Alex Castrounis - TEDx, SXSW, and Keynote Speaker on AI
Founder of Why of AI | Adjunct, Northwestern Kellogg | TEDx Speaker | Author
Former INDYCAR Race Strategist & Data Scientist
Thank You For Visiting Alex’s Official Speaking Home Page
Alex Castrounis is the founder and CEO of Why of AI, an adjunct at Northwestern Kellogg, a TEDx speaker, and a book author. He has over two decades of experience advising startups to Fortune 100 companies on using data, analytics, and AI models to drive business growth and customer success.
Alex is also a former INDYCAR race strategist and data scientist who drove winning results for teams such as Andretti Autosport in world-renowned races, including the Indy 500. His experience applying analytics to make smarter, data-driven decisions in racing now helps businesses gain and maintain a competitive advantage in their industry.
Where to Connect
Your Next AI Keynote Speaker or Expert
Need an expert keynote speaker, panel speaker, panel moderator, interview guest, or show guest to discuss artificial intelligence?
Alex is a TEDx and SXSW speaker, where his SXSW talk was a featured favorite by organizations such as Adobe.
He has extensive experience speaking at prominent events, delivering keynotes for leading organizations and business leaders, and appearing as a guest on numerous notable podcasts and shows.
See below for a curated list of previous speaking engagements.
A Curated Selection of Alex’s Speaking Engagements & Guest Spots
In this TEDx talk, Alex Castrounis helps business leaders and professionals turn AI confusion into confident action by drawing on his experience as an INDYCAR race strategist and AI advisor.
Alex delivering the opening keynote at the GOTO Chicago 2023 conference.
A New Turing Test: Can AI Find a Missing Rabbit? | SXSW 2022 | Featuring Alex Castrounis, Pamela Pavliscak, and Casey Hudetz.
Alex delivering a featured talk at the GOTO Copenhagen 2024 conference.
What People Are Saying
MELINA ZARBOULAS
President and Lead Organizer, TEDxUWMadison
“Working alongside Alex Castrounis on the TEDx team was an absolute privilege! Alex of course has a demanding schedule and many professional responsibilities through Why of AI, yet Alex consistently demonstrated an extraordinary level of attentiveness, organization, and commitment to our team and the event. What truly sets him apart is his rare combination of leadership and genuine kindness, which he brings to every interaction. It is no small feat to balance a title such as his with such warmth and humility...but Alex does so with ease! His presence elevated our event, not only through his insightful talk but through his humanity. We are so deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to collaborate with him!”
CHRISTIAN WILLIS
Co-President, TEDxUWMadison
“Alex is a very profound TEDx spokesperson and delivers innovative discussions surrounding AI that are highly engaging, but mostly insightful for so many diverse audiences. He shares his wealth of experience from data analytics and AI that capture everyone's attention. As the Co-President of TEDxUWMadison 2025, I was really grateful to have worked with him and highly recommend to anyone looking for a future guest speaker.”
GRACE MUNRO
Vice President, TEDxUWMadison
“Alex was a phenomenal speaker at TEDxUWMadison 2025. He was engaging with the audience and held attendees’ interests with personal anecdotes and a strong extended metaphor. He was an open communicator both during the event and in prior meetings during the development process.”
MICHAEL VERMILLION
VP and General Manager, Insurance, J.D. Power
“Alex Castrounis brings clarity to one of the most complex topics facing our industry today. His keynote at the J.D. Power AI and Insurance Conference was a masterclass in turning AI theory into business impact — helping leaders see how to use AI to elevate customer experience, improve decision-making, and drive real results. I would recommend Alex without hesitation to any organization navigating the AI transformation journey or to keynote at your next event.”
TRENTON DUNN
ThinkChicago Program Manager, World Business Chicago
“Alex was an incredible keynote speaker. He provided an engaging keynote that sparked great questions and conversation. His ability to showcase his unique background and connect with multiple audiences makes him the ideal speaker for a wide range of events. We will definitely invite him back for future opportunities.”
STEFFEN BRAA ANDERSEN
Head of GOTO and YOW! Conferences
“Alex set the stage for GOTO Chicago 2023 with an incredible opening keynote! He gave an overview of the latest AI trends, and dove into the technical details, from AI and ML to LLMs and the Transformer architecture. Alex is an amazing speaker - confident and knowledgeable, he knows how to make complex topics accessible and engaging. His talks provide just the right amount of knowledge and insight, making them interesting and enjoyable. Highly recommend him for any keynote!”
Photo Gallery
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![Alex Castrounis - Chicago Cubs Interview]()
Alex Castrounis interviewing members of the Chicago Cubs performance innovation and analytics team.
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![Alex Castrounis - Race Strategist and Engineer - Preparing for the Start of the 2006 Indianapolis 500]()
Alex Castrounis - Race Strategist and Engineer - Preparing for the Start of the 2006 Indianapolis 500
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![Alex Castrounis following his 2022 SXSW panel session entitled: A New Turing Test: Can AI Find a Missing Rabbit?]()
Alex Castrounis following his 2022 SXSW panel session entitled: A New Turing Test: Can AI Find a Missing Rabbit?
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![Alex Castrounis (middle right) and Team Celebrating Winning the Historic Champ Car Finale | 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach | Will Power - Team Driver and Race Winner - Interviewed by ESPN in Victory Circle]()
Alex Castrounis (middle, facing camera), Driver - Will Power (left), and Team Celebrating Winning the Historic 2008 Champ Car Finale in Long Beach
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![Alex Castrounis - Delivering a Keynote]()
Alex Castrounis delivering a keynote
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![Alex Castrounis (upper right) - Race Strategist and Engineer - Featured in Racer Magazine for Davey Hamilton’s famed comeback Indianapolis 500 race following 23 surgeries to reconstruct his legs and feet after a horrific crash at the Texas Motor Spee]()
Alex Castrounis (upper right) - Race Strategist and Engineer - Featured in Racer Magazine for Davey Hamilton’s famed comeback Indianapolis 500 race following 23 surgeries to reconstruct his legs and feet after a horrific crash at the Texas Motor Speedway in 2001 | Reprinted from RACER Magazine
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![Kellogg Technology (KTech) Panel]()
Alex Castrounis modering a Northwestern University Kellogg Technology (KTech) conference panel
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![Alex Castrounis - Panel Speaker]()
Alex Castrounis speaking on a panel
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![Alex Castrounis - Facilitating an expert-led discussion]()
Alex Castrounis facilitating an expert-led business leaders discussion in partnership with Accenture and 1871
