Jack O'Connell

Class of 2026-2027

Trinity College Dublin
Management Science and Information Systems Studies

Capstone Project Abstract

Telnyx is the infrastructure platform for realtime agents: a licensed carrier that owns its stack end-to-end, from private global network to GPUs and edge compute. Customers build AI agents and communications products on primitives spanning voice, messaging, numbers, wireless, inference, and an edge runtime, without stitching together carriers, cloud vendors, and inference providers.

This capstone project evaluates AI voice agents as a revenue-generating capability within modern go-to-market organizations. As companies adopt AI across sales, marketing, and customer engagement, voice agents present a new opportunity to improve inbound qualification, accelerate speed-to-lead, and support more scalable revenue operations.

The project gives the student a rare vantage point: Telnyx both builds voice AI technology and applies it to its own revenue workflows. The student will assess where automated voice interactions create measurable business value and where human-led selling remains essential, design a pilot and measurement approach, and develop the ROI analysis and commercialization strategy that follow from it. The project sits at the intersection of AI commercialization, B2B sales strategy, and revenue operations, exploring how conversational AI can become a direct contributor to business growth.

Why did you choose ESTEEM?
I chose ESTEEM because I wanted to develop the business acumen and GTM skillset that would compliment my problem solving STEM background from my undergraduate studies. I wanted to become a more all-rounded individual and learn the relevant skills that would allow me to thrive in the US start-up ecosystem. In a world of Generative AI, it is those generalists who can understand both the underlying technology and the commercialization aspect who will thrive, which the program heavily emphasises. ESTEEM has a strong Irish alumni cohort who have achieved tremendous success in an array of innovative companies, and I hope to proudly fly the flag for Ireland in the US post-ESTEEM.

What do you hope to do after ESTEEM?

After graduating from the ESTEEM program I would love to found my own company. This has always been a dream of mine, and I grew up hearing stories of my Grandfather who started a successful accounting firm in Ireland. My particular interests lie in agentic AI systems and data science, and I have developed a keen interest in AI engineering and agentic commerce. I hope to put into practice the learnings from the ESTEEM curriculum and solve repeatedly painful customer problems with innovative cutting-edge solutions.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I love to read, play sports, chat to my family back home in Ireland (shout out to the 4 O'Connell brothers!) and keep up to date with the latest Fintech and AI news. I am the Player-Manager (or Bainisteoir in Irish) of the Notre Dame Gaelic Football and Hurling team for the 2026/27 season. I am also a Track & Field Athlete, competing at D2 level over 400m, 400mh and Long Jump for the Notre Dame Club team. I am passionate about Men's Health and am a Notre Dame Student Ambassador for the Movember Foundation, a charity that promotes prostate and testicular cancer awareness, alongside advocating for Men's Mental Health and suicide prevention - this year I will be leading the fundraising campaign and hope to establish a Movember ND club on campus. I really enjoy walking around the Lakes and stopping by at the Grotto of Our Lady to take everything in.