Andres Garza Villarreal, a 2014 graduate of Virginia Tech’s Architecture School, was recently in Davos, Switzerland presenting his startup, catalan.ai, to heads of State, worldwide corporation leaders and social entrepreneurs. While pursuing his MBA at MIT in 2022, Andres co-founded the company that leverages artificial intelligence and machine learning models to dynamically price and optimize millions of prices worldwide.

Andres describes the value of obtaining a training in architecture for his current tech endeavor: “Solving the world’s most intricate problems requires incredible teamwork, creativity and design thinking skills. I couldn’t be where I am right now without the tools and experiences I learned in Cowgill Hall. Architecture is all about collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and solving hard problems that create impactful places for people -you always have the end user in mind! Truth be told, co-founding and operating a tech startup is no different!”

Moreover, catalan.ai prioritizes transparency and fairness in pricing algorithms, ensuring they avoid discrimination and biases. Andres is a firm advocate of fostering a dialogue on responsible innovation in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence. Catalan.ai’s rapid growth is a testament to the invaluable design thinking discipline learned at Virginia Tech. Andres adds: “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the esteemed professors who welcomed a young transfer student from Mexico with open arms and guided me every step of the way: Heinrich Schnoedt, Patrick Doan and Andrew Balster. I cannot thank you enough!” For current architecture students, Andres adds: “Be proud of your degree, for it empowers you to be a creator, an innovator, and a gamechanger. And to quote Daniel Burnham: make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”