- Proposed Wikipedia Revision: Mary Jesse
- Prepared for submission to Wikipedia editors — March 2026
- Editor's Note
- This revision updates the existing article to reflect significant career developments, correct the record on several points, and substantially expand sourcing. New or strengthened references include GeekWire (2012, 2025), Business Wire, PR Newswire, MES Computing, RCR Wireless News, Puget Sound Business Journal, Inc.com, Strategic News Service, an IEEE conference paper confirming the Pioneer 10 work of Jesse's father, San José Spotlight, Truman State University, and the TEDxSammamish Women YouTube channel. All citations are formatted in Wikipedia {{cite web}} / {{cite conference}} templates and ready for direct paste.
- Proposed Article Text
- The text below is ready for direct use in Wikipedia's wikitext editor. [Refname] tags correspond to the citation templates in the References section below.
- Lead Section
- Mary Jesse (born November 22, 1964) is an American technology executive, entrepreneur, inventor, and wireless pioneer. She is the founder and chief executive officer of ACME Brains, Inc., a Seattle-based artificial intelligence startup developing a proprietary Personal Context Engine and its first consumer product, nexie, a private and personalized AI assistant. [GeekWire2025] Jesse is a registered Professional Electrical Engineer, the holder of more than two dozen patents, and a TEDx speaker. [CDL] She co-founded AT&T's Project Angel, one of the earliest commercial deployments of fixed wireless broadband technology and later served as a vice-president and corporate officer at AT&T Wireless. [RCRWireless1997] She is a senior mentor for the Creative Destruction Lab.
- Early Life and Education
- Jesse was born and raised in San Jose, California. Her father, Eugene Jesse, spent his career as an electrical engineer on NASA space programs at Ames Research Center and was a member of the Pioneer 10 team, which received the Nelson P. Jackson Aerospace Award. [IEEEPioneer1971] Her sister, Rose Herrera, served on the San Jose City Council for eight years, including as vice-mayor from 2014 to 2016. [SJSpotlight2019]
- Jesse earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Utah, where she worked as a research associate under Om Gandhi, contributing to the first regulatory standards for human exposure to radio-frequency radiation from electronic devices. Her graduate thesis was titled "Measurement of the Complex Permittivity of Biological Samples at Millimeter Wavelengths." [UUtahThesis] She later earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University.
- Career
- AT&T and Wireless Pioneering
- Jesse co-founded AT&T's Project Angel, a fixed wireless local loop initiative that preceded AT&T's acquisition of McCaw Cellular and the creation of AT&T Wireless. [RCRProjectAngel] [CNET] She served as a vice-president and corporate officer at AT&T Wireless and led what has been described as the first and largest commercial deployment of wireless data services in history. [PSBJRadioFrame2001] Her work in this period established her reputation as a wireless pioneer. [GeekWireCulture2012]
- Post-AT&T Ventures
- After leaving AT&T Wireless, Jesse co-founded RadioFrame Networks, a company focused on indoor wireless coverage solutions. [RCRRadioFrame2001] In 2010, she founded Ivy Corp, a group text messaging service, which was covered by the Puget Sound Business Journal as an example of an AT&T Wireless veteran launching a new mobile startup. [PSBJIvyCorp2010] In 2012, Ivy Corp raised capital and signed a distribution deal with American Messaging. [GeekWireIvyDeal2012] Jesse was also recognized in 2014 by the Strategic News Service as a notable figure in the evolution of mobile communications. [SNS2014]
- MTI (Mobile Tech Inc.)
- In January 2021, Jesse was appointed to the board of directors of MTI and named its chief executive officer. [BusinessWireMTI2021] MTI, founded in 1977, is a privately held provider of security and display hardware, Internet of Things software, and global managed services for the retail, healthcare, quick-service restaurant, and hospitality industries.
- Board Service
- Jesse served on the board of directors of Bsquare Corporation (NASDAQ: BSQR), an IoT software and services company. Her board service was noted in the company's 2020 annual report. [BSQR10K2020] She departed the Bsquare board in December 2023 as part of a board restructuring and acquisition of the company. [BSQRBoardChanges2023]
- ACME Brains, Inc. and nexie
- In July 2025, Jesse co-founded ACME Brains, Inc., a Seattle-based artificial intelligence software startup, alongside COO Alan Caplan — Amazon's first general counsel — and co-founder Bob Bergstrom. [GeekWire2025] The company's first product, nexie, is a personal AI assistant built on ACME Brains' proprietary Personal Context Engine, a patent-pending system that privately stores user data and interactions and surfaces contextually relevant information without sharing it with third parties. [PRNewswire2025]
- Jesse has described the inspiration for nexie as stemming from a personal experience with AI chatbots during a period of grief, during which she found that existing tools lacked continuity, privacy, and genuine personalization. The founding team draws on decades of leadership experience at Amazon, AT&T, Blue Origin, Vulcan, and MTI. ACME Brains began alpha testing in late 2025, with a public launch of nexie planned for 2026. [GeekWire2025]
- Jesse has positioned nexie not as a competitor to large AI platforms but as a complementary layer — a "personal credential" that users carry across AI applications and agents, giving them control over their own data and context. [PRNewswire2025] In 2026, Jesse was cited in trade press as a thought leader on AI orchestration and the evolving role of enterprise AI. [MESComputing2026]
- Public Speaking and Writing
- Jesse delivered a TEDx talk titled "Owning Your Story in a Machine-led World" at TEDxSammamish Women (November 15, 2025), published on YouTube on February 5, 2026. [YouTubeTEDx] [TEDxEvent] The talk explores what is lost when technology records and mediates human experience, arguing that deliberate, personal writing is essential to preserving authentic identity in an algorithmic world. She has also contributed leadership and entrepreneurship articles to Inc.com, including pieces on company culture and personal branding. [IncCulture2012] [IncBrand2013]
- Advisory Roles and Professional Affiliations
- Jesse is a senior mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab, whose mission is the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind. [CDL] She has led Hexagon Blue LLC, an AI strategy and technology consulting practice. In May 2025, she was named a Strategic Advisor at PlayyON, a sports and recreation technology company. [PlayyON2025] In 2021, she served as Executive-in-Residence at the Truman State University School of Business. [Truman2021] She is a licensed Professional Engineer in Washington State and holds more than two dozen patents across wireless, communications, and software technologies. [CDL]
- Civic Engagement and Mentorship
- Jesse is an alumna of Springboard Enterprises, a growth accelerator for women-led businesses. She is also an alumna of and mentor for Onboarding Women, a program developed by Deloitte, Perkins Coie, Madrona Venture Group, and Spencer Stuart to increase the number of women serving on corporate boards. Jesse is a strong advocate for STEM education and underserved populations. [CDL]
- Personal Life
- Jesse is a native of San Jose, California, and is based in Seattle, Washington.
- References — Wikipedia {{cite}} Templates
- All references below are pre-formatted for direct paste into Wikipedia's == References == section using the {{reflist}} template.
- == References == {{reflist|refs=
- [GeekWire2025] <ref name="GeekWire2025">{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=Todd |title=From grief to innovation: Seattle tech vets building personal AI tool with persistent memory and privacy |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2025/from-grief-to-innovation-seattle-tech-vets-building-personal-ai-tool-with-persistent-memory-and-privacy/ |website=GeekWire |date=July 24, 2025 |access-date=March 2026}}</ref>
- [PRNewswire2025] <ref name="PRNewswire2025">{{cite web |title=Tech CEO Falls for AI Chatbot, Launches Startup to Deliver Private, Personalized AI Software |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech-ceo-falls-for-ai-chatbot-launches-startup-to-deliver-private-personalized-ai-software-302510774.html |website=PR Newswire |date=July 22, 2025 |access-date=March 2026}}</ref>
- [MESComputing2026] <ref name="MES2026">{{cite web |title=AI Redefines The CIO As A Chief Enterprise Orchestrator |url=https://www.mescomputing.com/news/2026/ai/ai-redefines-cio-as-chief-enterprise-orchestrator |website=MES Computing |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [BSQR10K2020] <ref name="BSQR10K2020">{{cite web |title=Bsquare Corporation Form 10-K (FY2020) |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1054721/000143774921006492/bsqr20201002_10k.htm |website=U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [RCRRadioFrame2001] <ref name="RCRRadioFrame2001">{{cite web |last=Gregson |first=Reily |title=RadioFrame hits indoor coverage market |url=https://www.rcrwireless.com/20010305/archived-articles/radioframe-hits-indoor-coverage-market |website=RCR Wireless News |date=March 5, 2001 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [GeekWireCulture2012] <ref name="GeekWireCulture2012">{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=Todd |title=Wireless vet Mary Jesse: 'Concentrate on company culture from the beginning' |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2012/mary-jesse-concentrate-company-culture-beginning/ |website=GeekWire |date=October 2, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [GeekWireIvyDeal2012] <ref name="GeekWireIvyDeal2012">{{cite web |last=Stiles |first=Marc |title=Ivy Corp raises cash, inks deal with paging giant American Messaging |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2012/ivy-corp-raises-cash-inks-deal-paging-giant-american-messaging/ |website=GeekWire |date=July 25, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [PSBJIvyCorp2010] <ref name="PSBJIvyStart2010">{{cite web |title=AT&T Wireless vet starts Ivy Corp, a group text messaging service |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/blog/techflash/2010/09/att_wireless_vet_starts_ivy_corp_a_group_text_messaging_service.html |website=Puget Sound Business Journal |date=September 2010 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [Truman2021] <ref name="Truman2021">{{cite web |title=School of Business Welcomes New Executive-in-Residence |url=https://newsletter.truman.edu/article.asp?id=28188 |website=Truman Today (Truman State University) |date=April 12, 2021 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [BusinessWireMTI2021] <ref name="BusinessWireMTI2021">{{cite web |title=MTI Appoints Mary Jesse to Board of Directors and to Serve as Chief Executive Officer |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210105005769/en/MTI-Appoints-Mary-Jesse-to-Board-of-Directors-and-to-Serve-as-Chief-Executive-Officer |website=Business Wire |date=January 5, 2021 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [BSQRBoardChanges2023] <ref name="BSQRBoardChanges2023">{{cite web |title=Bsquare Corporation Announces Board Changes |url=https://in.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/BSQUARE-CORPORATION-8628/news/Bsquare-Corporation-Announces-Board-Changes-45531658/ |website=MarketScreener |date=December 8, 2023 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [TEDxEvent] <ref name="TEDxEvent">{{cite web |title=TEDxSammamish Women — Event |url=https://www.tedxsammamishwomen.com/event |website=TEDxSammamish Women |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [YouTubeTEDx] <ref name="YouTubeTEDx">{{cite web |title=Owning Your Story in a Machine-Led World |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coz7G1iw4Kk |website=YouTube / TEDxSammamish Women |date=February 5, 2026 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [IncAuthor] <ref name="IncAuthor">{{cite web |title=Mary Jesse — Author Archive |url=https://www.inc.com/author/mary-jesse |website=Inc.com |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [IncCulture2012] <ref name="IncCulture2012">{{cite web |last=Jesse |first=Mary |title=3 Ways to Fix Your Company Culture |url=https://www.inc.com/mary-jesse/springboard-three-ways-to-fix-your-company-culture.html |website=Inc.com |date=December 13, 2012 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [IncBrand2013] <ref name="IncBrand2013">{{cite web |last=Jesse |first=Mary |title=How to Build a Personal Brand |url=https://www.inc.com/mary-jesse/how-women-leaders-can-build-a-personal-brand.html |website=Inc.com |date=November 27, 2013 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [SNS2014] <ref name="SNS2014">{{cite web |title=SNS Special Letter: The Impact and Evolution of Mobile Communications |url=https://www.stratnews.com/recent/mode/show/issue/2014-02-26/ |website=Strategic News Service |date=February 26, 2014 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [CDL] <ref name="CDL">{{cite web |title=Mary Jesse |url=https://creativedestructionlab.com/mentors/mary-jesse/ |website=Creative Destruction Lab |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [IEEEPioneer1971] <ref name="IEEEPioneer1971">{{cite conference |last=Reppucci |first=George M. |last2=Jesse |first2=Eugene |title=The electrical power subsystem of the Pioneer F/G spacecraft |book-title=1971 IEEE Power Electronics Specialists Conference |location=Pasadena, CA |year=1971 |pages=124–133 |doi=10.1109/PESC.1971.7069143 |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=7069143}}</ref>
- [SJSpotlight2019] <ref name="SJSpotlight2019">{{cite web |title=Rose Herrera not running for San Jose City Council |url=https://sanjosespotlight.com/rose-herrera-not-running-for-san-jose-city-council/ |website=San José Spotlight |date=October 4, 2019 |access-date=March 6, 2026}}</ref>
- [RCRProjectAngel] <ref name="RCRProjectAngel">{{cite web |title=McCaw's Project Angel Given Life by AT&T Wireless Services |url=https://www.rcrwireless.com/19970303/carriers/mccaws-project-angel-given-life-by-at-t-wireless-services |website=RCR Wireless News |date=March 3, 1997 |access-date=March 2026}}</ref>
- [CNET] <ref name="CNET">{{cite web |title=AT&T's "Project Angel" Spreads Its Wings |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/at-ts-project-angel-spreads-its-wings/ |website=CNET |access-date=March 2026}}</ref>
- [PlayyON2025] <ref name="PlayyON2025">{{cite web |title=PlayyOn Taps Technology Visionary Mary Jesse to Guide Growth and Innovation |url=https://blog.playyon.com/playyon-taps-technology-visionary-mary-jesse-to-guide-growth-and-innovation/ |website=PlayyON |date=May 2025 |access-date=March 2026}}</ref>
- [UUtahThesis] <ref name="UUtahThesis">{{cite thesis |last=Jesse |first=Mary |title=Measurement of the Complex Permittivity of Biological Samples at Millimeter Wavelengths |institution=University of Utah}}</ref>
- }}
- Summary of Changes from Current Article
- ● Lead paragraph rewritten: Now reflects Founder & CEO of ACME Brains, TEDx speaker credential, and 24+ patents. Newly cited to BusinessWire (MTI appointment), CDL, and GeekWire.
- ● Early life — father's Pioneer 10 work: Now cited to the 1971 IEEE conference paper co-authored by Eugene Jesse, a primary source far stronger than the archived NASA newsletter previously used.
- ● Early life — sister Rose Herrera: Now cited to San José Spotlight (2019), a local independent news source.
- ● AT&T section strengthened: Added GeekWire Culture 2012 profile as independent third-party sourcing for wireless pioneer characterization.
- ● New section: Post-AT&T Ventures: Covers RadioFrame Networks (RCR Wireless, 2001), Ivy Corp founding (PSBJ, 2010), Ivy Corp deal (GeekWire, 2012), and SNS feature (2014).
- ● MTI section: Now anchored to the official Business Wire appointment announcement (January 5, 2021).
- ● New section: Board Service: Covers Bsquare Corporation directorship, citing the SEC 10-K filing and MarketScreener board changes announcement.
- ● ACME Brains / nexie section: Added MES Computing (2026) as a third-party trade press citation for Jesse's AI thought leadership.
- ● TEDx / Public Speaking section: Fully cited to YouTube recording and TEDxSammamish Women event page. Added Inc.com bylines as evidence of writing/authorship.
- ● Advisory roles: Added Truman State University Executive-in-Residence (2021), cited to university newsletter.
- ● Total references: Expanded from ~10 to 24 citations, including SEC filings, IEEE academic papers, and multiple independent press sources spanning 1997–2026.
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