Careers: Interviews
A Chat with Aliya Grig: Entrepreneur; Mentor; Certified neuroscience specialist, member of Karman Space Foundation; Founder of Evolwe, the Kosmos Foundation, and The Cosmos City
This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Aliya Grig.
 Aliya Grig is the founder of Elvolwe, a startup focused on building empathetic AI technology; the Kosmos Foundation, a company that creates a new generation of anthropomorphic robots for manufacturing and deep space exploration; and The Cosmos City, an innovation hub for space tech startups. Aliya is also a certified neuroscience specialist, a member of the Karman Space Foundation, a member of the Battleverse Advisory Board, and a mentor on the Growth Mentor platform. In 2021, Aliya was listed as one of the Top 100 women entrepreneurs in AI. In 2018, she was shortlisted for Forbes Europe's Young Entrepreneurs. In 2023, Aliya was named among the 23 most influential women in tech by Startups Magazine.
Kosmos Foundation is at the forefront of creating a new generation of anthropomorphic robots for manufacturing, deep space exploration, and the development of quantum computers. The foundation has developed AI that closely mirrors human empathy, reasoning, and cognitive skills, making it one of the most human-like AIs in terms of providing empathy. The Kosmos Foundation's goal is for AI to be empathetic, conscious, and beneficial to society as a whole, leading to the development of a new generation of AI robots that can significantly benefit companies and end users.
Cosmos City is a multifaceted complex and online platform designed for edutainment, science research, innovation, and includes hotel and residential facilities. The complex is designed by New York-based architects Hani Rashid and Lise Anne Couture of Asymptote. Cosmos City represents the physical manifestation of a broad cosmic vision, aimed at establishing the first-ever multifunctional terrestrial space-center complex. This complex is dedicated to both public recreation and edutainment, as well as private innovation and investment.
Evolwe is a deep tech company creating empathetic artificial intelligence technology and robots for human-like interactions and personalized experiences. Evolwe has combined theory of mind, meta-cognition, psychometrics, and NLP to create state-of-the-art AI architecture. Evolwe creates a new generation of AI robots that can benefit companies and end users. Evolwe has partnered with NVIDIA, Stanford University, Middlesex University, and AWS.
Aliya has 15 years of background launching tech startups at a global scale, a successful exit from a space tech startup, and collaborations with Boeing, NASA, and Lexus. Her work experience includes companies from the Fortune 500 list, such as L'Oreal, Mitsubishi, and Airbus. Aliya Grig has been researching human consciousness, meditation, neuro interfaces, and AGI. In 2010, she began a research project on understanding the principles of human consciousness and approaches to it in Buddhism, Shaivism, Daoism, and world literature. In 2015, she conducted research with practical experiments on meditations and estimating the level of human consciousness during the meditation process. In 2016, she conducted research on neuro interfaces and specifically the possibilities of the interaction with neuro interfaces to analyze signals of the brain that can be understood as consciousness. Currently, she is researching AGI and creating architectural models for AGI based on the studies of human consciousness. She is working in the AI domain to build an AGI and create a new type of architecture based on brain models and training them through the same learning process as the human brain uses.
Aliya Grig has had a dynamic and diverse professional career spanning multiple industries. In 2006, she worked in the MT Service telecommunication company as Head of business development while also developing her consulting projects in the field of strategic management and crisis management for international companies. In 2011, Aliya launched TOTE, a startup that developed fuel cell technology for sustainable energy production, raising over $7 million in investment before exiting the company in 2013. Currently, the technology is used at the ISS. In 2012, she founded Element, which developed AlSc alloy for the aerospace industry aimed at significantly reducing the weight of aircraft and launch vehicles, with Boeing as one of its clients. She raised an investment of $5 million before exiting the company in 2015. Aliya also founded the RED Foundation in 2013, which initiated a range of art and urban development projects, including the complete renovation and urban planning for a small town in Western Europe, the planning and development of a 80-hectare Industrial park, and the international competition for renovation and redesign of the Moscow River embankment areas. In 2016, she founded the Galaktika company, which created various activities in the field of space education for kids and teenagers and supported art projects dedicated to space exploration. She also joined as a co-founder of two space startups for rocket engineering and 3D-printing for space, Anisoprint and Lin Industrial, which she exited in 2018. In 2017, Aliya participated as an expert at NASA's competition for creating the first Mars city. In 2020, she released her science-fiction book "Cosmos: Yours & Mine" and a children's educational book about space as an author. Aliya's professional activities demonstrate her versatility, entrepreneurship, and creativity in different fields, from telecommunications and aerospace to art and urban development.
Aliya Grig has also been actively involved in public and social activities throughout her career. She served on the board of trustees of the Children B.E.L.A. charity fund, demonstrating her commitment to helping disadvantaged children. Aliya has also been a mentor at the Higher School of Management and participates in charity projects, such as Meet for Charity. As a contributor to Forbes magazine, Aliya writes a space tech column, sharing her knowledge and insights with a wide audience.
Aliya Grig is also involved in art and educational projects, such as supporting a book about Cosmism and creating an educational program for kids about space. As an author, she has published several scientific works about management and neuroscience approaches for well-being, highlighting her commitment to understanding and promoting human well-being in the workplace and beyond. Aliya's public and social activities demonstrate her passion for art, education, and innovation, as well as her dedication to sharing her knowledge and expertise with others.
Aliya Grig has given public talks on a range of topics, showcasing her expertise in AI, space exploration, efficient teamwork, and psychotyping. She spoke on the "Future of AI technologies" at WebSummit in Lisbon, Portugal in 2021 and discussed "The first city in space" at Future Forum by BMW in Munich, Germany in the same year. In 2022, she shared her insights on "How to organize efficient and proactive teamwork during the growth stage" at the Hey Growth Summit in Berlin, Germany.
In 2023, Aliya Grig expanded her influence and contribution to the global dialogue on technology and consciousness through a series of notable speeches. She graced the "The Science of Consciousness" Conference in Taormina, Italy, with her insights into the complexities of consciousness. At the 3rd International Conference on Industrial Automation, Robotics, and Control Engineering (IARCE 2023) in Chengdu, China, she delved into the latest advancements in automation and robotics. Her expertise was also showcased at the Annual International Conference on Brain-Inspired Cognitive Architectures for Artificial Intelligence in Ningbo, China, where she highlighted the convergence of neuroscience and artificial intelligence.
In Arizona, USA, she made a compelling case for a revolutionary approach to understanding consciousness at the "Neuroscience Needs a Revolution to Understand Consciousness" event. Her presence was felt in London at the Tech Talks with TFN, sharing her vision for the future of technology. At the "Decoding the Future of Women" Conference in London, she advocated for greater diversity and inclusion within the tech industry.
Aliya addressed the intersection of AI and fitness technology at the Fit Tech Club event in Munich, Germany, and promoted the essential adoption of AI in business and society at the Fem Tech Lab's webinar "Use AI or Stay Behind?" in London. Her participation in the World AI Cannes Festival in Cannes, France, further solidified her role as a key voice in AI discussions. Aliya also spoke on the "Future of AI Technologies" at the Risk Management Show in 2023 and on "Determining the psychotype of a person during a conversation with a chatbot" at the AINL: Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Conference in Yerevan, Armenia. Lastly, her contribution to the Consciousness Research Network (CoRN) Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, added to a prolific year of engaging with and contributing to critical discussions on AI, consciousness, and the future of technology in 2023.
In 2024, I was a speaker at several leading tech events. I was on a panel at the AIM CONGRESS in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I also spoke at WE MAKE FUTURE in Bologna, Italy, and presented at The Next Web (TNW) Conference in Amsterdam.
Personal Links:
Instagram: @Aliyagrig
Linkedin: @AliyaGrig
Twitter: @aliyagrig
Medium: https://aliyagrig.medium.com/
Official website: https://aliyagrig.com/
TO WATCH THE VIDEO INTERVIEW, CLICK ON THIS MP4 file link
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