By: Natalie Johnson

After digitizing aircraft maintenance systems used by hundreds of airlines worldwide, Dinakara Nagalla is now applying his systems thinking to platforms that heal, connect, and restore trust in technology.

Most technologists who transform billion-dollar industries tend to remain within those industries. They optimize, iterate, and extract maximum value from established markets. Dinakara Nagalla took a different path.

As CEO of EmpowerMX, Nagalla led the digital transformation of aircraft maintenance, one of aviation’s most complex and regulated operations. His AI-enabled compliance and operations tools helped airlines worldwide move from paper-based systems to sophisticated digital platforms, fundamentally changing how the industry manages safety and efficiency.

Then he transitioned to build platforms focused on mental wellness, transparent giving, and equitable education.

The Decision to Leave Success Behind

“Success in aviation taught me that resistance to change isn’t about technology, it’s about trust,” Nagalla reflects. “The same principles that convinced mechanics to abandon clipboards could be applied to convincing people to trust AI with their mental health.”

That insight led to the creation of three interconnected platforms, each addressing trust deficits in different domains. Saayam seeks to address transparency in charitable giving, allowing donors to track exactly where their contributions go. Aauti aims to bring equity to educational technology, empowering learners and educators who have been overlooked by mainstream platforms. And most recently, Menthra addresses the fundamental problem in digital mental wellness: every app appears to forget who you are.

Systems Thinking Applied to Human Problems

Nagalla’s aviation background shapes how he approaches human-centered platforms. At EmpowerMX, he learned that successful digital transformation requires understanding operational reality before imposing technical solutions. That philosophy now drives Menthra, where he’s building the first AI mental wellness companion that retains memory across all interactions.

Traditional wellness apps treat each session as isolated. Users explain their anxiety triggers on Monday, then re-explain them on Wednesday when the app asks, “How can I help you?” as if they’ve never met. Menthra seeks to overcome this by implementing what Nagalla calls “memory infrastructure” as the foundation of therapeutic relationships.

The platform features hyper-realistic digital twin avatars with natural voice capabilities, 24/7 availability, and pattern recognition that can identify triggers while tracking genuine progress over time. Unlike competitors focused on meditation exercises or generic mental health content, Menthra aims to build authentic therapeutic bonds through continuity.

“You can’t outsource trust to algorithms,” Nagalla explains. “But you can develop algorithms that earn trust through consistency and memory.”

The Aviation Lessons That Inform Everything

Before EmpowerMX, Nagalla held leadership roles at American Airlines (managing operations for over 200 million passengers annually) and Sabre, the global technology provider for the travel industry. That experience taught him three principles that now guide his human-centered work:

First, movement isn’t progress. Aviation is full of activity: planes taking off, crews rotating, maintenance cycles running. But activity without purpose can create chaos. Real progress requires intentional systems design focused on outcomes that matter. The same applies to mental wellness platforms that generate engagement metrics without improving lives.

Second, trust compounds over time. Airlines earn passenger loyalty through thousands of successful flights, not marketing campaigns. Similarly, Menthra’s value emerges through months of consistent support that remembers context, not flashy features that reset each session.

Third, the ideal technology begins with understanding pain. Aircraft maintenance exists because mechanical failure can have catastrophic consequences. Nagalla’s new platforms exist because existing digital systems fail to meet people’s needs when they need support most, whether that’s mental health crises, charitable giving that disappears into overhead, or educational resources that exclude underserved communities.

Building Platforms That Outlast Hype Cycles

Nagalla’s approach stands in stark contrast to Silicon Valley’s “move fast and break things” mentality. His platforms are designed for longevity, not virality. Menthra prioritizes HIPAA-aligned privacy and data encryption over growth hacks. Saayam focuses on transparent fund tracking rather than maximizing transaction volume. Aauti serves educators in under-resourced environments instead of chasing lucrative corporate contracts.

His bestselling book Becoming Human: Embracing Imperfection and Finding Purpose explores these themes beyond technology. Media coverage in Aerospace Tech Review, LARA Magazine, and Aircraft IT has established him as someone who transforms industries through careful thought rather than disruptive rhetoric.

The Vision Forward

Menthra launched modules for children and teens this December, with parent dashboards that provide oversight while respecting young people’s need for private therapeutic space. By early 2026, licensed therapists will have the opportunity to create digital twin versions of themselves on the platform, extending their practice through AI that maintains their therapeutic approach 24/7.

Meanwhile, Aauti continues expanding access to quality education, and Saayam scales its transparent infrastructure to new markets. All three platforms share Nagalla’s conviction that technology should carry memory and empathy, not just data.

“Personal storms can fuel systems that serve others,” Nagalla reflects. “Aviation taught me how to build reliable systems under pressure. Now I’m building systems that help people weather their own storms.”

In an industry obsessed with disruption, Dinakara Nagalla is proving that the most profound transformation can come not from breaking things, but from building trust, one remembered conversation at a time.