Gary Gao

Co-Founder @ Chert | CS + Wharton @ Penn | Z-Fellow

📍 San Francisco

Currently buidling Chert, an AI BDR that gets businesses customers through iMessage. Previously studying Computer Science and Business at Penn and Wharton. Researching in statistical mechanics (physical learning networks) and machine learning (pottery sherd classification).

Projects and Experiences

2025

Chert

Voice-based GIS for archaeology.A voice-first GIS data collection platform used by archaeological field projects. Built with Next.js, Python, PostgreSQL, and GIS tooling.

2025

Nodal CLI

Hardware copilot for embedded systems.CLI that generates wiring diagrams, firmware, and host code for Arduino and ESP32. Built with Node.js and TypeScript.

2024

Photon Framework

Building Flux for AI infrastructure.Next-gen framework for building and deploying AI infrastructure at scale. Exploring new paradigms in model serving and orchestration.

2024

Outbound via iMessage

Automated outbound messaging at scale.Built an outbound sales and communication platform leveraging iMessage for high-deliverability outreach.

2024

Neuromorphic Chips

Building brain-inspired computing hardware.Researching and building neuromorphic chip architectures that mimic biological neural networks for efficient, low-power computation.

2023

Pottery Sherd Classification

AI-powered archaeological artifact analysis.Built a classification model for pottery sherds using computer vision, helping archaeologists identify and catalog artifacts in the field.

Writing

2025The Chert Thesis