1) What is alphaXiv? Who is it for? What does it do for them?

AlphaXiv is a platform for researchers to discuss, discover, and read new research. Academia is notoriously known for being siloed; while many researchers are interested in discussing their own research, besides yearly conferences, there is no real place to discuss research in a productive, centralized setting.

Additionally, discoverability in research has never been harder — there is no easy way to sort through all the noise and see what research is relevant.

2) What is the origin story behind the name "alphaXiv"?

Our site allows people to discuss papers on a pre-print server called 'arXiv'. arXiv basically hosts paper PDFs and it's a very recognized name in the research community — the initial "selling point" for users early on was that you could change the "arxiv" to "alphaxiv" in the URL to re-direct to the appropriate page on our site.

3) Of all the things you could have done professionally, why did you choose to start alphaXiv?

There were a few things to weigh before deciding to work on alphaXiv full-time. What made the decision really easy was that I was already working on alphaXiv for roughly a year before while I was an undergrad. There was a lot of interest around the project, and it wouldn't have made sense to do anything else.

4) What should we know about the state of research and how it is being reimagined?

The state of research is that it's moving faster than ever before. arXiv averages 3 million hourly readers and each month they break their previous monthly submission record. From the time a paper is uploaded on arXiv to the time people discuss it in a conference a year later, the work is already outdated. People want a place to share their thoughts on the paper and some way to keep up with everything.

5) You are currently in Stanford’s AI lab (SAIL), how is that experience influencing what you are doing today?

Doing research at SAIL, specifically Chelsea Finn's IRIS lab was a super influential experience. Getting to regularly work with folks like Chelsea Finn, Archit Sharma, and others was an experience that pushed me to become a better researcher and engineer. A lot of my work at the lab was "pre-GPT" so it's been super cool to see how these researchers have adapted/lead this push towards larger models. From the alphaXiv standpoint, researchers at SAIL were the first people I discussed the idea of open research discussion with.

6) You are a first time founder - what are some of the ways you choose to learn/grow as a leader?

I feel our entire team is learning the subtleties of leadership every single day at work. In high school and college, we've all had to read about leadership in some capacity or the other, and it's cool to compare that preconceived notion to the "real-world". Right now, I think that leadership is making sure we are doing whatever it takes to ensure everyone else feels their work is as productive as possible.

7) How can the SHAKTI network help you?

For me the Shakti network has been incredibly impactful in helping orient myself as a first-time founder. Being able to connect with other Shakti founders and share advice, learnings, and resources has been critical. Everything from in-depth details about hiring to broader questions about refining the vision for the company, has been made easier through the connections I have made at Shakti.

1) What is alphaXiv? Who is it for? What does it do for them?

AlphaXiv is a platform for researchers to discuss, discover, and read new research. Academia is notoriously known for being siloed; while many researchers are interested in discussing their own research, besides yearly conferences, there is no real place to discuss research in a productive, centralized setting.

Additionally, discoverability in research has never been harder — there is no easy way to sort through all the noise and see what research is relevant.

2) What is the origin story behind the name "alphaXiv"?

Our site allows people to discuss papers on a pre-print server called 'arXiv'. arXiv basically hosts paper PDFs and it's a very recognized name in the research community — the initial "selling point" for users early on was that you could change the "arxiv" to "alphaxiv" in the URL to re-direct to the appropriate page on our site.

3) Of all the things you could have done professionally, why did you choose to start alphaXiv?

There were a few things to weigh before deciding to work on alphaXiv full-time. What made the decision really easy was that I was already working on alphaXiv for roughly a year before while I was an undergrad. There was a lot of interest around the project, and it wouldn't have made sense to do anything else.

4) What should we know about the state of research and how it is being reimagined?

The state of research is that it's moving faster than ever before. arXiv averages 3 million hourly readers and each month they break their previous monthly submission record. From the time a paper is uploaded on arXiv to the time people discuss it in a conference a year later, the work is already outdated. People want a place to share their thoughts on the paper and some way to keep up with everything.

5) You are currently in Stanford’s AI lab (SAIL), how is that experience influencing what you are doing today?

Doing research at SAIL, specifically Chelsea Finn's IRIS lab was a super influential experience. Getting to regularly work with folks like Chelsea Finn, Archit Sharma, and others was an experience that pushed me to become a better researcher and engineer. A lot of my work at the lab was "pre-GPT" so it's been super cool to see how these researchers have adapted/lead this push towards larger models. From the alphaXiv standpoint, researchers at SAIL were the first people I discussed the idea of open research discussion with.

6) You are a first time founder - what are some of the ways you choose to learn/grow as a leader?

I feel our entire team is learning the subtleties of leadership every single day at work. In high school and college, we've all had to read about leadership in some capacity or the other, and it's cool to compare that preconceived notion to the "real-world". Right now, I think that leadership is making sure we are doing whatever it takes to ensure everyone else feels their work is as productive as possible.

7) How can the SHAKTI network help you?

For me the Shakti network has been incredibly impactful in helping orient myself as a first-time founder. Being able to connect with other Shakti founders and share advice, learnings, and resources has been critical. Everything from in-depth details about hiring to broader questions about refining the vision for the company, has been made easier through the connections I have made at Shakti.