“ABC showed me how innovation really happens — from understanding AI to experiencing the global mindset of Silicon Valley.”
Can you introduce yourself? Tell us your name, where you’re from, and a bit about your background.
My name is Iliad, and I studied Human Factors and Sports Engineering in Vienna. Growing up in a hotel and restaurant family, I was always around people; being born in Australia and raised in Germany only added to that international mix.
In your role, you’ve been conducting market research, trend analyses, and gathering data to support business decisions and the development of new projects. How does this compare to what you’re learning here at ABC Silicon Valley?
At my internship in the Emerging Business department at Canyon, I worked on finding new ideas and opportunities to create internal startups and bring them to life. We used both internal and external data and experimented with AI tools, including ChatGPT, but mostly through trial and error.
Here at ABC, I actually learned what AI truly is, how it works, and how to use it properly. Understanding its real potential and future applications has been one of the coolest and most valuable parts of this experience.
What has been your favorite thing about ABC Silicon Valley?
I love the international aspect. We have people from Italy, South America, and all over the world. During the day, we’re learning together, and afterward, we explore — going out to different restaurants and trying food we don’t have in Europe. It’s a great mix of cultures, experiences, and ideas — all condensed into a few weeks that feel incredibly rich.
You participated in the first edition of the ABC Business Plan Competition. What motivated you to take part, and how challenging was it?
I was really lucky that a friend of mine from Vienna, Fabian, told me about the competition. We thought it would be good practice to create a business plan and see where it could take us. The template ABC provided gave us a great starting point to brainstorm and structure our ideas. It was a fun process, and we learned a lot while working on it together.
