Building software for government agencies paved the way for this founder’s new custom AI venture

Dinesh Ganesan leaned into AI long before the hype.

He studied it while earning his master’s in data science at Boston University, but graduating in 2015 meant the expertise didn’t get him very far back then.

“I had the aspiration even during my bachelor’s,” Ganesan told Technical.ly, “but that was not useful at all then.”

Now, it’s finally time to cash in — and he’s using a decade of government contracting experience to make it happen.

Ganesan initially cofounded tech consultancy firm Acarin in 2016 to target that niche audience. 

Earlier this year, Ganesan spun out a new company, Missionmind.ai, with two goals in mind: transition into a product-focused business and establish an entity that could raise capital.

Acarin, where he remains CTO, isn’t built to raise capital because its revenue comes mostly from government contracts rather than scalable tech, Ganesan said. By contrast, Missionmind.ai offers custom AI agents for both private and public sector clients, and Ganesan is hoping that the product’s more diverse revenue structure attracts investors. 

So far, the team counts a state health agency as a client and several private companies are already using Missionmind’s flagship product, HR tech designed to screen resumes and narrow down the candidate pool. The team customizes its agents around a company’s specific needs and resources. He likens the process to teaching an intern.

“It can also make a decision but within the boundary or within the expectation of your corporate regulations,” Ganesan said. 

From software to AI

The years Ganesan spent building software at Acarin feed directly into Missionmind’s model.

For example, the team unified online portal data with call center records for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange. The team at Acarin also helps companies swap out aging systems for modern web setups that are far easier to update.

Ganesan and his colleagues began experimenting with AI at Acarin early on. As a smaller team, adopting new tools to work faster was simply a matter of practical survival, Ganesan said.

Even as an early adopter, Ganesan says he still takes a realistic approach. He knows many leaders remain skeptical about AI, so he focuses on meeting their actual readiness rather than forcing the tech.

“People are skeptical about AI,” Ganesan said, “so we learned we need to talk about issues that AI has and how to mitigate it.”