I have something special for you guys today: a guest post by one of my favorite founders! This is the story of how Jesse Bray went from being an animator to the CTO of an AI startup, Hoplon.
Hoplon helps construction companies automate timecards and track their workforce using geofencing.
If you ever wanted to break into startups, Jesse’s story is for you.
Enjoy!
I Accidentally Became the CTO of an AI Startup
It started with a request for a few old computers.
By Jesse Bray
⸻
People have asked me how I became the CTO of an AI company.
They usually expect some story about networking, recruiters, venture capital, or a carefully planned career move.
The truth is far less glamorous.
I was looking for old computers.
For most of my career I’ve been an animator, educator, and storyteller. I founded Zero to Animator, a program that teaches kids animation and digital art, because I believe creativity can change a child’s life. Watching a kid realize, “I made that,” never gets old.
As our workshops grew, so did the need for equipment.
So I did something simple.
I started reaching out to local businesses through our Chamber of Commerce asking if anyone had retired computers they weren’t using anymore.
One of those emails landed in Jake Gideon’s inbox.
Jake was building a construction technology startup called Hoplon.
He replied that he thought he could help.
At the time, that was the extent of our relationship.
A guy building an AI startup.
A guy trying to find computers for kids.
Nothing more.
Friendship Came Before Business
Not long afterward, I was invited to speak at a local Rotary Club about the nonprofit — why we were collecting donated computers and how we were using them to teach animation to kids who otherwise might never have access to those tools.
I asked Jake if he’d like to come with me.
He became my plus-one.
That lunch ended up having very little to do with computers.
We talked about ideas.
Business.
Technology.
Creativity.
Family.
The kinds of conversations that happen when you realize you’re sitting across from someone who genuinely enjoys building things.
Neither of us knew it then, but that lunch wasn’t the beginning of a business relationship.
It was the beginning of a friendship.
Creativity Is a Funny Thing
People tend to put creatives into boxes.
“He’s an animator.”
As if that’s all there is.
The funny thing is, I actually learned software development because I got tired of waiting for other people.
If I needed a tool for my animation work…
I built it.
If I needed a website…
I built it.
If I needed a learning platform…
I built it.
Over time I realized I wasn’t just learning to write software.
I was learning how to solve problems.
Animation taught me storytelling.
Software taught me execution.
Together they became an incredibly useful combination.
“I Can Build That.”
As Jake and I became friends, he’d occasionally send me a pitch deck.
We’d grab lunch.
Talk through product ideas.
Nothing formal.
I wasn’t interviewing.
I wasn’t consulting.
I was just helping a friend think through his business.
Then one afternoon he mentioned a customer.
They needed functionality Hoplon didn’t have.
I looked at him and said,
“I can build that.”
He smiled.
I don’t think he realized I meant immediately.
I went home and started building.
Not a mockup.
Not a prototype.
An actual enterprise platform that solved the customer’s problem.
Within days we had working software.
That same week, the customer signed.
Somewhere between building that platform and shipping it, something unexpected happened.
Without either of us really planning it…
I became Hoplon’s CTO.
Looking Back
When people hear that story, they usually focus on the software.
I don’t.
I think about the email asking for donated computers.
Because without that email…
None of this happens.
No Rotary lunch.
No friendship.
No late-night conversations.
No software.
No CTO title.
It’s easy to believe that careers are built through perfectly executed plans.
Mine rarely have been.
The biggest opportunities in my life have almost always started with serving someone else first.
Not because I expected anything in return.
But because helping people has a funny way of bringing remarkable people into your life.
One Final Thought
If there’s one lesson this experience taught me, it’s this:
Your résumé gets you introductions.
Your skills earn trust.
But your character is what people remember.
I didn’t become a CTO because I was looking for the title.
I became a CTO because a friendship gave me the opportunity to solve a problem, and I was ready when that opportunity arrived.
Funny enough…
It all started with a request for a few old computers.
- Jesse Bray | CTO
Hoplon Visibility AI
www.hoplonapp.com / www.mrbray.com
I hope you enjoyed Jesse’s awesome story! We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming tomorrow.
More on tech:
You Finally Closed Your Funding Round — Time to Panic?
Are You Pre-Revenue? Here are 5 Signs Your Startup Is On the Right Track.
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