What if AI fit the way frontline workers actually do their jobs, instead of forcing them to fit the tools?
In this episode of First Builders, hosts Amber Illig and Rachel Tsui sit down with portfolio founder Zacharie Esmili, Co-Founder & CEO of Quintess AI, a voice AI platform built for maintenance technicians and the managers who support them.
Before starting Quintess AI, Zach spent nearly a decade at RATP Dev, working on rail maintenance and operations for the Paris Metro and projects across South Africa, Algeria, and China. He then moved into autonomy and robotics, helping scale technical operations and fleets at Cruise, working on autonomous farming robots at Burro, and supporting GenAI builders at Axflow.
Along the way, he came to see maintenance as “healthcare for equipment” and spotted a big gap: technicians with greasy hands and heavy tools are still expected to type structured notes into clunky systems that were never designed for how they work.
In this conversation, Zach shares:
What global rail and fleet projects taught him about building systems that last decades
How his time at Cruise and Burro shaped his view of AI in the physical world
Why voice AI is a natural fit for maintenance and repair workflows
How Quintess helps technicians capture better notes and managers see what is really happening on the ground
The realities of selling AI into traditional industrial enterprises
How his leadership style evolved from managing blue collar teams at twenty four to running a venture-backed startup
Why determination and a clear vision matter more than chasing the latest AI trend
It is a candid look at applying AI beyond screens and keyboards, from a first builder who has spent his career at the intersection of rail, robotics, and the real world.
FOLLOW ZACHARY ESMILI
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zacharie-esmili/
Quintess AI: https://quintess.ai
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Chapters
00:00:00 Opening: From Paris Metro to AI Founder
00:01:09 Global Rail Operations and Learning to Adapt
00:02:15 The Leap to Autonomous Vehicles
00:03:37 Startup Life: From Seed to Scale
00:06:18 Technical Operations at Cruise
00:07:43 The Spark for Quintess AI
00:10:45 Voice AI for the Physical World
00:11:16 Enterprise AI Adoption Challenges
00:16:58 The Daily Life of Maintenance Workers
00:20:37 Healthcare for Equipment
00:23:34 Leadership Evolution Across Industries
00:30:01 Rapid Fire Playbook and Closing
