Hi 👋
We founded Datameister in June 2023 and we’ve been working hard behind the scenes setting up shop. While it's only been half a year, but I am really pleased by how much has happened since then:
- We’ve closed some long-term deals making Datameister core to some of our clients.
- We’ve implemented and delivered numerous AI algorithms in the field of NLP and Computer Vision
- We’ve built a highly scalable AI cloud infrastructure to run our clients’ algorithms and models seamlessly in the cloud
- We’ve moved into our brand new office in the medieval city center of Ghent.
I think it's about time we introduce ourselves.
Who are the Meisters really?
Let us introduce ourselves, we’re Axel Vlaminck and Ruben Verhack. Both engineers at heart with a strong passion for AI.
We used to work together at a previous AI company, where we gained a lot of experience in AI research and development. We also learned how to implement AI on a large scale for businesses. However, deep down, we always had a desire to start something completely new. We wanted to create something special and independent. A place where we could innovate with the latest technology and help companies fully embrace the AI revolution. We wanted to build a company that is not afraid to dream big.
Ruben
Ruben has been an entrepreneur for a long time. He has founded several small businesses, including a digital t-shirt company in 2007, a software agency in 2008, and an AI radiology startup in 2019.
Additionally, Ruben pursued an academic career. He earned a double PhD in computer science from Ghent University and TU Berlin. Throughout his PhD journey, he received numerous prestigious awards such as the Google Faculty Award in 2015 and the Best Paper Award at IEEE Transactions on Multimedia and several Best Student Paper Awards. He was also invited to speak at renowned companies like Google (Mountain View, CA & Zürich), Disney Research, and Netflix.
After his AI radiology startup came to an end, Ruben shifted to independent AI consulting. His expertise lies in business analytics, NLP (Natural Language Processing), and computer vision. For the past two years prior to joining Datameister, he worked as a contractor for Oqton. In this role, he held positions such as Senior AI Engineer and AI Product Manager with a focus on robotic welding and geometrical reasoning through AI.
Aside from his professional activities, Ruben is passionate about cooking and cherishes his family time.
Axel
Axel is a hands-on, endless optimistic, and energetic person. He obtained his engineering degree in electronics. Despite specializing in electronics, he developed a keen interest in AI early on and eagerly pursued opportunities to delve into AI-related courses, which were considered quite exotic at the time.
As a graduate, he performed internships at some of the big AI companies in Ghent and started as one of the first employees at Oqton. At Oqton, he was one of the biggest drivers in the AI team. A couple of years later Oqton was sold for a staggering 180M USD in 2021 by 3D Systems.
Axel's versatility shines through his proficiency in multiple modalities such as signal processing, image-based computer vision, point clouds, and meshes. He doesn’t shy away from physics and at the same time he’s quick to set up MLOps environments, as well as developing his own transformer based neural networks. You name it, Axel can make it, and does so with a big smile on his face.
In his free time, Axel enjoys DIY projects at home, social events and his dog - Nala.
Why another AI agency?
We believe there is a significant industry demand for AI development by external parties, due to the following reasons:
- The difficulty in securing top AI talent, particularly for smaller companies who compete with organizations having an established AI workforce.
- The challenge in assembling diverse professionals for AI projects, including AI engineers, researchers, MLOps platform engineers, and product managers.
- The irregular workload involved in AI development, which requires different roles during development and maintenance phases.
We focus on our unique specialities spanning many modalities:
- First, no agency in Flanders specializes in 3D AI, an area in which we possess extensive knowledge (e.g. point clouds, meshes). We also consider projects involving sensory data, including signals, computer vision, depth, and motion capturing.
- Secondly, we have in-depth experience in radiology (CT & MRI) and, in general, Software-as-a-Medical device (SaMD).
- Finally, we’ve been riding the Large-Language Model (LLM) train since GPT2 was released and have not stopped since. We custom-build, fine-tune, and host LLMs for clients.
We have ambitious plans for the future
This is just the beginning. We are constantly evolving and finding our true potential along the way. Our growth is attracting top talent, and we are determined to establish ourselves as a leading AI hub with a robust in-house R&D team. Stay tuned for more exciting updates.