Calling Operator with Laura Nicol Ep 36. Annie Liao on Designing a Dream Career and Building a Training Campus for 1 Million AI Builders by 2026
Today, I'm connecting with Annie Liao, founder and CEO of Build Club. What began as a weekend AI project among friends has now evolved into APAC’s largest AI learning platform. Fresh off closing her pre-seed round and going all-in on Build Club, Annie shares what’s next for her and her team. In today’s episode, we discuss: Annie’s early career journey as a data scientist, consultant, venture capitalist, community builder, operator, and startup founder—and the lessons she gained from each transition; A nod to her recent crowning as a Forbes Australia 30 Under 30 honoree; Scaling the impact of why Build Club started: to empower everyone to build their dreams into reality; Build Club’s internal AI strategy and approach to building; Why providing clarity is the most valuable role a founder can play; Taking a leap of faith to build custom GPTs (a beginner's guide); How to upskill your workforce in AI; The rise of AI workforce manager roles—plus why operators are uniquely suited for this shift. And, of course, I ask the “stupid” questions to help us all accelerate our AI learning journey.
Find Annie Liao:
- X
- Art
- Build Club events
- Join Build Club’s waitlist: www.buildclub.ai
Annie Liao’s Northstars and Frameworks:
- The Build Club Story and Why We Raised Venture Capital Funding
- This 23-year-old banked $1.2 million to build the ‘Duolingo for AI learning’
- Goal setting: Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
ANZ Operators—Ones to Watch:
- Mitchell Hughes (Co-founder at NextGen Ventures)
- Clinton Lui (Build Club)
Other Folks Mentioned in the Episode:
- Julia Wells (Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney)
- Daniel Vassilev (Co-founder at Relevance AI)
- Jacky Koh (Co-founder at Relevance AI)
- Tom McKenzie (CTO at Build Club)
- Jessy Wu (Founder at Encour)
Guest ideas?
Do you have an operator on speed dial who could be perfect for the show? Please share your suggestions with me via LinkedIn.
A note from your host, Laura:
My goal for Calling Operator is to open-source stories from startup operators across various functional areas and learn how they excel at building and scaling companies. As a Chief of Staff, I often find myself in (virtual) rooms with people facing similar challenges and reinventing the wheel. I want this podcast to open a line for operators across Australia and New Zealand to learn from fellow operators. Each episode shares personal stories, the execution behind big ideas, career-defining moments, successes, failures, and lessons.
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