Buttery Technology Group, founded in 2021 by Jonathan Holland, is addressing a huge challenge in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry: the need for scalable, accurate, and trustworthy AI systems. The company aims to do so with its flagship product, Honey.
Honey is a distributed AI system designed with a hive-like architecture where multiple specialized nodes work together. This design allows for infinite scalability, enhanced accuracy, and the specialization of tasks, making the system both efficient and trustworthy. By decentralizing the AI processes, Honey reduces bias and ensures a more reliable source of truth, addressing a significant problem with current AI.
Jonathan Holland, CEO and CTO, began his journey into the tech world with a passion for technology and creativity, influenced by his family's artistic background. Growing up in Tennessee, Jonathan was the go-to person for building and fixing anything tech-related within his family's business. He recalls, "I was the IT manager, so I would build all sorts of things like server racks and integrated systems to help manage and make things easier. I always loved that; it set me on this path."
He then joined Dell as an enterprise systems engineer, gaining extensive training and experience. Moving to New York, he worked as a field engineer for a startup and began developing software, learning independently.
His work with SwiftUI caught the attention of a manager at Apple, who hired him, among other things, to help with their transition to this new framework. After two and a half years at Apple, Holland felt the time was right to bring Buttery to life. The company's inception was fueled by Jonathan's vision to create an AI that could be trusted and share ideas transparently. Initially, the focus was on a different aspect of AI, but the idea of a trustworthy AI system, originally named Joana, remained central.
"So, the light bulb moment came from when I inspected these other AIs and realized who controlled the source of truth. It's really just a series of code, and that code is trained based on what it's told and who's telling it. This means the narrative and sources of what is viewed as 'truth' are controlled by a small minority without others being able to concretely contribute. I viewed that as a serious problem because then you'll always have implicit bias. There's always a little bias just because we're human and have our own thoughts and feelings, but this would mean bias as default, which would mean bias as truth, and 'truth' you and I don't get to contribute to or help shape—that's a big problem," says Holland.
This idea evolved into what is now known as Honey. Conversations with industry experts and potential customers at TechCrunch Boston in April highlighted the need for a more specific niche. This led to the realization that Buttery's competitive edge lay in creating a distributed AI system, carving out a new industry segment. This strategic pivot set the stage for Buttery's current direction and solidified Honey as the flagship product.
Joining Jonathan on his venture is his wife, Larissa Holland. With a degree in architecture and design, Larissa has a keen eye for aesthetics and user experience. Her role as Chief Design Officer ensures that Buttery's products are not only functional but also intuitive and enjoyable to use. Her ability to seamlessly blend architectural principles with digital design has been instrumental in crafting user-friendly interfaces and experiences.
Adding to the strength of the team is Nickolas Ubeda, a talented engineer with a background in marketing and design, bringing a creative yet goal-oriented mindset to Buttery. Specializing in both front-end and back-end web development, Nicolas bridges the gap between technical functionality and creative design.
Rounding out the creative team is Nathan Ubeda, who plays a crucial role in artistic design and engineering. His talent as an artist is evident in the compelling visuals and artwork he creates, which enhance Buttery's overall branding. Additionally, Nathan's engineering skills allow him to contribute to the technical development of Buttery's products, blending creativity with technical precision.
"I'm very fortunate to have such talented people around me. I feel like each of us has unique perspectives and unique talents to be able to bring everything together in a way that I believe people will love," states Holland.
Looking ahead, Buttery's primary goal is to scale Honey, enhancing its capabilities to meet the diverse needs of users. Jonathan and his team are committed to leading the AI industry into a future where technology seamlessly integrates with daily life, enhancing experiences and fostering trust. To learn more, visit buttery.technology.
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