Chad Agate is a serial #entrepreneur, #technical-founder, and product leader recognized for his expertise in @Artificial Intelligence (AI) integration, digital transformation, and software development. Agate currently serves as Co-Founder and CTO of Autolane, where he leads the development of operating systems for curbside autonomy, a position he has held since April 2025. In this capacity, he focuses on merging autonomous vehicle technologies with software innovation to enable efficient curbside operations. His prior experience includes serving as Chief Technology Officer at Heal.me, where he managed the buildout of a marketplace and SaaS platform for holistic health practitioners, enabling practitioners to scale their businesses and improve client access to care. At @Lifeist, formerly known as Namaste Technologies, Agate directed the launch of a telemedicine platform for the cannabis industry, managed international engineering teams, and oversaw acquisitions exceeding $20 million USD. His strategic leadership also encompassed roles as Strategic Advisor, Technology at Independent Advisory Services, where he provided digital transformation guidance to both startups and established public companies. Agate’s broader career spans founder and CEO roles at CMAC Group and NeoPhonetics, where he specialized in B2B analytics, digital innovation, and VoIP solutions. His expertise includes user experience design, business strategy, technical architecture, and leading distributed product and engineering teams. Known for mentoring entrepreneurs and advising organizations on technology integration, he has played a key role in projects involving telemedicine, e-commerce personalization, AI-powered mobile applications, and cloud-based platforms. Across these endeavors, Agate has consistently emphasized operational efficiency, scalability, and leveraging advanced technologies to drive business growth. His career demonstrates a sustained commitment to building innovative products and enabling organizations to adapt to rapidly evolving technology landscapes. Chad and I met at the June 2018 @Retail Global where we were both speakers. In response to my question at the afterparty, he said he'd "made [working] too fun" to stop anytime soon. We quickly found resonance—and the bottom of a tequila bottle—as we shared our @Meticulously Ridiculous projects and unrelenting passion to @Build cool shit and change the world. Later—when connecting by email—Chad was intrigued by the @Contextual Augmentation format for which he'd unwittingly been a test subject. His enthusiasm for the @MythOS platform inspired the creation of @You as a Service and he became the first—very patient—customer.
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- #exited
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