DiscoverPersonableYou Must Think In Generations, Not Days, To Be Successful! Raj Setty (Owner Of Setty & Associates)
You Must Think In Generations, Not Days, To Be Successful! Raj Setty (Owner Of Setty & Associates)

You Must Think In Generations, Not Days, To Be Successful! Raj Setty (Owner Of Setty & Associates)

Update: 2025-10-06
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Raj Setty, Owner of Setty & Associates and CEO of Cyclops, joins Personable. From graduating UC Davis in mechanical engineering to teaching physics in the Peace Corps (Namibia), to scaling a family-run MEP engineering firm from a lifestyle business into a national practice - Raj brings a rare blend of field experience, systems thinking, and product-led engineering. He’s built high-performance engineering teams, led complex federal and institutional projects, and created Cyclops, a digital-twin platform that aggregates building data to enable AI-driven operations.

In this episode Raj explains how boots-on-the-ground engineering informs product design, why engineers must learn to speak to humans, and how digital twins will transform facility operations. He walks through Peace Corps lessons, construction and commissioning stories, building and scaling a family firm, and the pragmatic near-term role AI plays in buildings

In this episode Raj Setty discusses:
◽️ Peace Corps teaching in Namibia: perspective, simplicity, budgeting
◽️ Early career: construction, overseas projects, power plants
◽️ Family business: joining, scaling, and preserving legacy
◽️ Running a full-service MEP firm: federal, institutional, campus work
◽️ Commissioning and hands-on problem solving (boots on the ground)

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⏱ Timestamps
00:00 Intro / Welcome to Personable
00:46 Career start, UC Davis and early market context
02:54 Peace Corps in Namibia: teaching, living on $200/month
05:56 Returning home: transition, priorities, and travel
08:32 Construction and on-site engineering experiences
11:13 Overseas projects: power plant, fiber, and manufacturing lessons
13:38 Joining family company: size, tradeoffs, and ambitions
16:29 Running & scaling Setty & Associates (people, offices)
19:54 Buildings as the major energy sector; resilience lessons
24:07 Differentiation, pricing pressures, and commoditization
26:10 Founding Cyclops (2017): motivation and evolution
27:32 Digital twin concept and AI’s “middle” role
31:48 Data ontology, sources, and who actually owns building data
35:08 Cyclops demo walkthrough: boiler troubleshooting use case
40:38 Commercial model: SaaS hosting + services, pilots, parts commerce
47:11 Leadership: craftsmanship, decision budgets, and legacy thinking
53:45 Day-to-day: what Raj values - people, tennis, community
1:04:56 Key takeaway: get good at something

📌 Resources
Raj Setty:
◽️ https://www.linkedin.com/in/raj-setty-36a7033/

Harvey Bracken-Smith:
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/harveybracken-smith
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/harveybsmith
◽️ X (Twitter): https://x.com/harveybsmith_
◽️ Newsletter: https://personable.substack.com/

Personable Podcast:
◽️ Instagram: https://instagram.com/personable.podcast
◽️ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/personablepodcast
◽️ TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@personableclips
◽️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7JOTYDER6m2FDrlhop4api
◽️ Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/personable/id1671640111

Additional:
◽️ The Draft (Sign up): https://thedraft.io
◽️ Fundraising: https://justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LouLouRacefoiundation?utm_term=PvByaxmdn

Personable is a podcast dedicated to helping listeners become the best they can be by learning from the world’s best in their respective fields. This mission is inspired by my mother, Louise, who encouraged me to become the best version of myself before she passed away from cancer in 2023. 

This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only and is not financial advice. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. Investing involves risks, and past performance i

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You Must Think In Generations, Not Days, To Be Successful! Raj Setty (Owner Of Setty & Associates)

You Must Think In Generations, Not Days, To Be Successful! Raj Setty (Owner Of Setty & Associates)

Harvey