Hello! I’m Ravel Antunes
As a technologist, I’ve built my career around innovation and growth across multiple industries. From founding and investing in startups to holding executive roles in Fortune 100 companies, I’ve had the opportunity to shape projects in logistics, entertainment, healthcare, and hospitality. My work often focuses on cloud, AI, and robotics, with a few patents along the way, and I’m passionate about exploring how technology can drive transformative change.
My Job History
AVP of AI Engineering and Senior Principal AI Architect at HCA Healthcare
At HCA Healthcare, the largest health system in the U.S. with 184 hospitals and over 2,000 care sites, I started the AI Engineering organization. This included overseeing an MLOps platform team and an AI incubation group conducting cutting-edge research in areas like large language models (LLMs), computer vision, time-series forecasting, ambient AI, and sensor fusion. I also led the development of an innovation lab to support strategic initiatives and envision what the hospital of the future might look like.
Senior Manager of AI/ML at Disney
I led the overhaul of the data infrastructure, enabling the onboarding of 200+ datasets and creating an identity graph for cross-dataset entity matching. I developed AI platforms including a video analytics system processing 18 petabytes annually and an AI recommendation engine generating over $10 million in incremental revenue. I initiated robotics pilots to enhance operations and safety, managed multiple cross-disciplinary teams, and established best practices through the Reference Architecture group. Notable projects include the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Droid Depot vision system, the Play Disney Parks App, and innovative systems like smart trash cans and autonomous robots, earning multiple awards including the Disney Inventor Award.
CTO and Co-Founder at HotSwitch
As co-founder and CTO of HotSwitch, I led the development of a platform that made linear TV interactive, successfully raising $1.5 million in funding and participating in accelerators like Starter Studio and Alchemist Accelerator. I built and managed the development team and infrastructure, assembled a board with senior executives from Disney, Redbox, Nielsen, and Universal Studios, and played a key role in fundraising and establishing strategic partnerships.
Multiple Software Engineer Roles at Different Companies
In earlier roles, I served as Lead Software Engineer at Riptide Software Inc., leading mobile development and contributing to backend, web, and mobile systems. At AAA, as Lead iOS Engineer, I directed the development of new iPhone and iPad apps, incorporating advanced features like multi-tenant architecture and mobile roadside assistance. I also led mobile development at GotChosen, creating native Android and iOS apps for a social network with over 1 million users.
