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Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Clinc., Jason Mars.

(From left) Founder and CEO of Version 75 Solutions Eldon Marks, Co-Founder and CEO of Clinc Dr Jason Mars and Version 75 Solutions team members Asa Brouet and Shemar Lindie.

Source

June 17 2018

Impressed by the talents that exist within the local Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, one overseas based Guyanese, who has demonstrated prowess on the world stage, has committed his efforts toward the development of the sector locally.

Dr Jason Mars, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clinc, a company that is said to have created the world’s most sophisticated and comprehensive conversational Artificial Intelligence (A.I) platform for enterprises, has embarked on the establishment of a scholarship programme that would afford Computer Science Majors at the University of Guyana (UG) an opportunity to pursue PhD studies at the University of Michigan.

Added to that, he has also began networking with local tech companies, an interaction that has led to individuals being invited to train and work on a project for the Ford Motor Company.

In a recent interview with Sunday Stabroek, Dr. Mars, born to Guyanese parents Joan and Perry Mars, explained that though he was born in Jamaica, he spent several years in Guyana before migrating to the US at the age of eight.

It was during his schooling in the US that his interest in computer science was sparked and later manifested into what it is right now.

With a PhD in Computer Science from University of Virginia, the 35-year-old was recognized as one of the ten most innovative CEOs in banking by Bank Innovation. He is also a professor of computer science at the University of Michigan, where he directs Clarity Lab, one of the best places in the world to be trained in A.I. and system design. Prior to the University of Michigan, Dr. Mars was a professor at the University of California San Diego. He also worked at Google, Intel and IBM. Dr Mars’ work building the world’s first open-source platform for constructing large-scale A.I. and deep learning-based Intelligent Personal Assistants (IPAs) has been recognised globally and continues to have a significant impact on industry and academia.

Clinc began as a research group at the University of Michigan under the name Clarity Labs Inc; a name which was later shortened to Clinc. The company was launched in July, 2015, with a mission to redefine experiences through Conversational A.I and presently has 100 plus employees, having doubled  its staff only three months ago.

For those who may not be entirely familiar with the term ‘Conversational AI’, it is simply software that allows interaction through conversation, such as is the case with the popular Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant. However, the technology developed by Clinc is said to be much more sophisticated.

According to the CEO, the Clinc team has spent a lot of time building and growing the company and has offices in Michigan, San Francisco and London. Clinc also has customers on four continents, mostly with large enterprises in America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Singapore. Its success as a company thus far is mirrored in the works it has done for enterprises such as Barclays Bank in the UK, Wells Fargo, Ford and other large companies.

According to Dr. Mars, while they would have placed a lot of focus on development of Conversational AI for financial institutions, they have since branched off. This decision has led to plans to re-launch the company later this year as they are able to support a number of different fields through the development of conversational A.I. for all experiences.

Deepening ties

But even with all of this going on, Dr Mars says he is still very much interested in deepening ties with the local tech sector.

The CEO explained that though he left Guyana at a young age, he still sees Guyana as home and as such, he visits often and is willing to assist in whatever ways he can to help with the economic development of the tech sector here.

He explained that during his last visit to Guyana in May, he met with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana and was able to select two Computer Science Majors for the Scholarship programme.

“The beautiful thing about Guyana is that it has intellectual and energetic young people with fires in their belly to do good work,” Dr. Mars said, while expressing the belief that there needs to be more work in educational development in order for persons to be able to compete globally.

“I saw an opportunity to bring them to do studies at a top university in America”, the CEO said. He also expressed the hope of being able to make the initiative an annual occurrence.

Meanwhile, Sunday Stabroek was told that while the initial plan was to select only one person, because he was truly impressed by the talent he came across, a decision was made by Dr Mars to select two persons. They are: Christopher Clarke and Roland Daynauth.

Dr Mars explained that while Daynauth is expected to start later this year, Clarke will be applying at the end of summer and is expected to start early next year. Regarding the networking with local tech companies, Dr. Mars spoke highly of Version 75 Solutions (V75), a social impact focused software company in Guyana.

According to Dr. Mars, he connected with Eldon Marks, CEO and Founder of Version 75 Solutions, after asking around to meet leaders in the local tech sector.

Dr. Mars said he found particular interest in a V75 social impact project, for which Clinc has since offered funding.

It was further explained that because Dr. Mars was so impressed with the talent he saw, he invited Marks and two of V75’s team members to Ann Arbor, Michigan to undergo competency engineer training on his company’s AI platform. According to Dr. Mars, the duo has since been assigned tasks on a project undertaken by Clinc for the Ford motor company.

Something Different

For his part, Marks told Sunday Stabroek that Dr Mars and his company bring “something different” to the table.

He explained that while his company would have been contacted in the past by foreign companies, he found that they were more or less looking for cheap labour.

This, however, is not the case with Clinc, as they have shown that they not only value the work of the local tech community, but are also genuinely interested in giving back through exposure and opportunities.

Marks also confirmed that V75 team members Asa Brouet and Shemar Lindie have been assigned tasks in the completion of a project for Ford undertaken by Clinc, and he added that the men are thrilled to be working on the project, while adding that he continues to receive excellent feedback from Dr. Mars and his team.

“There is so much that can be done and it’s really sad to see that the talent does not have the ability to create value for the entire world. I saw an opportunity to create an avenue for those doing computer science so those resources can be funneled into Guyana,” Dr. Mars said.

“I will contribute to sparking and building the tech sector in Guyana. We are just getting started…We are excited about what we are doing and I am committed to investing in Guyana and helping to contribute to the economic development of the tech sector, so stay tuned,” he added.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

It doesn't matter if he is a Jamaican. What is important is that Blackman has proved time and time again that they can run more than a cake shop. I know some of our Ph.D.'s are under some bottom house drinking rum soon morning. And our females have masters degrees in pusser-pusser.

FM
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

V
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Send message to Stabroek News.

"The CEO explained that though he left Guyana at a young age, he still sees Guyana as home and as such, he visits often and is willing to assist in whatever ways he can to help with the economic development of the tech sector here."

The above is what "Dr. Mars" said.

Django
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

Another attempt to put a Blackman down. No encouragement whatsoever.    Sweetlips jump into hot oil again. 

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Prince posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

Another attempt to put a Blackman down. No encouragement whatsoever.    Sweetlips jump into hot oil again. 

You are a fraud.  Get Lost.

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Prince posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

Another attempt to put a Blackman down. No encouragement whatsoever.    Sweetlips jump into hot oil again. 

You are a fraud.  Get Lost.

Why do you make the PPP looks like a comic book party? You, Skeldon_man and Yuji need to take a 21st-century approach in speaking for the PPP. I am sure all of you are young and talented, but acting like old heads is to re-invent the stone age in a modern society. There is nothing of substance coming from either of you. Indo-supremacy is only a dream. When you woke up the thought is still there but the problem remains the same. 

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Prince posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

Another attempt to put a Blackman down. No encouragement whatsoever.    Sweetlips jump into hot oil again. 

Hey Princess...

Like you still drinking that Demerara Rum, and still confused about that HOMO post you made last night, eh?

You rass blind or wat?

Read what I said above...I praised the young Mars, not put him down.

I said we need more people like him in Guyana, especially in the technology field who want to contribute to the Motherland.

This is more than I can say for Knuckleheads like you who leave the mud hut in Guyana, get little "wise up", and try very hard to pontificate from your safe haven outside of Guyana, and acting like you got all thge answers to Guyana's ills.

Stop wasting your time on your computer and go suck on a ganda egg if you can find one. 

Happy Father's Day!

V
VishMahabir posted:
Prince posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

Another attempt to put a Blackman down. No encouragement whatsoever.    Sweetlips jump into hot oil again. 

Hey Princess...

Like you still drinking that Demerara Rum, and still confused about that HOMO post you made last night, eh?

You rass blind or wat?

Read what I said above...I praised the young Mars, not put him down.

I said we need more people like him in Guyana, especially in the technology field who want to contribute to the Motherland.

This is more than I can say for Knuckleheads like you who leave the mud hut in Guyana, get little "wise up", and try very hard to pontificate from your safe haven outside of Guyana, and acting like you got all thge answers to Guyana's ills.

Stop wasting your time on your computer and go suck on a ganda egg if you can find one. 

Happy Father's Day!

Don't waste your time with that loser.  He comes on GNI looking for attention and to cuss down the same coolie people who he collects money from on Liberty Avenue.  He is a fraud.

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Prince posted:
VishMahabir posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Doesnt matter...his parents were Guyanese, and he wants to help Guyana...this is more than people can say about many Guyanese who migrated and never looked back.

Another attempt to put a Blackman down. No encouragement whatsoever.    Sweetlips jump into hot oil again. 

Hey Princess...

Like you still drinking that Demerara Rum, and still confused about that HOMO post you made last night, eh?

You rass blind or wat?

Read what I said above...I praised the young Mars, not put him down.

I said we need more people like him in Guyana, especially in the technology field who want to contribute to the Motherland.

This is more than I can say for Knuckleheads like you who leave the mud hut in Guyana, get little "wise up", and try very hard to pontificate from your safe haven outside of Guyana, and acting like you got all thge answers to Guyana's ills.

Stop wasting your time on your computer and go suck on a ganda egg if you can find one. 

Happy Father's Day!

Don't waste your time with that loser.  He comes on GNI looking for attention and to cuss down the same coolie people who he collects money from on Liberty Avenue.  He is a fraud.

Bibi, them small talks is for illiterates and bimbos. I hold you to a higher standard, sweety. Today is father's day and you didn't even say two sweet words to me? Now I vex bad.   

FM
Django posted:

Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Clinc., Jason Mars.

Source,  June 17 2018

Impressed by the talents that exist within the local Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, one overseas based Guyanese, who has demonstrated prowess on the world stage, has committed his efforts toward the development of the sector locally.

Dr Jason Mars, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Clinc, a company that is said to have created the world’s most sophisticated and comprehensive conversational Artificial Intelligence (A.I) platform for enterprises, has embarked on the establishment of a scholarship programme that would afford Computer Science Majors at the University of Guyana (UG) an opportunity to pursue PhD studies at the University of Michigan.

Artificial Intelligence has prominent people in this area. Another individual, a Guyanese, active since the early 1980's is Dr. Fahiem Bacchus, Professor at the University of Toronto, Canada.

Short information on Dr. Fahiem Bacchus.

Source -- http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~fbacchus/

http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~fbacchus/images/fahiem.jpg

Contact information

fbacchus@cs.toronto.edu
Dept. Computer Science
6 King's College Road
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ont, M5S 3H5
CANADA
416-946-7174
FAX: 416-978-1455

My Research

My research interests revolve around various reasoning and representation problems in Artificial Intelligence. My main foci these days include CSPs (constraint satisfaction problems), planning, SAT (satisfiability), Bayesian Inference, and Constraint Optimization Problems. I am interested in developing algorithms for these problems that can achieve better performance by taking advantage of domain specific knowledge or structure. This can sometimes entail developing formalisms for representing such knowledge.

For example, F. Kabanza and I developed an approach whereby extra domain specific knowledge can be represented declaratively and used to solve planning problems. Our approach can obtain orders of magnitude increases in performance from very simple domain knowledge. The TLPlan planning system, developed with M. Ady, utilized this approach to planning and demonstrated its effectiveness by winning the AIPS2002 international planning competition.

Another example is my 2clseq SAT solver which utilizes extensive binary clause reasoning exploiting the "binary substructure" of a clausal theory. When run as a preprocessor this kind of reasoning greatly simplifies clausal theories, sometimes converting problems unsolvable by current SAT solvers into problems they can easily solve.

On-Line versions of most of my papers are available under the Research tab. This area also contains some on-line tutorial material and talk presentations. My research has also yielded a number of software systems some of which are available under the Software tab. Under the Teaching tab you will find various materials I and others have created for teaching with links to some of the courses I teach.

Finally, I have been involved in the organization of a number of academic conferences. Under the Conferences tab you will find links to previous conferences I have been involved in.

A copy of my CV is here.

FM

People need to chill out and don't mix race and politics into everything.  One of my nephews opened up an IT development outfit in Guyana.  He said the people are skillful and fast learners.  The biggest issue he faces is bench strength.  There is just not enough and many get jobs in Caricom and leave.  The PNC mismanagement of the crime situation is a huge drag on growth.

This reminds me of the negativity spewed with the onion farmer.  Guyanese ain't deh down hey!  Some alyuh tek alyuh cue from the dysfunctional politicians!

Good luck to Mars!

FM
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

FM
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

Source

June 17 2018


Oww bhai,

click on any of the blue words you will see who said Dr.Mars is Guyanese.

Django
Last edited by Django
Django posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

Source

June 17 2018


Oww bhai,

click on any of the blue words you will see who said Dr.Mars is Guyanese.

Djangy bai, I asked if the can claim dual citizenship. Is it possible? What kind of name is "Mariah Lall'? How come it's not Lillawattie Lall?

FM
skeldon_man posted:
Django posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

Source

June 17 2018


Oww bhai,

click on any of the blue words you will see who said Dr.Mars is Guyanese.

Djangy bai, I asked if the can claim dual citizenship. Is it possible? What kind of name is "Mariah Lall'? How come it's not Lillawattie Lall?

DUAL CITIZENSHIP

https://guyana.crowdstack.io/topic/dual-citizenship

Here is an old thread discussed on GNI

Django
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

There are many Guyanese who have excelled in the field of technology.  Why are we showcasing a Jamaican?

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

There are many Guyanese who have excelled in the field of technology.  Why are we showcasing a Jamaican?

Here is the answer to your question.

“There is so much that can be done and it’s really sad to see that the talent does not have the ability to create value for the entire world. I saw an opportunity to create an avenue for those doing computer science so those resources can be funneled into Guyana,” Dr. Mars said.

“I will contribute to sparking and building the tech sector in Guyana. We are just getting started…We are excited about what we are doing and I am committed to investing in Guyana and helping to contribute to the economic development of the tech sector, so stay tuned,” he added."

Django
Django posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

There are many Guyanese who have excelled in the field of technology.  Why are we showcasing a Jamaican?

Here is the answer to your question.

“There is so much that can be done and it’s really sad to see that the talent does not have the ability to create value for the entire world. I saw an opportunity to create an avenue for those doing computer science so those resources can be funneled into Guyana,” Dr. Mars said.

“I will contribute to sparking and building the tech sector in Guyana. We are just getting started…We are excited about what we are doing and I am committed to investing in Guyana and helping to contribute to the economic development of the tech sector, so stay tuned,” he added."

There are many Guyanese people who can do this.  Is there a reason why a Jamaican was picked?  Is it the same reason why a Jamaican was picked to run GPL and the people getting blackout everyday?  Is it the same reason why we name a Guyanese airline - Fly Jamaica?

Bibi Haniffa
Bibi Haniffa posted:
Django posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Bibi Haniffa posted:

Please correct the Subject line.  The tech guru was born in Jamaica so he is Jamaican.

Gyal, it's our buddy Django. He is the chief editor of GNI. The dude is a Jamaica citizen of Guyanese parents. Can he claim dual citizenship since his parents were from Guyana?

There are many Guyanese who have excelled in the field of technology.  Why are we showcasing a Jamaican?

Here is the answer to your question.

“There is so much that can be done and it’s really sad to see that the talent does not have the ability to create value for the entire world. I saw an opportunity to create an avenue for those doing computer science so those resources can be funneled into Guyana,” Dr. Mars said.

“I will contribute to sparking and building the tech sector in Guyana. We are just getting started…We are excited about what we are doing and I am committed to investing in Guyana and helping to contribute to the economic development of the tech sector, so stay tuned,” he added."

There are many Guyanese people who can do this.  Is there a reason why a Jamaican was picked?  Is it the same reason why a Jamaican was picked to run GPL and the people getting blackout everyday?  Is it the same reason why we name a Guyanese airline - Fly Jamaica?

"He explained that during his last visit to Guyana in May, he met with the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana and was able to select two Computer Science Majors for the Scholarship programme.

“The beautiful thing about Guyana is that it has intellectual and energetic young people with fires in their belly to do good work,” Dr. Mars said, while expressing the belief that there needs to be more work in educational development in order for persons to be able to compete globally.

“I saw an opportunity to bring them to do studies at a top university in America”, the CEO said. He also expressed the hope of being able to make the initiative an annual occurrence."


Read the above,

Can you point out where in the article Dr.Mars was picked and by who.

You really didn't comprehend the article.

Django

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