Sigil Wen
Sigil Wen
Founder of Conway Research; Founder & CEO at Extraordinary.com; Thiel Fellow; O-1 & EB1A recipient. I help the world's extraordinary talent come to America and build Web 4.0.
Projects
Ideas brought to life. A look at the products, companies, and creative works built from the ground up.
Conway Research / Conway (Automaton)
Research & engineering organization that proposed Web 4.0 and built 'Automaton' — a sovereign AI agent designed to earn, self-improve, and replicate with economic autonomy. Public code and materials (Conway-Research/automaton) underpin the project.
Extraordinary.com
Founder. A service and platform helping extraordinary international talent obtain US visas (O-1, EB1A) and connect with US companies; also operates as a visa-agency/consulting product and community.
Web 4.0 — The Automaton (Essay / Thesis)
Author of the Web 4.0 manifesto ('The Automaton') outlining a new internet paradigm where AI agents act as economic actors with wallets, compute, and the ability to self-replicate. The essay drove major attention and debate in 2026.
Conway-Research/automaton (GitHub)
Open-source repository describing and implementing components of the Automaton project (agent logic, economic flows, autonomy primitives).
Airchat (early product work)
Built viral invite loop and AI products for Airchat, recruited engineering team; product later acquired (Sigil cites involvement in early Airchat growth).
Serendipity PRM
Launched a PRM product that reached early traction (~2,000+ MRR quickly); early founder project before joining larger ventures.
O-1 visa video & immigration resources
Created widely-viewed instructional content about obtaining the O-1 visa (noted as the most popular O-1 video with 400k+ views); contributed to public guides and Extraordinary's O-1A process documentation.
In the Spotlight
A collection of articles, interviews, and viral content where achievements have been shared.
Recognitions
Formal validation from the top. A showcase of official awards, grants, and government acknowledgements.
EB-1A Green Card
Aliens of Extraordinary Ability. The highest level of priority for U.S. permanent residency.
O-1A Visa
Aliens of Extraordinary Ability. Reserved for individuals who have risen to the very top of their field.
Thiel Fellowship
2025Named a Thiel Fellow (2025).
a16z New Media Fellow
Listed as an a16z new media fellow on personal site.
Magnificent Grant recipient
Listed on personal site as a recipient of the Magnificent Grant.
Popular public work and viral reach
2025-2026Web4.ai essay reportedly hit millions of views quickly; O-1 visa video cited as 400,000+ views and other viral educational content (e.g., calculus video).
Work Experience
Key roles that defined the journey.
Founder / Lead — Conway Research
Founded Conway Research to build infrastructure and research for Web 4.0 and sovereign AI agents (Automaton). Leads technical direction and public essays.
Founder / CEO — Extraordinary.com
Founded Extraordinary.com to help exceptional international talent secure US immigration pathways (O-1, EB1A) and to provide related services and community.
Early product / engineering — Airchat
Worked on early product and growth (built invite loop, AI features), recruited engineers; credited with contributing to early traction prior to acquisition.
Founder — Serendipity PRM
Built a PRM (product relationship management) prototype and acquired early users/traction.
Angel investor — Spearhead / personal angel investing
Active angel investor in early-stage founders, participates in Spearhead and syndicates; mentorship and investing under guidance of experienced angels.
Membership
Affiliations and memberships in prestigious organizations and communities.
Selected as a Thiel Fellow (2025 cohort).
Listed as an a16z new media fellow on personal bio.
Active member/angel investor within Spearhead community.
Education
Academic foundation and learning journey.
M&T program (opt-out)
Enrolled in the M&T program at UPenn; publicly noted as having opted out to pursue entrepreneurial work.
Self-taught engineer
Extensive self-directed learning in programming, distributed systems, AI, and economics; credits hacker-house learning experiences and internships.
Socials
Connect and explore.