Athlete in Finance with a passion for self-taught engineering.
I’m Aydin Ferrari-Shaikh — a learner obsessed with crafting expressive interfaces and technical systems that respect people’s time. Rep hockey and baseball taught me momentum, composure, and the conviction to iterate relentlessly. That muscle memory follows me into every AI experiment, product sprint, or hackathon.
In my first year of university, I felt lost. Everyone kept asking what I wanted to do with my life, but nothing about a traditional 9-5 ever felt right to me.
I’ve always believed life is about balance. I grew up playing rep hockey and baseball, and learned that too much of one thing can burn you out. I didn’t want a life tied to one job, I wanted freedom. And for me, that meant building something of my own.
I had zero motivation until my friend and I started talking about day trading. I ended up throwing myself into it 8 hours a day for the whole summer and lost a good chunk of money. It wasn’t for me. Meanwhile, my brother, an entrepreneur, was diving into AI. I followed his lead and discovered AI Voice Automation. As a finance major with zero tech background, it was overwhelming, but I was hooked. That summer, I started my first company, Ludin Technologies, but without experience, it fizzled despite months of 12-hour days. However, I learned so much about the business world and have zero regret.
School came back, motivation dropped, and I lost my way again, until one day in the Lang Business Building, my friend Nick pulled up Gryphlife (club software for Guelph). We decided to start a club. I messaged 100+ Guelph software engineers that night. Two weeks later, AI Business Automation at the University of Guelph - AIBA was born, and it exploded. One of the first members to join was Kai, an e-commerce founder who's done 100s of millions of views on social media. Kai and I connected, and he is now a co-founder at Sera.
Since then, everything has changed.
We’ve poured ourselves into building Sera AI, not just a product, but a solution for real businesses. We help companies get that competitive edge by turning missed calls into revenue, automating follow-ups, and qualifying leads 24/7.
But more than that, we’re proving that you don’t need to have it all figured out to start, just grit, curiosity, and the right people beside you.
I haven't taken a day off in the last three years because I love what I do. I'm always learning, connecting ideas, and putting pieces together to create something bigger.
Studio Habits
- Languages
- Python, JavaScript, TypeScript
- Frameworks
- React, Next.js, Flask
- Automation Tools
- Vapi, N8N, Make.com
- Databases
- PostgreSQL, Firebase, PrimsaSQL
- DevOps
- Docker, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
- AI Playground
- Whisper · GPT-4o · Custom VAD · Realtime APIs
- Design Lore
- Spatial UI, neon gradients, cinematic motion
- Field Notes
- Voice UX, commerce strategy, athlete mentality
The University of Guelph chapter.
Studying at the University of Guelph gives me proximity to researchers combining cognitive science, human factors, and real-world product ecosystems. It’s where I prototype interactive systems, collaborate with peers on emerging tech, and translate academic insights into builder-friendly experiments.
Collaborative Studios
Leading project pods that blend design thinking, data storytelling, and applied AI.
Research Threads
Investigating conversational commerce, fairness in recommendation loops, and intentional automation.
Community Energy
Hosting peer workshops, dev meetups, and open-door code reviews to level up together.
Athlete Mindset
Balancing heavy workloads with ice time, recovery rituals, and the discipline of consistent reps.