Joe Hu and Professor Tony Bailetti smiling together at a TIM gathering.

Public Memorial

Remembering Professor Tony: The Story of How He Changed Me

This is the story of how he encouraged me step by step until building something real felt possible. He helped me unleash my potential gradually, until confidence, research, and building all started to feel like one path.

One of the last photos I have with him, and still the one that feels most like his warmth.

For people who did not know Professor Tony Bailetti, he was much more than a professor at Carleton. He spent 47 years there, created and led the Technology Innovation Management (TIM) program, and helped many students and founders. Carleton called him “Mr. Entrepreneurship.” Sprott remembered him as a mentor and community builder.

August 2024

When I First Met Him in August 2024, Even Small Things Already Mattered.

When I first met him in August 2024, I felt his energy. He was serious, direct, and fully engaged. I still remember him telling me to use my Carleton email instead of my own. At the time, it sounded like a small correction. Later, I understood it differently. He was telling me to take myself seriously and to fully step into this new environment.

I remember orientation the same way. What stayed with me was not only his wisdom, but his dedication. Even in his late seventies, he was still pushing students to face the AI world directly. Professor Tony made TIM feel like the kind of place that wanted the future instead of being afraid of it.

He pushed my boundaries

He Was Pushing My Boundaries Before I Knew I Needed It.

I still remember asking him about the Wes Nicol startup funding. I was interested in the opportunity, but I did not want to start a business at that moment.

Professor Tony answered quickly. His point was undeniable: focus on entrepreneurial skills and on doing something real. I was not ready for that, so I stepped back.

Now I see that moment differently. He was not discouraging me. He was quietly pointing me toward a bigger arena, planting the seed before I had the courage to step into it.

Professor Tony speaking at a Kanata North event, surrounded by community members. — He was quietly pointing me toward a bigger arena.

He backed my ideas

Once I Reached Out, He Treated the Work as Real.

I still remember the Perplexity promotion campaign clearly. That campaign came from me. I wanted to push it forward. At first, I hesitated to reach out to him. But once I did, he immediately treated it as important to TIM.

He wrote, “Perplexity is an important AI tool for us at TIM.” That mattered because his support changed hesitation into momentum. He gave weight to the thing I cared about before it was obvious to everyone else.

Professor Tony with the TIM community at a reunion event. — He gave students a way to step into public work.

Professor Tony speaking beside an AI-first principles slide during a TIM AI workshop. — Once I reached out, he treated the work as real.

He saw my superpower

He Helped Me Realize I Could Be Useful to Other People.

The workshops were where I started to see something new in myself. Professor Tony helped me realize that I had a kind of superpower: I could share how I use AI tools in a way that was useful to other people.

He did not just say a few kind words and disappear. He wrote, “Very proud of you.” He asked how he could help with the workshop. He said TIM was “supporting your efforts 1,000%.” That support gave me confidence, but it also touched me emotionally. It made me realize I could stand in front of people, lead something, and do useful work.

What he wrote

“Very proud of you.”

What he wrote

“Be assured that we are supporting your efforts 1,000%.”

He made it personal

He Did Not Want Me to Do a Generic Assignment.

When our interaction became more personal through my research, I felt the one-on-one side of his guidance. When we started shaping TIMG 5104, he wrote, “This is YOUR course.”

I remember that line because it showed how he treated students. He did not want me to complete a generic requirement. He wanted me to build something that fit my own direction. With his guidance, I did much better research. He helped me think more clearly, strengthen the methodology, and do a stronger scoping review.

Later, when he reviewed my work, he said it showed depth, structure, and originality. But even then, he was not only guiding me as a student. He was still pushing me to think like a builder. He encouraged me to think about how this work could become something real in the world.

Visual summary of the scoping review for the AI-powered ESL speaking system design research. — The scoping review he pushed me to strengthen until it felt serious enough to stand on its own.

Professor Tony interacting with students at the TIM reunion.

He pushed me to build

Somewhere in That Period, I Started to Believe I Could Build.

Somewhere in that period, with his guidance and encouragement, and with AI becoming much more powerful, I started to believe that I could build my own thing. Not just study. Not just present. Not just complete a project. Build.

By the end, the path became clear. I was no longer thinking only about assignments or presentations. I was starting to believe the work could become something useful in the world. When I told him I registered my first company, he replied, “Joe, congratulations! Make it happen.”

That was Professor Tony. Simple, direct, and still pushing me forward. He significantly increased my confidence. He gave me opportunities, guided my research, and encouraged me to build work that could help other people. If I had not met him, I would not be the person you see today.

Professor Tony with Joe and attendees at a TiE Ottawa community event. — His encouragement always pointed beyond the classroom and toward the world outside it.

Professor Tony and Joe Hu engaging with the Canada Angel Network Education Committee.

The line I cannot forget

The Best Way I Can Remember Him Is to Keep Building.

The line that stayed with me

“Your project will be the last project I supervise at Carleton since I joined the university in 1979.”

That line stays with me. It makes me want to do work he would recognize as serious, useful, and alive in the world. The best way I can remember him is not only with words. It is by continuing to build in the spirit he gave me.

For me, that means trying to build carefully, help other people, and stay equal to the standards he set for me.