Viyo: AI-Accelerated Onboarding Assistant
Built in 72 hours. Shipped Day 4 PRs. Saved $974K/year.
This was an internal-only tool built for Klaviyo's 2025 AI Hackathon and is not publicly available.
My Leadership & Role
Vision & Direction
The seed of the idea came from our People team, a big and ambitious vision for AI-accelerated onboarding. I helped translate that into a focused, executable plan we could realistically build in 72 hours. I defined the architecture, scoped the work, and led a fast-moving, highly collaborative build cycle.
Technical Execution
I built the Slackbot using Cursor, the orchestration layer, and the AI-powered Q&A assistant. I stitched together user flows, prompt logic, and thousands of lines of production-grade code to deliver a seamless experience. From the first Slack message to the final PR, I owned the entire user journey.
What We Were Solving
“In the US, on average, it takes new engineers up to 30 days to complete their first PR. Now—with Viyo—they can PR by Day 4. And managers? No heavy lifting required.”
So how do you turn Day 4 PRing into a repeatable, scalable reality?
Meet Viyo
Our AI-accelerated onboarding assistant with personality
We built Viyo to handle the hardest parts of onboarding, so engineers could focus on shipping, not guessing.
Slack-native AI-accelerated onboarding assistant
Automatically fetches a Jira ticket before Day 1
Builds a customized onboarding plan tailored to the onboarding task
Adapts based on front-end vs back-end role
Real-time Q&A powered by AI
Manager notified when progress begins, no extra check-ins needed
See Viyo in Action
Viyo routes a Jira ticket, builds a curriculum, and checks in with the manager, all before the new hire starts.
The Results
Day 4 PRing
Achieved
$974K/year
Projected savings
1st Place
Hackathon Winner
55 Teams
Competed
Why It Matters
Viyo wasn't just a cool hackathon project. It reimagined how companies can scale onboarding with clarity, confidence, and speed.
It's what happens when AI meets real workflows, built by a team that understands both.
The Team
Engineering
- Alex Hardman
- Aidan Petti
- Cody Patnaude
- Ari Amiri
People / Experience
- Blake Schuller
- Erin Henry
- Alec Harrises
- Nick Cilia
What the Team Said
Feedback from our amazing team members
“From our time working together on the hackathon, there are so many things I could give Alex kudos for, but I'd like to specifically mention the fact that, on the morning of the last day, before driving into the office, Alex got on his cricut so that we could customize our team shirts. I mean, above and beyond ha! From our short time working together on team New Guys, I get the sense that this probably isn't super atypical for those who get to work with you regularly, Alex. Thanks for the vibes you brought!”
“You are truly an inspiration in how you operate in this world! You are detail oriented, positive, thoughtful, proactive, and just such a pleasure to work with!! So lucky to have had you on our hackathon team.”
“One of a kind! So glad we got to team up!”
Viyo Made Me Do It
Custom team shirts made on my Cricut the morning of the final demo
Final Note
I left Klaviyo the same way I arrived: energized, inspired, and determined to leave a lasting mark.
Viyo was one of many. I helped shift culture, spark collaboration, and drive innovation by rethinking how we onboard, how we experiment, and how we build.
This wasn't just a project. It was a reflection of how I lead, and what I'll bring to what's next.
Ready to Build Something Amazing?
Let's connect and create the next breakthrough together.