Practical AI lessons for founders

Dina Nagalla built EmpowerMX over more than a decade to digitize aircraft maintenance for major airlines like American, Southwest, and United. Starting from deep domain experience inside aviation IT, he tackled a complex, high-stakes problem—replacing paper-based processes with a full execution system that improves efficiency and compliance.

The company grew into a mid–double digit SaaS business serving global airlines with contracts ranging from hundreds of thousands to several million dollars annually. With a lean early team and offshore development, EmpowerMX delivered measurable ROI—often saving customers 10% or more on maintenance operations—while expanding globally with growth equity support.

After surviving COVID (when revenue briefly dropped near zero) and accelerating post-pandemic digitization, Dina sold the company to IFS. He chose to exit not out of necessity, but to pursue a new purpose—now building multiple AI-driven products focused on improving human outcomes like mental health and education.

Key Takeaways

• Vertical Expertise Wins: Deep domain knowledge created credibility and trust—critical for selling into conservative, high-risk enterprise environments.
• Start Small, Scale Smart: Initial product built with ~12 people, proving capital efficiency can solve very large industry problems.
• ROI Sells Enterprise: Clear financial impact (10%+ cost savings) overcame skepticism and justified multi-million dollar contracts.
• Trust Over Features: Adoption depended more on frontline trust than functionality—especially replacing paper and manual workflows.
• Purpose Drives Exit: Founder sold from a position of strength, driven by personal direction—not investor pressure or company distress.

Quote from Dinakara Nagalla, President and CEO of EmpowerMX

"Why did I sell the company when it was doing well? Life happens, you know. Primarily it was a desire driven by me that I want to do something different. So do I look back and think about it? Yes, I do.

"It's just that my purpose in life kind of switched. I wanted to do more meaningful things. I wanted to do more things. We were extremely profitable the year we sold and my equity partners were really happy with how things were going. "When I exited I moved right into building new products with new teams. So I didn't like take a step back and said I need a week of break. I think I had better vacations with my family when I was still running the company. Right now I'm doing, I get up at three o'clock in the morning. I work till four in the evening.

"You know, there is always this thing I hear from people all the time in my last 27 years of being in US: If you like what you do, you're not working another day. I think that is true in my case. I truly love what I do. Even when it's hard."

Links

• Dinakara Nagalla on LinkedIn
• EmpowerMX on LinkedIn
• EmpowerMX Website
• IFS website

This podcast is sponsored by Lighter Capital.

In the last 15 years, Lighter Capital has helped over 600 software and SaaS founders secure simple, non-dilutive financing to grow a little faster—without giving up any precious equity or board seats to investors.

Simple debt funding from Lighter Capital can range from $50K to $10 million, with straightforward terms, no personal guarantees or covenants, and up to a 4-year payback period.

Go to LighterCapital.com to apply and get a quick pre-qualification. Then talk with their experienced team to create a practical funding plan to achieve your goals.

The Practical Founders Podcast

Tune into the Practical Founders Podcast for weekly in-depth interviews with founders who have built valuable software companies without big funding. Subscribe to the Practical Founders Podcast using your favorite podcast app or view on our YouTube channel.

Get the weekly Practical Founders newsletter and podcast updates at practicalfounders.com.

Practical Founders CEO Peer Groups

Be part of a committed and confidential group of practical founders creating valuable software companies without big VC funding. A Practical Founders Peer Group is a committed and confidential group of founders/CEOs who want to help you succeed on your terms. Each Practical Founders Peer Group is personally curated and moderated by Greg Head.