Matthew McDonnell, CFA

I'm originally from the United States, but Southeast Asia has been my home for the past decade. Living across Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand has given me a deep appreciation for the region's incredible diversity, entrepreneurial energy, and some of the world's best food scenes.

My professional background is rooted in finance and consulting, but I've always been drawn to understanding how things work beneath the surface. This curiosity led me down the AI rabbit hole, particularly around large language models and the fascinating question of how they form associations to generate responses.

My interest in AI deepened significantly after taking Harvard's CS50 AI course and diving into Anthropic's research on mapping the mind of language models. There's something incredibly compelling about trying to understand the "black box" of AI reasoning – it feels like we're on the verge of major breakthroughs in how we interact with and interpret artificial intelligence.

When I'm not building AI solutions or diving into research papers, you'll find me exploring Southeast Asia's incredible culinary landscape. I love cooking at home (Thai and Indonesian cuisine are my specialties), planning food-focused travel, and staying active through road and trail running. Bangkok remains my favorite city in the world – the perfect blend of chaos, culture, and incredible street food.

I'm always excited to connect with fellow technologists, entrepreneurs, or anyone curious about AI's potential to solve real-world problems. Whether you're interested in discussing the latest developments in machine learning or need recommendations for the best som tam in Bangkok, feel free to reach out.