I build with AI first. Then I advise from what actually works.
I build and test real products through Sonic AI, then help founders, executives and investors decide where AI creates leverage, where it doesn’t, and what to do next.
Sebastian
Rinnebach
Founder, Sonic AI. Founder, 59 Breaths. OpenAI Private Beta Tester. Advisor to founders, executives, and investors making consequential AI decisions.
Strategy for leaders who need to act, not just understand.
I lead every engagement personally. Sonic AI is the build engine behind the thinking — what I'm testing, shipping, and learning informs every recommendation.
The work is deliberately structured around outcomes rather than hourly time. Most engagements start with a focused session, then expand only when there is clear value in going deeper.
Leadership AI Intensive
A concentrated session for executives, founders or investors who need fast clarity on a specific decision or direction.
- Pre-call context review
- Live working session
- Follow-up memo with recommendations
AI Opportunity Sprint
A fixed-scope engagement to identify where AI can create value and what a realistic first roadmap looks like.
- Use-case and workflow mapping
- Tool and implementation guidance
- 90-day action plan
Ongoing Advisory
For leaders making repeated AI decisions who want a trusted outside perspective that stays close to the operating reality.
- Recurring strategic check-ins
- Decision support as priorities evolve
- Access to current operator insight
Public thinking from the front line.
Closing the Loop
Why AI excels at math and code but struggles with open-ended work. Real leverage comes from "Scoreboard Engineering"—turning fuzzy tasks into checkable systems.
The Illusion of Competence
Generative AI is amazing at tasks where the user isn't qualified to judge the output. Without domain expertise to critique, we aren't creators—we're just gambling.
The Context Loop
Stop treating prompt engineering as typing. By using a back-and-forth "Context Loop" and high-reasoning models like GPT-5 Pro, you save hours of mediocre iterations.
A founder-operator with a practical lens on AI.
I advise founders, executives and investors on where AI creates real leverage, where it falls short, and what to do next. I am the founder of Sonic AI. My principle is simple: build real products first. Advise from what actually works.
Before focusing on AI, I spent time as a Red Cross EMT, worked in finance, and built a career in film and music under the name Sebastian Pille — writing music for more than 50 productions, including The Diary of Anne Frank.
In 2016, a Stephen Hawking article that pointed toward the social implications of AI prompted me to explore alternative business models. This shift eventually led me to Silicon Valley in 2018, where I began exploring generative music and audio applications.
By 2019, this work evolved into building applied systems. This included a project with Stephan Eismann, PhD that measured heart rate from subtle changes in skin color—a browser-based prototype is still available to try. That research led to 59 Breaths, a product combining biofeedback, music, and design (Forbes coverage →).
In early 2021, as a tester of OpenAI's private beta, I sharpened my focus on practical AI workflows. Later I built AutoDebug, an open-source tool that used GPT-4 to debug Python code in a loop. Those experiences became Sonic AI.
"Are you open to an introduction to one of our CEOs? He needs some AI guidance, and you are the best!"
"Sebastian is a highly competent visionary whose moral compass, integrity and heart, will always be the cornerstone of all of his work in AI"
Proof should come from real work.
Each project is a different bet on where AI creates real leverage - and a live test of the thinking behind the advisory work.
Levius AI
An AI-native platform for mediation and legal workflows, developed in partnership with Tom Melbye Eide, built around document analysis, evidence handling, and practical knowledge work.
Visit project →Outreach Agent
Automates the full cold outreach cycle - from lead research to personalized emails and follow-ups - so you spend time closing, not prospecting.
My Learning Buddy
An AI reading tutor built for young learners - it meets kids where they are, makes literacy genuinely fun, and builds real comprehension skills one session at a time.
Internal and private workflow builds
Some of the most useful work is not public: research systems, operating workflows, and targeted experiments designed to test leverage.