About

Built by hand. Tested in the wild.

I'm Curt. I help people learn the basics of AI, put it to work in life and business, and explore what's possible next. Every system I teach, I run on my own work first.

Founder, The Layered FutureCloos Effects LLCJefferson, Ohio

The short version

Early to tech. Built things the whole time.

I'm not someone who found AI in 2022. I was in tech early, took a parallel road building physical things, and now I'm bringing both worlds together.

Mid-80sOnline before most people
Trading games over phone lines, back before most people knew what a modem was.
1988 – 2011Animals & education
Exotic animal rescue and educational shows on the side. Decades of hands-on husbandry, which is why the lab has koi, chickens and more.
1996Wireless internet
Worked with a company building high-speed wireless internet modems.
Dot-com yearsTeaching the internet
In the field, teaching people email and setting up their first web pages. Lived the boom and the bust from the inside.
30+ yearsDesign-construction
Ran my own studio: drywall art, carved concrete, countertops, whole environments. Known for organic openings and archways.
2008The crash
My clients were flippers and investors. When the market fell, it rolled downhill. That pushed me into blockchain and AI early.
NowThe Layered Future
Both roads meet: practical AI for real businesses, tested first in my own shop.

Why this exists

Built on experience. Driven by curiosity.

Experience has value, time is limited, and new technology should help us make better use of both. After decades of design, construction and fabrication, I've learned that understanding your tools and materials matters more than memorizing one method. I see AI the same way.

So we start with the fundamentals, then explore how AI can work with what you already know. And through AI in the Wild, we take the same basics into real work on our property, and show the tests and the results, failures included.

The goal isn't to give everyone the same recipe. It's to help people understand the ingredients well enough to create their own.
Learn the Basics. Explore the Possibilities.

What we do

Two engines. One brain.

One side teaches what already works. The other side tests what's next. Both share the same notes, the same AI and the same rule: time is the currency.

Engine 1Working now

Practical AI, coached

I coach owners and teams through the AI basics, then help them set up systems that fit the work they already do. Side by side, until they can run it on their own. I don't hand you software and walk away.

AI Basics & Mastery for you and your team
Free 20-minute call, Quick Check and Full Assessment: see where your week goes, what's working, and what to fix first
Second Brain: get what you know out of your head
Control Panel and workflows: speed to lead, paperwork, follow-ups

See the services →

Engine 2Starting now

The Lab: AI in the wild

My property in Jefferson, Ohio is the test ground. Design-construction, tech and agriculture (backed by decades of animal husbandry), run as connected experiments. We test it ourselves and show what fails. AI is my partner on real, physical work.

Test it on real projects, with AI helping
Prove it: what worked and what didn't. Failures count
Publish it as videos, how-tos and newsletters you can follow
AI in the Wild is about proof: when a workflow actually saves time here, it becomes a system we can coach into your business. First episodes coming soon.

Visit the lab →

The lab tests it

What works becomes a workflow

We teach it and share it

What you need tells the lab what to try

and around again

How I work

Understand. Apply. Explore.

01Understand

Learn AI fundamentals, remove intimidation, and build confidence.

02Apply

Use practical workflows, assessments, and Second Brains to save time and uncover value.

03Explore

Take that understanding into AI in the Wild, where curiosity drives experiments across nature, construction, and technology.

Time is the currency.

A system has to save you time. It never adds steps to your day.

Your knowledge stays yours.

Your trade know-how and your data belong to your business. Always.

We show the method.

Our projects are the testing ground. The real value is understanding the methods, discoveries and lessons well enough to apply them to your own work.

The Layered Future

The digital side

TLF is the digital division of Cloos Effects LLC. It's where AI, blockchain and robotics meet real work, and where we build the tools, coaching and free resources.

Free resources →

Cloos Effects

The hands-on side

The design-construction studio that makes physical products: decorative concrete, foam designs and more. Products can be picked up in Jefferson, OH.

Cloos Effects →

Start here

Twenty minutes. One clear next step.

Tell me what you're working on and we'll find the right first step, whether that's the basics, an assessment, or just a good idea to try. Or come say hi at a live meetup in Cleveland this winter.

Book a free 20-minute call →5-minute Quick Check →Get on the meetup list →