Building with Purpose with Across AI’s Nilou Salehi

About this episode

Nilou Salehi discusses her transition from academia to co-founding Across AI and the impact of AI on organizational dynamics.

We want to hear from you! Email us at BCGInHerEllement@bcg.com with a voice memo describing your In Your Ellement moment. We might feature your story in an upcoming episode! *** What does it look like to pivot while staying true to your purpose? For Nilou Salehi, it meant putting her professorship role at UC Berkeley on pause to co-found Across AI, a startup built on her human-centered AI research.  Now Co-CEO, Nilou is exploring how AI is reshaping not just the tools we use, but the teams that build them. Her approach blends academic rigor with startup agility, always grounded in real human needs. This episode is part of our Builders mini series, where we talk with founders, product managers, and digital leaders about what drives their passion for building. You’ll hear Nilou reflect on the leap from academia to entrepreneurship, how AI is changing organizational life, and why the future belongs to flexible teams with shared intent. 1:19 Transitioning from Academia to Startup Life 5:04 The Role of UX Research in AI Product Development 7:23 Balancing Grit and Flexibility in Career Choices 8:42 High-Level vs. Low-Level Goals 14:17 New Challenges Facing AI Product Builders in…

People in this episode

Hosts: Boston Consulting Group BCG, Suchi Srinivasan, Kamila Rakhimova

Guest: Nilou Salehi

Topics covered

• AI
• entrepreneurship
• human-centered design
• organizational change
• career transitions
• product development

Keywords

• AI
• startup
• academia
• human-centered design
• product management
• flexibility
• career choices

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: UC Berkeley, Across AI

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