with Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)
  • Air Force and broader DoD opportunities
  • CMMC (Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification) capabilities

Lael's Complementary Assets:

  • Manufacturing capabilities and supply chain management
  • Edge computing and AI hardware solutions
  • Large-scale systems integration experience

Educational Technology Applications​

Gary positioned the partnership within his broader educational mission:

Gary: "Travis in a in a in a way beyond what the what we can even show on this call. Um, but like, I think that the more that y'all work together, the more it just makes sense. And like, you're, you're ready, you're ready, like very, very, very, very committed to the same mission."

Faith-Based Education Priority:

Gary: "Travis, what I was mentioning to Lael was the need for faith-based boy schools, and he couldn't agree more." Travis: "Oh yeah." Lael: "We must have it. Oh yeah."

Technical Deep Dive: SiloCloud Demonstration​

Comprehensive Platform Features​

Video Communication:

Lael: "Mail in silo world, we do video mail, we don't do email. Because if I wanted to explain something to you... I wouldn't have been able to describe that in an email. So I showed you that video, and I just sent that attachment to you just like that."

QR Code Technology:

Lael: "This is a QR code generator, right? So you normally have to pay a subscription charge. And the QR code generator is not dynamic. It's not keystroke dynamic, right? This one is... Putting an entire book in a QR code."

Cross-Platform Integration:

Lael: "Progressive web app, which means it dynamically conforms Dynamically conforms to whatever screen resolution that it's on... Every screen around you. We call it zero distance."

Competitive Advantages​

Data Ownership:

Lael: "Do people own their own data? I don't have any access to anything. It's your silo file. It's not a governed thing like Windows and Google or this and that. It's your silo."

Development Framework:

Lael: "Most of the API libraries are there, and if you have any background with Node or JS or React, you're ready to go right now, because we kept everything current, all the libraries are current."

Strategic Business Insights​

Open Source Philosophy Discussion​

Travis's Question on Decentralization:

Travis: "How do you see this in relation to open source? One is open source and the other is decentralized ownership."

Lael's Data Sovereignty Approach:

Lael: "Do people own their own data? I don't have any access to anything. It's your silo file... Everything that I have here is mine. Everything that you use is yours."

Market Positioning and Competition​

Blue Ocean Opportunity:

Lael: "That's your blue ocean right now. If you haven't been tapping that, that's blue ocean, seriously."

Telecommunications Expertise:

Lael: "In this space, in this space, there's only TileGlass and yours truly that can even compete in that space."

Gary's Strategic Orchestration​

Network Effect Vision​

Gary articulated his broader strategy for connecting high-leverage individuals:

Gary: "My superpower, but I don't undermine it because I think I am Maybe the best in the world at this. It's just like... It's narrowing in on the other people that are highest leverage for humanity. Like you, Travis."

Time Investment Philosophy​

Relationship Building Approach:

Gary: "We spent 10 hours last week together, right? That's true, we did. That's a lot of, that's a lot of, that's a lot of time, right? For, for someone like you, right?... Lyle, you know, has given me a lot of time as I'm visiting his house, right?"

Integration Strategy​

Systems Thinking:

Gary: "Lael can create like fully integrated systems, like a whole warehouse that is all interconnected with itself, right? And so we're talking about, you know, when we talk about the future of like operating systems, we're talking about, you know, industrial systems, it's everything talking to itself efficiently and intelligently."

Next Steps and Future Collaboration​

Immediate Opportunities​

Partner Network Integration:

Travis: "Help us knowing what your expertise is... we have a lot of sales activity currently."

Technical Demonstrations:

Lael: "Man, let's schedule another time so I can go through all the apps, because the AIs, and the streaming, and all the tools."

Physical Meeting Plans​

Oklahoma Visit Invitation:

Lael: "You guys should probably come out if you if you had the time to come to Oklahoma. There's a lot of things that's happening. We do a lot of things."

Strategic Vision​

Industrial Systems Integration:

Gary: "The world we're trying to get away from is forcing factory inspectors, having to do manual recurring checks on everything. I really think that imagination is the limit if you work with Dr. Alexander."

Technical Architecture Insights​

Edge Computing Philosophy​

Distributed vs. Centralized:

  • Lael's approach emphasizes user data ownership and edge processing
  • Eliminates dependence on major cloud providers
  • Provides enterprise-level security and control

AI Infrastructure Integration​

Hardware-Software Integration:

  • FPGA-based supercomputing at the edge
  • CUDA framework integration for Python/React development
  • Custom operating system layer for full stack control

Government Application Potential​

Security and Sovereignty:

  • Document transmittal tracking and access control
  • Data sovereignty for government applications
  • Edge-based AI processing for classified environments

Key Quotes​

On Industrialism vs. Entrepreneurship:

Lael: "The industrialist creates the technology that creates businesses, that creates industry, that creates jobs that these entrepreneurs now can get a check from."

On Asian Manufacturing Philosophy:

Lael: "I didn't realize I was the factory, because I was a designer... I'm the factory."

On Data Ownership:

Lael: "I give you access to view it, but I never really send you the original file. So you can actually view it out of my silo, but you're never going to own a piece of it unless I give you that permission."

On Partnership Potential:

Gary: "I really think that imagination is the limit if you work with Dr. Alexander."

On Open Source and Collaboration:

Travis: "That's what we're trying to do, is get it so that people are pulling in through their networks answers so we can get solutions that are real."

Strategic Implications​

This conversation revealed several high-value collaboration opportunities:

  1. Government Contracting Synergy: Travis's OpenTeams government relationships + Lael's manufacturing/systems capabilities
  2. AI Infrastructure Solutions: Lael's edge computing hardware + Travis's AI expertise
  3. Educational Technology Development: Both committed to faith-based education innovation
  4. International Market Access: Lael's China relationships + Travis's technical ecosystem leadership
  5. Industrial Systems Integration: Lael's comprehensive systems design + Travis's AI implementation

The partnership could position both leaders to compete at the highest levels of government contracting, enterprise AI solutions, and educational technology development while maintaining alignment with their shared values around faith-based approaches and human-centered technology.

Future Development Areas​

Immediate Technical Integration​

  • SiloCloud integration with OpenTeams AI solutions
  • Edge computing applications for government contracts
  • Custom hardware solutions for enterprise clients

Educational Applications​

  • Faith-based school technology infrastructure
  • AI-powered learning systems with data sovereignty
  • Industrial training and certification programs

Market Expansion​

  • Government and defense applications
  • Enterprise systems integration
  • International technology transfer and development

The conversation established a foundation for long-term strategic partnership between two complementary leaders with shared values and enormous technical capabilities.