Dr. Junaid Farooq is an AI researcher and Chief Architect & VP of AI at Sprouts.ai.
I studied at the National Institute of Technology Srinagar, where I completed my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and then a PhD in Artificial Intelligence. My doctoral research tackled a core weakness of deep learning models: the errors that build up as they predict further ahead.
Alongside my studies I worked in industry, first in industrial automation in Dubai and then as a machine learning engineer. I have since led AI and engineering teams in industry: research and development at Genie AI in Toronto, then AI at StartUs Insights in Vienna, where I led the platform’s move to AI-native products.
Today I am Chief Architect and VP of AI at Sprouts.ai, where I lead the engineering and AI organisation behind an AI-native go-to-market platform that automates marketing and sales and turns business data and buying signals into actionable intelligence, working closely with the CEO and executive team. I architected and launched Sprouts Data, a business-data API and MCP server that gives AI agents, developers, professionals and enterprises access to company, people, patent and research data.
I also led the technical side of the company’s $9M pre-Series A and of its acquisition of StartUs Insights’ technology and AI IP, from investor discussions to due diligence and negotiations.
| Current role | Chief Architect & VP of AI, Sprouts.ai |
|---|---|
| Previously | Principal ML Architect & Head of AI, StartUs Insights (Vienna) |
| Education | PhD in Artificial Intelligence, NIT Srinagar |
| Research | Errors in deep learning models; AI retrieval |
| Books | ZERO DAY (2025); The Art of Code (2024) |
| Languages | English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Kashmiri |
National Institute of Technology Srinagar
Thesis: Breaking Barriers in Forecasting — A Hybrid Deep-Learning Approach to Spatiotemporal Dynamics. Supervisor: Prof. Mohammad Abid Bazaz. Defended publicly on 24 April 2024.
National Institute of Technology Srinagar
Thesis: adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference systems for frequency control of microgrids.
National Institute of Technology Srinagar
Supported by the IDB International Fellowship in Engineering.
Public defense of my PhD thesis at NIT Srinagar, 24 April 2024.
Dr. Junaid Farooq is an AI researcher and the Chief Architect and Vice President of AI at Sprouts.ai. He holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence from the National Institute of Technology Srinagar, has led two SaaS companies from legacy platforms to AI-native products, and led the technical side of Sprouts.ai’s $9M pre-Series A and its acquisition of StartUs Insights’ technology and AI IP.
He leads the engineering and AI organisation at Sprouts.ai, which builds an AI-native go-to-market platform, and he architected Sprouts Data, its business-data API and MCP server. He owns the platform architecture: multi-agent AI systems, semantic search, and the evaluation and governance that make them reliable in production. His research addresses errors in deep learning models and how AI systems retrieve knowledge.
Sprouts.ai (Chief Architect & VP of AI, since 2025), StartUs Insights in Vienna (Principal ML Architect & Head of AI, 2023–2025), Genie AI in Toronto (Head of R&D, 2023), and the AI Lab at NIT Srinagar (research fellow, 2019–2024).
Multiple peer-reviewed papers on deep learning, a recent preprint on AI retrieval, and two books: ZERO DAY: The Invisible War (2025) and The Art of Code (2024). See all publications.
Email hi@junaidfarooq.net, or see the media kit for bios and photos, and videos of talks.
Journalists and organizers: bios and photos are in the media kit.