Topper Bowers

AI systems builder · 2x founder · US / Berlin

I build AI systems that feel immediate: real-time agents, memory, tools, multimodal perception, behavior selection, and software normal people can actually use.

I like messy real-world workflows, systems that remember what matters, and models that do more than produce a plausible paragraph.

Things I have done

2x founder with a practical engineering mindset, deep AI systems experience, and a bias toward shipping. YC S12. Political tech, healthcare tech, blockchain infrastructure, weird games, and a system that spent three years trying to feel alive.

Things I like

Real users, messy workflows, and serious reasons to put AI inside a product or business. Memory, tools, perception, agency, embodiment, latency, outcome prediction, and software that holds up in daily use.

Most recently, I built a beloved magical talking dog. Which sounds funny, but the engineering problem was very real. Making an AI talk back only takes an API key. Making it feel real and useful requires advanced memory systems, tool use, real-time goal selection, theory of mind, outcome prediction, multimodal inputs, tight latency, and a simple enough shape for non-technical users.

I am most drawn to industries that do actual good in the world, and to people who would rather find out what is worth building than perform certainty about it.

Elsewhere