Aionic Digital is a company focused on software development and systems integration that is uniquely positioned to utilize its industry experience to develop practical solutions combined with expert consulting to maximize the value of its clients’ investments. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Aionic Digital CEO Yaron Benjamin to learn more about the company.
Yaron Benjamin’s Background
What is Yaron Benjamin’s background? Benjamin said:
“I spent my academic career focusing on business information technology and information management. I received my B.S. in Information Technology at Virginia Tech before receiving my Master’s in Information Systems at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009. After receiving my Master’s degree, I quickly found out that in order for me to be as effective as possible, I have to get into the fine grain details of systems at the micro level in order to understand the macro level.”
“I began my career as a developer and quickly moved my way into enterprise architecture. I have always been interested in technology trends and how they impact growth in business.”
“I spent more than five years with the Department of Defense, working as a programmer and application architect. Despite my successful tenure, I felt a strong inclination towards the public sector. Thus, I ventured into the Fortune 500 realm, joining a finance, insurance, and long-term care (LTC) company, Genworth, where I served as an application and enterprise architect.”
“Subsequently, I embarked on a consulting path as the Director of Technical Services at Authentic, a global brand development, marketing and entertaining platform, where I collaborated with various other Fortune 500 companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Moen, Starbucks, Cedar Fair, LVMH, Paige, and more. I oversaw all architects and developers, guided architectural direction and best practices, and contributed to shaping the company culture within the engineering domain.”
Formation Of Aionic Digital
How did the idea for Aionic Digital come together? Benjamin shared:
“The idea for Aionic Digital came together rather organically. Our founding team had worked as consultants for nearly 15 years, focusing on solving various technology problems. We noticed a consistent pattern in all our projects. We’d take data from one place, manipulate it, and then move it over to another place, oftentimes building these highly custom middle tiers. We would spend hours trying to understand the data and then another set of long hours to understand how to properly map the data. One day we asked ourselves, ‘Is there a better way?’”
“As it turns out, there is. That’s how we developed Synapse, an AI-powered tool that automates functions in information migrations, a process that is very manually laborious today. This data mapping tool offers automatic integrations for greater efficiency, lower costs, complete accuracy, and guaranteed time to market reduction.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the company so far? Benjamin reflected:
“I am one of those people who absolutely loves to work. It is difficult to pinpoint one memory as I find the process of working and establishing a company extremely exciting and rewarding. If I had to choose one memory in particular, it would be when we had our first company all-hands meeting. We talked about current work, things we did well, and opportunities for improvement. During these meetings we also discuss technology trends and company vision.”
“This initial meeting was our first time unveiling Synapse to the broader group. What made this so memorable was that we went from talking about our current clients and quarterly wins to discussing how we are directly impacting our clients’ businesses. Aionic is extremely results oriented, and we always measure our success against real measurable data. We view Synapse as a game changer in the way system integration projects are executed and managed. The energy in the room and the overwhelming response during this first meeting was authentically inspiring.”
Core Products
What are the company’s core products and features? Benjamin explained:
“I like to explain Aionic’s core functions in two ways:
1.) We are a services company focusing on helping organizations ‘wrangle in’ and in some cases ‘break into’ the AI discipline. I believe there is a fair amount of noise, misconceptions, and hesitation around AI – and we want organizations to embrace this new technology. In retail for example, we offer services in utilizing AI within the e-commerce space. We partner with leading software vendors in this space to provide next-generation e-commerce platforms and ecosystems that keep our clients relevant in the AI revolution. We focus on architectures and solutions that enable and position clients to be leaders in the e-commerce space.
2.) Additionally, we have Synapse. We believe this product is going to transform the way modern enterprises handle their data. As I mentioned earlier, Synapse is an AI mapping tool that enables customers to migrate from one platform to another—in just a fraction of the time it would take for other data migration solutions on the market to complete the job.. In addition to migrations, Synapse also handles real-time integrations between virtually any two platforms. The work we have done manually for all these years can now be done automatically with Synapse, using the magic of different deep learning algorithms and recent innovations in cloud computing.”
Challenges Faced
What challenges have Benjamin and the team faced in building the company? Benjamin acknowledged:
“We have faced challenges recently, and I believe they will be a consistent theme that the business world will hear for a while. The challenges are twofold, and they are common tropes you hear when anyone talks to you about AI:
1.) ‘We don’t trust in AI’
2.) ‘What is happening today is not really AI’
We love to have these conversations and attempt to tackle these two problems directly.”
“At Aionic, we talk about AI through the following pillars of trust:
— Transparency: Be transparent about the use of AI in your business processes. Explain to users or customers how AI is being utilized, what data is being collected, and how decisions are made. Transparency fosters understanding and reduces apprehension.
— Data Privacy and Security: Ensure that the data used to train and operate AI systems is collected and stored securely. Assure customers that their data will be handled responsibly and ethically.
— Ethical AI Practices: Adhere to ethical guidelines and principles in the development and deployment of AI systems. Consider the potential impact of AI on individuals and society, and strive to mitigate biases and unintended consequences.
— Accuracy and Reliability: Maintain high standards for the accuracy and reliability of AI systems. Regularly evaluate and validate the performance of AI algorithms to ensure they meet expectations and deliver reliable results.
— Human Oversight: Incorporate human oversight into AI systems to provide checks and balances. Humans can intervene when necessary, especially in critical decision-making processes, to ensure fairness and accountability.
— Customer Education: Educate customers about the capabilities and limitations of AI technologies. Help them understand how AI enhances their experience and provides value while addressing any concerns they may have.
— Feedback Mechanisms: Establish channels for gathering feedback from users or customers about their experiences with AI-driven products or services. Use this feedback to iteratively improve AI systems and address any issues or concerns.
— Compliance and Regulation: Stay informed about relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards governing the use of AI. Ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements to build trust and credibility.
— Demonstrating Value: Clearly communicate the benefits of AI to users or customers. Show how AI-driven solutions solve their problems, improve efficiency, or enhance their overall experience with your products or services.
— Accountability: Take responsibility for the outcomes of AI-driven decisions. If errors occur or unintended consequences arise, acknowledge them openly, take corrective action, and communicate transparently with affected parties.”
Evolution Of Aionic Digital’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Benjamin noted:
“Technology advances on a daily basis. Our job is to remain pragmatic and approach change strategically. Advancements in AI happen at such a rapid rate that it has required us to consistently be learning and tinkering. With that being said, our tech has become more accurate, secure, and reliable. At Aionic, we are not only interested in new technology, but also algorithms, paradigms, and ethical practices that have the potential to impact our company’s technology.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Benjamin cited:
“Our product, Synapse, has been a very significant milestone for Aionic. As an integration partner, our ability to leverage AI has been the true differentiator between Aionic’s abilities and other options available on the market today.”
Total Addressable Market
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Benjaim assessed:
“We believe the TAM for our services and products exceeds $1 billion. We have traditionally focused on projects where AI meets commerce, in industries like travel, leisure, and retail, where we have done a lot of work. We have also carved a niche in pure AI services within various industries such as manufacturing, financial services, agriculture, and health care.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Benjamin affirmed:
“Synapse is a big differentiator for Aionic. We find that our ability to leverage Synapse can shorten a typical e-commerce implementation by nearly half the time compared to traditional methodologies. We are extremely bullish on our ability to move quickly within the composable commerce space by simply using our tool.”
“Beyond our tooling, we hire consultants, engineers, and architects who are thought leaders in the industry. Working in this space for nearly 20 years, I can say that our company culture is something rather unique, which enables us to execute and perform effectively. We all believe in not only delivering but also disseminating knowledge, and we truly bring our customers along on the transformational journey.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future company goals? Benjamin pointed out:
“Our primary focus and objective revolves around growth. Success hinges on our ability to align our trajectory with that of our clients. By growing in tandem with our customer base, we not only bolster our chances of success but also broaden our spectrum of offerings. Initiatives like Synapse necessitate a certain level of maturity and scale, yet we relish the opportunity to develop such tools as they yield immense value for our clientele.”
