Nihal Shah
AI/CS builder at Virginia Tech, startup co-founder, and data science enthusiast
nihal-shah
Ashburn, Virginia, United States
Miami, Florida, United States
Joined May 2025
Network
1.8K connectionsSummary
Nihal Shah is an ambitious and proactive tech entrepreneur and builder, co-founding Belridge Labs and Kounslr, and actively participating in the Telora accelerator program. He demonstrates a strong commitment to learning and growth, evident in his willingness to embrace challenges and seek out environments with 'smarter people' to continuously improve his startup ventures. cjshah+1
His technical expertise spans various areas, including Machine Learning, LLM Agents, Model Optimization/Quantization, RAG Systems, Natural Language Processing, and Computer Vision. He has applied these skills in diverse settings, from govtech internships at Steampunk, Inc. for federal agencies like USPTO and USDA, to developing ed-tech solutions for Kounslr. cjshah+2
Nihal has a foundational background in computer science, having developed a passion for it during his time at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, and further pursuing it at Virginia Tech after transferring from Penn State. He also has experience in mentoring and operations from his time at Codefy. cjshah
Work
Education
Writing
I Finally Tried Running AI on My Laptop (And Didn't Break Anything)
May 1, 2025A guide to running AI models locally using LM Studio, aimed at users without a computer science background.
My 2024 "Wrapped"
A reflection on 2024, detailing a shift in technical focus from broad Machine Learning to LLM Agents and Model Optimization/Quantization, designing RAG Systems, co-founding Kounslr, and transferring to Virginia Tech.
I’m excited to announce that I’m struggling to build a startup!
A post announcing the move to Miami with Arihan Dixit to join Telora's accelerator and build a startup full-time, emphasizing learning through challenges and continuous self-improvement.