Building the Future with Drones and Data – How Alex Fink Co-Founded Swarmer and Otherweb
What immediately comes to mind when you think of the terms “drone” and “data”? Probably a camera-equipped flying thing. However, in recent years, drones have exceeded that basic role. Drones are now ubiquitous, due to advances in technology such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and powerful sensors such as LIDAR and thermal imaging.
Alex Fink is a trailblazer in using drones and data to tackle some of the most pressing challenges the world faces. His co-founding roles at Swarmer and Otherweb see a man whose visionary approach is already influencing how information will be consumed in the future, as well as impacts on military technology.
The Start
Alex Fink was born in Tiraspol, Moldova, in 1984 and grew up in Israel before he moved to the United States. From 2003 to 2006, he studied at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Fink further pursued an MBA in Marketing at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2015 to 2018.
First Step Towards AI
Fink’s business life began with the start of Panopteo a tech advice company that focused on video cameras and computer programs for seeing images. Even though Panopteo did well Fink’s thoughts on right and wrong made him change direction to projects that help society more.
In 2021, Alex Fink founded Otherweb, a public benefit corporation dedicated to enhancing the quality of information consumption. Otherweb employs artificial intelligence to filter out low-quality content, ensuring users access factual, high-quality news and media. The platform’s customizable AI-driven solutions allow users to tailor content quality thresholds and sorting mechanisms to their preferences.
Otherweb amassed over 9.5 million active users by March 2024, addressing the pervasive issue of misinformation. Fink’s personal experiences, including his early exposure to propaganda in the Soviet Union, deeply influenced his mission to combat misinformation and promote reliable information.
Swarmer
In 2023, he broadened his activities by co-founding Swarmer, a military tech startup that specializes in managing software for drone swarms. From the use of Swarmer’s state-of-the-art solutions, as ascribed to many real applications in the domain of defense, much support has been given to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This venture marks another movie by Fink in his dedication to using technology in complex security issues.
Media Appearances
Fink has appeared as a commentator on television networks CBS, ABC, and FOX, among others, and on several radio shows and podcasts. He has widely discussed about the risks of deepfakes, the importance of metadata in content validation, and the larger context of information filtering by AI.
With his foresight in business and commitment to tech that’s good for people, Alex Fink is creating a tomorrow where drones and data help fix some of the biggest problems the world faces.
