At the tender age of eight, Christian Hammer had already developed a taste for programming. Although his first foray into the world of ones and zeros had only resulted in a siren sound that drove his teachers to distraction, his innate curiosity about the possibilities of programming would shape his life, and eventually lead to the formation of Vala AI.
Vala AI offers a straightforward solution to managing increasingly complex technology stacks. It’s an approach that has Information Technology Officers and CEOs excited about changing how companies manage their interconnected systems, data, and operational contexts through a sophisticated ChatOps intelligence engine.
The reason for the excitement generated by Vala AI is due to the efficiency and cost savings made possible by deploying the system. It’s a solution that integrates into enterprise workflows, providing intelligent adjustments and actionable insights that maintain system health and drive innovation.
The Meeting of Art and AI
It was art that first introduced Christian Hammer to the possibilities of entrepreneurship. He vividly remembers selling origami to his classmates in daycare and soon enlisted the help of other classmates to act as salespeople. However, that initial foray into startup culture was only the beginning of a taste for entrepreneurial endeavors, it was quickly followed by enlisting his salesforce to sell water balloons and cinnamon aromatherapy sticks. Hammer could gauge market needs.
Hammer, who originally intended to study architecture, became focused on the possibilities of new technology and how it impacts business. Today, he boasts over three decades of experience spanning startups to Fortune 500 companies, consistently delivering groundbreaking technologies that solve complex business challenges.
He was instrumental in establishing TradeLens (a Maersk-IBM joint venture) as the world’s largest enterprise blockchain solution and led Wayfair’s Global Fulfillment, optimizing logistics for multi-billion dollar e-commerce operations. His professional journey has also included spearheading AppNexus’s transition to cloud infrastructure, (reducing sell-side platform costs by 75%) and launching multiple successful startups, including a technology incubator that attracted Fortune 50 sponsors
A Digital Evolution
Christian Hammer began his academic career at Washington State University (where he would earn a BFA in Architecture, Fine Arts, Art History and Computer Science). Among his projects were building out chat rooms and establishing the online writing lab, a document collaboration editing suite. However, during this time an event occurred which was to change the world – the launch of the internet’s first browser, Mosaic.
“Seeing Mosaic in action for the first time, I had an epiphany – nothing was ever going to be the same. In the early nineties, the web didn’t exist the way that we know it. The internet existed. It had for some time, but the web didn’t yet. It took a browser to make it useful to ordinary people.”
For Hammer, this couldn’t have happened at a better time as his academic studies towards a degree in architecture had lost their luster.
“I was trying to decide if I wanted to stick with architecture, or if I wanted to go do something different. And the browser hit at exactly the right moment. It’s like that’s it. That’s the future.”
This was a turning point for Hammer and the first step on a journey that would lead to the formation of Vala AI. However, it was a journey that would not come without its challenges.
Christian Hammer weathered the storm of the dotcom implosion of the early 2000s and was also faced with the speculation-driven market crash in 2008.
In his words, “If you were a startup during those periods it was game over.”
It was then that he pivoted to a career advising large corporates and startups on how to leverage the possibilities of a fast-evolving digital world.
Rather than surrendering his passion for solving organizational challenges through an entrepreneurial mindset, he found that many large organizations needed a fresh point of view. They were searching for someone who could provide an outsider’s perspective on the possibilities of the digital space, and harness the power of the brand and the story it had to tell.
The Need for Balance
Today, aside from his responsibilities as CEO of Vala AI, he hosts the “Techtastic” podcast, where he discusses, among other things, technology trends and the impact of AI on society, both positive and negative.
“The podcast allows me the freedom to explore the outer reaches of tech and in particular AI and talk about how AI is becoming an essential asset in an increasingly competitive market. If you look at Vala AI’s current client base, and the numbers of fans tuning into Techtastic, it’s obvious there’s a demand for systems that reduce the negative impacts of technical debt and operational inefficiencies.”
The Next Chapter
Hammer has already started writing the next chapter of his career with the launch of Vala AI.
Under Hammer’s guidance, Vala AI seeks to eliminate the negative impacts of technical debt. In short, the trade-offs made for project speed over good coding practices. It’s a practice that creates a ‘debt’ that must later be ‘repaid’ with added time, money, and resources.
Vala AI accomplishes this task through an intelligent platform seamlessly integrating into enterprise workflows. Vala AI understands the complexities of software ecosystems, with the solution making smart adjustments and delivering actionable insights to maintain operational health and foster innovation. The result is a nimbler, more competitive organization.
Christian Hammer has become indispensable to companies seeking a unique and proven approach to optimizing software ecosystems. Learn more about his innovative strategies by visiting the Vala AI website, checking out his LinkedIn page, or tuning in to the Techtastic podcast.
