Think
Strategy. Research. Ventures.
A platform for eclectic work and big ideas for the AI era.
First company at 14. Spent twenty years on Exbabylon building people and clients. Exited to PE in 2021, then served as platform CIO and worked M&A at North America's second-largest MSP roll-up. Always building.
Partners, Not Replacements: AI’s Role in Human-Centered Services
ISM Education Conference & Expo · September 29, 2026 · Spokane Convention Center
iTECH Summit Inland Northwest
October 21, 2026 · Coeur d’Alene Resort/now
Gonzaga’s 18-month applied research initiative is underway following our fall Executive AI ThinkTank cohort. Main stage with Gonzaga University at ISM; opening keynote at iTECH Summit Inland Northwest.
Post-IIA + MSP Summit: co-authoring with Omdia Media on what the AI Era actually means for the Future MSP — the real next chapter, not the vendor narrative.
Next-phase Reflexive-Core + AgentGateway integration and the security architecture underneath it. Early-stage build on Narrows Intelligence. Always on effort to support the Foundation for Agentic Networks and further Project NANDA's mission.
Strategy
M&A + Venture
Helping look around the next corner (or two). Worked both sides of the table. Sponsor alignment, founder:founder trust, product market fit, LOI → acquisition → integration.
AI + Human
Humans are the crux. AI amplifies that. Leadership development and people-building > tech+tools. Transparency and clarity to bring everyone along.
Cybersecurity + Risk
Board + Exec + Research + Product + GTM. A lifetime in cyber— from early product and SaaS to critical infrastructure IR with CISA, DIB executive roundtables with the FBI, and CMMC readiness.
Research
Gonzaga University · Human-Centered AI Transformation
Alex Stanton, GU Research Fellow, and Gena Hoxha, PhD, are leading a first-of-its-kind, 18-month applied research and organizational transformation initiative with Gonzaga University's Institute for Informatics & Applied Technology and Center for Lifelong Learning.
The research is designed to establish a repeatable, evidence-based model for how mid-market organizations build lasting AI capability—nationwide and beyond. Our methodology puts internal AI Transformation Councils in charge of strategy, governance, and execution. Teams test real use cases, measure results, and build the leadership capacity and workforce trust to keep adapting long after the project ends.
A regional AI maturity report and anonymized case studies will translate measured outcomes into practical guidance: what works, what fails, and what other organizations can put into practice.
The completed fall Executive AI ThinkTank cohort launched the broader research initiative. Research is underway, with a spring cohort planned.
Explore the Gonzaga initiative ↗
Reflexive-Core
A single-context metacognitive security architecture for frontier AI models.
Released February 2026.
A framework for securing AI interactions from the first turn, with telemetry and deterministic gates before a multi-turn run begins.
If you work in AI security, let’s collaborate.
Ventures
WITNESS/MARK
BuildingIndustrial Intelligence, Robots and Managed OT
Initiatives
Foundation for Agentic Networks / Project NANDA
A Cambridge lab initiative building decentralized infrastructure for an Internet of AI Agents.
The agentic web should be open. The same way the internet I grew up building on was open.
agenticnet.org ↗
Center for Intelligent Industrial Robotics
Full stack AI, robotics, automation and manufacturing research in collaboration with industry. Applied AI that touches physical atoms.
uidaho.edu/engineering/research/intelligent-industrial-robotics ↗
North Idaho College — Cybersecurity & IT
Building the regional pipeline for the next generation of cybersecurity practitioners.
nic.edu/cybersecurity ↗
LaunchPad INW / InnovateINW
Regional entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem connecting startups, mentors, institutions, and capital across the Inland Northwest.
launchpadinw.com ↗/on-the-record
/about
Hello World.
ThinkPurple is a home for my Collective. I've always had an eclectic to-do list and this platform is where I blend personal passion and professional energy.
I love humanity. I travel the world, eat and explore everything. And I believe that the AI Era is the most important inflection point in human history. We're alive to not just see it unfold, but participate in shaping how it affects humanity's future!
If you're thinking of working with me and want the unfiltered view, checkout my GitHub Readme. Or LinkedIn for the things you would expect. Or put your AI agents to work and build a profile. [research prompt]
Spend five minutes with me and I'll want to know: "What do you do for fun?" Because "what we DO" (for work) isn't "who we ARE".
Me? I like novelty. Curious AF. I'm a husband, friend, uncle, sailor, scuba diver, high elevation mountaineer, long distance trail runner, beekeeper, gardener, cook, and amateur architect with a passion for constructing physical projects from paper to dirt up — leaving beautiful spaces that inspire work and life behind, designed to last well beyond my lifetime.
Cheers, Alex Stanton
"Over the long term – the future is decided by optimists." — Kevin Kelly
Affiliations
Special Collaborators
/connect
Speaking & Keynotes
Selective. Reach out if it feels like a fit.
Research Partnerships
Labs or individuals building where I can add value.
Deals / M&A / Portfolio
Investors, operators, and boards working through important decisions. Happy to be a backboard.
Boards & Governance
Strategy, oversight, and trusted perspective.
Special Initiatives
Hard problems. Audacious Projects.
Press & Media
Bio, headshots, and speaking topics available.