Michael Dongieux

Early in my career I was a "spreadsheet jockey" at a facilities management firm serving Wachovia, building reports on the data centers and critical facilities that kept the bank running. I kept noticing the same thing: executives rarely acted on the numbers. The data lived in five or ten disconnected systems, and nobody could see the whole picture.

I'm not a programmer by training, so I cold-called software companies until one said yes. Salesforce helped me build the prototype. It rolled out across Wachovia and, after the Wells Fargo acquisition, became the global system for roughly 800 facilities. When Exelon, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Credit Suisse asked for the same thing, I knew there was a business.

That became MCIM. We launched in 2010 with half a million dollars in revenue on day one and grew without outside capital for twelve years. The core idea was to model infrastructure the way it actually works, with assets, dependencies, procedures, and risk connected, and capture clean data at the source. That foundation let us build the first global data benchmark for the data center industry. Today MCIM is a global software, data, and AI company. In 2022 we partnered with Resurgens Technology Partners through a strategic growth investment, and I still serve on MCIM's board. I then started MCIM Labs to keep us inventing. Its first product brought in $2.45 million in its first 45 days.

What I've learned along the way is that great companies come from pairing a clear view of the data with the right people and a willingness to try what hasn't been done. That's what I bring to the founders I now invest in and advise through Jameson Capital Management, including the teams at Amenify.ai and Squire Solutions.

Outside of work, The Michael and Ariadne Dongieux Foundation is restoring a scientific-grade observatory near Charlottesville, Virginia. A team of local astronomers runs it and hosts public nights for families and young scientists.

I'm always glad to talk with founders building in data, AI, and critical infrastructure, and with anyone who wants to help more people see the night sky.