# Ali Fathollahi

> Consultant and hands-on builder working across strategy, product, and AI

Last reviewed: 2026-09-08

## Profile

At Oliver Wyman, I work across strategy, product, and AI, helping take problems from diagnosis through to build. I often work on zero-to-one situations where the root problem has not yet been clearly defined or validated

This work spans scoping the problem, shaping broader strategy with executives, validating prototype solutions with users, defining product roadmaps, and working alongside engineering teams on AI architecture and implementation

## Career
- 2024–present — Associate at Oliver Wyman — One of a small group at the firm combining traditional consulting with hands-on building
- 2021–2023 — Advising, investing, operating across KPMG, Front Row Ventures, and Vessl — Roles across growth strategy, pre-seed investing, and business operations
- Oliver Wyman progression — Fast-tracked to Associate in 2.5 years compared with a four-year track
- Oliver Wyman progression — Fast-tracked to Senior Consultant in nine months compared with a two-year track

## Selected impact

> Measurement note: delivered results are separated from projected benefits, and projections are not presented as realized outcomes

- **Outcome** — Led 0→1 discovery, validation, and prototype development of a human-in-the-loop aircraft part routing tool for an aviation client; cut routing time by 50% while improving decision quality

- **Projected benefit** — Designed and validated 3+ AI content-creation concepts for an enterprise services client to streamline deliverable creation; product suite projected to reduce weekly user effort by 30%

- **Deliverable** — Led a cross-functional team to build a secure LLM platform for a global professional-services firm, enabling governed AI access for tens of thousands of employees

## Education
- Bachelor of Science in Radiation Sciences — McMaster University
- Honors Business Administration (HBA) — Ivey School of Business

## Credentials

- [Claude Certified Architect — Foundations](https://www.credly.com/badges/76b309a2-d59b-4a29-9f9c-e674ef763411/public_url) — Anthropic, 2026

The Foundations credential validates the ability to design and build production-grade applications with Claude using Claude Code, the Claude Agent SDK, the Claude API, and MCP

### In progress
- **Not yet earned** — Claude Certified Architect — Professional — Anthropic, Currently studying…

## Personal projects

### rootBoard
- **Summary** — Turn meeting transcripts and messy context dumps into an editable map of root problems
- **Problem** — A transcript captures everything said and a context dump expresses what happened, but neither necessarily communicates the core problem clearly. rootBoard approaches this like a team of consultants would, applying different problem-solving frameworks to uncover its core drivers
- **Approach** — Classifier selects two to four lenses that best fit the source. Separate agents analyze the evidence in isolation, then a synthesizer compares what converges, what conflicts and where the evidence is still thin
- **Contribution** — Designed and built the multi-agent workflow, including lens selection, independent specialist analysis, synthesis, and an editable offline board
- **Status** — Published skill
- **Evidence** — [Case study](https://alkal.me/playground/rootboard) · [Markdown](https://alkal.me/playground/rootboard/case-study.md) · [GitHub repository](https://github.com/kalkal87/rootBoard)
- **Roadmap** — More ways to start, Persistent boards, Custom lenses

### Meowsage
- **Summary** — Turn invisible AI coding activity into a pixel-art cat that sleeps, wanders, flops, and sprints across your desktop
- **Problem** — I wanted a clearer view into token usage, but not another conventional dashboard. Meowsage began as a challenge to turn an invisible technical signal into a unique, delightful companion
- **Approach** — Meowsage reads local Claude Code and Codex session logs, scores each tool against its own recent history, and lets the busier signal set the cat’s mood. A heavy user and a light user both see the full range—without an account, API key, or network request
- **Contribution** — Built the local activity-reading and calibration system, eight-mood behavior model, and pixel-art desktop experience
- **Status** — Work in progress
- **Evidence** — [Case study](https://alkal.me/playground/meowsage) · [Markdown](https://alkal.me/playground/meowsage/case-study.md) · [GitHub repository](https://github.com/kalkal87/meowsage)
- **Roadmap** — Perfect every frame, Platform confidence, Add more skins and pets

### Vibe Feud
- **Summary** — Fire up an engaging and fun survey game with face-offs, strikes and steals
- **Problem** — I could not find a simple platform that made it easy to run Family Feud for a lively group. I wanted an experience that keeps everyone engaged while one person MCs with ease
- **Approach** — Vibe Feud handles the game’s rules, scoring and transitions behind the scenes. Mistakes are easy to undo, every screen stays in sync and the MC can focus on keeping everyone engaged
- **Contribution** — Built the host-led game flow, rules and scoring engine, fuzzy answer matching, undo controls, and synchronized shared-screen experience
- **Status** — Live
- **Evidence** — [Case study](https://alkal.me/playground/vibe-feud) · [Markdown](https://alkal.me/playground/vibe-feud/case-study.md) · [Play live](https://vibe-feud.netlify.app)
- **Roadmap** — AI-generated games, Fast Money, Improved MC UX

### CalDebt
- **Summary** — A mobile product concept that reframes weight loss as a balance you pay down, one day at a time
- **Problem** — Most people already understand calorie deficits, but existing trackers emphasize restriction and make progress feel like it resets every morning. The missing feedback loop is cumulative: a way to feel yesterday’s effort carrying forward and a difficult day becoming recoverable
- **Approach** — The concept converts the gap between current and goal weight into a fixed caloric balance. Maintenance would become the baseline, each day a payment or adjustment, and predictive feedback a way to focus on the path ahead instead of judging the day behind
- **Contribution** — Designed the core caloric-balance model, onboarding flow, daily tracking loop, and supporting mobile interface in Figma
- **Status** — Concept
- **Evidence** — [Case study](https://alkal.me/playground/caldebt) · [Markdown](https://alkal.me/playground/caldebt/case-study.md) · [Figma design](https://www.figma.com/design/r2E84gXk3gPZOEISZcdcDy/CalDebt-%E2%80%94-Mobile-Product-Concept---Design-Principles?node-id=58-2&t=KNM5YYiRz4m86OTf-1)
- **Roadmap** — Nutritional database integrations, Photo logging with OCR, Early mobile pilot

## Interests

Outside work: side projects, football, padel, restaurants

## Collaboration and contact
Relevant areas: Strategy and problem framing, Product discovery and prototyping, AI architecture and implementation, Hands-on software building
- [Portfolio](https://alkal.me/)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ali-fathollahi/) — Best available public contact channel
- [GitHub](https://github.com/kalkal87)