About OC AI School

Chris Sampson founded OC AI School with a vision to make AI and automation accessible to everyone in Orange County. A former U.S. Navy Nuclear Submarine Officer, Chris brings a rare combination of technical depth and leadership to everything he does. He earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with Highest Honors from Georgia Tech, where he also completed cooperative engineering education semesters at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, and later an MBA (Valedictorian) from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business.

Before founding OC AI School, Chris built an extensive career spanning engineering, operations, and entrepreneurship. He led business operations and software development at Lam Research, managed rideshare strategy and growth for Greater Los Angeles at Lyft, and co-founded multiple technology startups — including Reyused (acquired), Muves, GembaSpace, and FreightMango, where he served as CEO. Chris currently also serves as President & CEO of GarTran and Director of Logistics and Technology at Garick, focused on AI-powered logistics solutions for the circular economy.

Chris launched Orange County Ventures built on the mission of being a true end-to-end partner in building, teaching, and transforming with AI — serving everyone from individuals charting new career paths to enterprise organizations reshaping entire industries. The company operates across six integrated pillars — Build, Consult, Teach, Coach, Acquire, and Invest — delivering AI strategy, custom-built AI agents and automation systems, education programs, and operating partnerships.

A core extension of Orange County Ventures' teaching mission is the launch of OC AI School, which Chris founded to bring his deep, hands-on learnings in the newest and most powerful AI tools to everyone — individuals, teams, and organizations alike. Through in-person, virtual, and on-site corporate training, OC AI School delivers project-based, practitioner-led education that equips students with skills they can apply immediately. Chris's personal mission — to "learn, build, use, and teach the newest and best AI tools for business and personal use" — is at the heart of every program offered.

On a personal note, Chris is a father of three — with one entering junior high — and is deeply committed to ensuring his kids grow up not just digitally literate, but genuinely AI-fluent. Outside of technology and entrepreneurship, Chris is equally passionate about coaching club girls flag football, where he brings the same energy, leadership, and commitment to his players that he brings to everything else he does.