Senior Dennis Zax accomplished his childhood dream this summer with the launch of ezML.io, a machine learning tech startup he started that has already garnered more than 10,000 users.
EzML.io, which stands for easy machine learning, or ML for short, provides a platform to provide accessible code for companies without ML experience and resources.
Companies can use ezML.io’s platform without any ML knowledge and are able to incorporate their app with ezML.io easily, Zax said.
EzML.io’s structure allows it to overcome the barrier of labor capacity. With Zax’s small team of eight people, they provide an autonomous service to their customers.
Zax and his team rewrote the codebase five times and each time taught them how to improve their code. This trial and error process proved no problem for Zax because he loves code development.
Two weeks prior to the launch period, Zax and his team worked 20 hours per day. This period of time was challenging for his team, but was very rewarding when seeing the progress, Zax said.
Zax became interested in computer science when he joined a computer science course and created a basic copy of Facebook. Simple programming showed Zax how to do this, and he’s been programming ever since.
Zax started machine learning when he created a function in his friend’s app. This allowed his friend to create an app that could extract information from a photo, like the location. Zax realized the process was very repetitive.
“What if I [made] a creative platform for it?” Zax said. “And that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Zax has dedicated his class time and free time working for his company, especially after his company grew to eight people since he launched it.
During Sean Raser’s AP Computer Science Principles class last year, Zax would work on his own projects after completing class work quickly.
“He definitely was one of the brightest students I had,” Raser said.
Zax’s knowledge of computer science was far more advanced than the curriculum, Raser said.
“He comes in sometimes and works on [ezML.io] sometimes with other friends,” Raser added.
Besides Raser, other teachers have been very supportive of Zax’s startup.
“They’re really excited for me,” Zax said.
Teachers and students say Zax is a hardworking person and will always go above and beyond.
“He is always striving to do more and to make a better product overall,” Zax’s friend, Kevin Hippe, said.
AP Government and Politics teacher Brandon Andrews said Zax is a very confident student.
“Dennis understands the material quickly and is able to communicate it,” Andrews said.
Aside from working on his company, Zax has an internship at Luxor, a crypto mining company. Zax said he looks up to his boss, the CEO of Luxor, and is inspired by how he built his company.
Zax said he wants a similar position in the future and plans to continue running his tech company with the hopes of being successful. His back up plan is to become a software engineer at a big company.
Zax’s main advice to starting a company is to just try it. EzML.io started as a passion project and with the skills acquired through this process, Zax turned it into a real company with a bright future.
