John Tan
About

One operator, one thesis, five chapters.

I've spent most of my career around systems — first infrastructure systems, then business systems, now AI decision systems. The pattern has been consistent: understand the workflow, earn trust from the people doing the work, then build tools that make the next decision clearer.

John Tan walking the grounds of a Napa Valley winery, vineyards and hills behind.
  1. 01The systems chapter

    Pearson, Exenet, and learning to respect the workflow.

    I started in Flash and ActionScript at Pearson — building learning systems for people who would never see my code. Then Exenet, where client delivery and early architecture taught me that the best systems are the ones the people doing the work actually want to use.

    Foundation in systems thinking: the workflow is the spec.

  2. 02The founder / operator chapter

    Alphaserve — built, scaled, exited.

    Co-founded Alphaserve Technologies, a global IT services firm. We scaled across continents, earned the trust of enterprise clients, and were acquired in 2020.

    Operational rigor, global teams, vendor trust, scaling. Lessons that show up every day in how I build product.

  3. 03The Napa / wine chapter

    Harvest at Larkmead, WSET Level 2, 150+ winery conversations.

    Moved to Napa. Worked harvest at Larkmead Vineyards. Earned WSET Level 2 with Merit. Spent two years embedded with winery owners, GMs, and DTC leads — over 150 conversations and counting.

    I host AI-in-wine roundtables. I don't build for industries I haven't sat inside.

    John in the barrel room at Larkmead during harvest, lit by flashlight.
    John in the barrel room at Larkmead during harvest, lit by flashlight.
  4. 04The AI product chapter

    Auggie. PVAI. CorkVision. Same thesis.

    Not AI for AI's sake. Codify the expert workflow into a decision system. Earn trust from the people doing the work. Make the next decision clearer at the point of action.

    Three ventures, three industries, one pattern.

  5. 05The RunFatBoyRun chapter

    Before all of it — endurance.

    Before the companies, there was a guy who kept signing up for races he wasn't quite ready for. Ironman 70.3 Worlds. Bermuda. Mont-Tremblant. Eagleman.

    Endurance teaches you what discomfort actually feels like, and how long you can hold it. Everything else has been easier for having done it.

    John washing down equipment after a harvest shift — same engine, different uniform.
    John washing down equipment after a harvest shift — same engine, different uniform.