Cofounder and CTO
I lead the technology at Tough Day, an AI platform that gives employees confidential support to navigate professional challenges. My work covers agentic architecture, memory, and behavioral measurement.
Technologist · Founder · Teacher
Alberto Escarlate.
Technologist and founder. I build AI products, the teams behind them, and the frameworks to think about both.
Cofounder and CTO at Tough Day. Co-lead of the Startup Studio at Cornell Tech.
01 · Now
Now
Co-lead, Startup Studio
I co-lead the Startup Studio at Cornell Tech, where graduate students build and validate new ventures. Roughly 60 teams a year go through the process.
02 · Writing
Writing
I write about the shape of agentic systems, how AI moves into companies, and lessons from building.
On Substack
Read the archive
I publish essays and field notes on applied AI, agentic systems, and building AI products. New posts land every couple of weeks.
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Nobel-Winning Economists Just Described the AI We're Building
Three MIT economists, including Nobel laureate Daron Acemoglu, published a Brookings paper making the case that most AI investment flows toward replacing human expertise, not expanding it. I agree with their direction and argue it should go further.
Read on Substack →
How the Private Credit Squeeze Hits PE-Backed HR Tech
Private credit stress spilled across the financial news this week. I trace what it could mean for enterprise HR and workforce tech, a market PE firms rolled up over the last decade with the same leveraged debt now pulling back.
Read on Substack →
03 · Track record
Track record
I have founded five companies and led one exit.
- NowCofounder and CTO, Tough Day
- NowCo-lead, Startup Studio, Cornell Tech
- FounderFounder, CEO, Hugo Labs
- FounderFounding CTO, Skylyte
- FounderFounding CTO, Sojo Studios (exit)
- ExecCTO and Head of Product, Elektra Health
- InvestorVenture Partner, Collaborative Fund
- EIRTechstars and Human Ventures
04 · Teaching
Teaching
I taught at PUC-Rio in Rio de Janeiro. I served nine years on the faculty of Parsons School of Design in New York. I co-lead the Startup Studio at Cornell Tech today.