AI is moving fast. So are we. Meet the new Atlas Primer founding team.
- Hinrik Jósafat
- Jun 25
- 2 min read
This week marks one of the most special moments in the history of the company. Chad Ozgur and Paul Burani are two individuals I’ve admired for years. We had long talked about working together, and now we are, as they officially join Atlas Primer as co-founders.
Chad Ozgur, our new CTO, is one of those rare individuals always a step ahead. As CTO at Remarkable Ventures and ERANYC, he’s built more MVPs and prototypes than anyone I know. We’d often grab lunch in NY and talk about the future of AI. Chad brings unmatched experience at a time when not just products, but entire companies must be AI-powered. He’s also a 2x exited founder and an exceptional product builder.
Paul Burani, our new CRO, is equally inspiring. After leading sales at Google, Foursquare, and Udacity, he went on to found Mission Flywheel, creating a framework for aligning revenue with impact. Paul has already added enormous value by bringing structure, eliminating friction, and surfacing new growth opportunities. He too is an exited founder and an incredible company builder.
Having partners like Chad and Paul join my mission is humbling. With this team and the pace of AI, there’s no limit to what we’ll achieve.
But how did we get here?
I started Atlas Primer in 2020 with the vision that one day we’d all be learning with personal AI assistants in natural language. That vision came true and along with it, one of the biggest technological and behavioral shifts of our lifetime.
With support from Reykjavik University, Iceland Venture Studio, Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator, and American Student Assistance, we launched the world’s first natural language AI learning assistant and scaled in the US and beyond.
We grew from a small office in Reykjavik to the heart of New York’s hyper-competitive startup scene. Traction exploded. We earned recognition from Forbes, TIME, Statista, presented at SXSW, and accolades like GSV Elite 200, Global Startup Awards finalist, and Holon IQ Best Startup. We also placed runner-up at Tech Arena pitch competition in Stockholm out of 400 startups.
Most rewarding of all were the emails from parents and learners telling us how Atlas Primer made them feel seen in an educational system that excludes them.
But scaling direct-to-consumer is tough. Even with strong subscription rates, we started pursuing more scalable opportunities to serve the underserved, undereducated, and underestimated.
At the same time, AI was racing forward. Models grew smarter every week, assistants became agents, content flooded sales and marketing. The landscape was transforming.
Atlas Primer will stay at the forefront of the conversational training revolution. With scalable distribution, strong network effects, and a focus on training the human skills that will matter most in an automated future. We’re just getting started.
What a time to build. And what a privilege to do it with partners like these!