Lamatic.ai Emerges to Simplify AI Implementation for Businesses
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into various business operations, the demand for ready-to-use AI solutions is growing. This need for ‘plug-and-play’ AI is what entrepreneur Charles Whiteman, CEO and co-founder of Lamatic.ai, aims to fulfill. The company, co-founded with CTO Aman Sharma, is based at the Alan B. Levan | NSU Broward Center of Innovation in Fort Lauderdale, a partnership between Nova Southeastern University and Broward County designed to support entrepreneurs and early-stage startups.
Lamatic.ai, having completed key stages of the Levan Center’s programs, has gained significant traction. The company, which has secured $445,000 in pre-seed funding, has identified a niche market: businesses that prefer not to invest significant time and resources into developing in-house AI infrastructure. “They want to stop investing resources into the ‘plumbing,'” Whiteman explained.
Lamatic.ai specializes in tailoring AI processes to meet specific client needs. For instance, the company created a program to provide detailed captions for thousands of screen shots. In another case study, still pending publication, they developed an AI add-on for a travel company that provides highly personalized recommendations. This application extracts detailed information from extensive datasets to create customized travel options. “We create a virtual travel agent who eliminates the time and manpower the customer must invest,” Whiteman stated. “We are an infrastructure component to reduce the amount of customer code they need to use and maintain.”
The travel company in question manages its own interface and website and had already collected the necessary data. This includes information such as the number of travelers, preferred activities, seasonality, and destinations. For example, the AI feature can generate a granular itinerary for Paris, outlining four daily activities, including cost, restaurant, and festival options. “All of that intelligence is powered by the middleware we offer,” Whiteman noted. “We are selling to an audience that is technically knowledgeable. They know the outcome they want.”
Whiteman is an experienced entrepreneur. Formerly of Michigan, he relocated to Florida to work with Divers Direct before moving to MotionPoint, which specializes in website language translation. After MotionPoint was sold, Whiteman began developing a consumer-focused app addressing the common question: “What’s for dinner?” During this process, he and Sharma met on Y Combinator’s startup site and decided to collaborate. Sharma recognized the potential value of the platform they were building, leading to the creation of Lamatic.ai.
They quickly devised a marketing strategy, positioning Lamatic.ai as “middleware.” Within three weeks of launching, they had secured five clients. “The way I describe it is we build what we wish we could buy,” Whiteman said. They utilize a variety of data sources, including large language models and commercially available data. Lamatic.ai officially launched on October 23rd.
The company is rapidly gaining recognition. Whiteman and Sharma recently participated in the inauguration of the Miami chapter of the GenAI Collective, a community-based group for the emerging IT discipline. They were also selected to participate in TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield competition.
Whiteman and Sharma aim to demystify AI and its applications, hoping to allow businesses to focus on their core goals. According to Sharma, “Everyone is trying to figure out what to do with generative AI – how to transform theoretical research into practical features.” Once that is solved, businesses can focus on their goals, rather than “how do I get this done.”
