Member Spotlight | Orion Innovations

Business: Software development consulting company working on AI, machine learning, and blockchain technologies 

Founded: 2008

HQ: Delray Beach, FL

Employees: 10

Website: GoOrion.com

For Marc Asselin’s whole life, he wanted to be an architect. He even went to school to study architecture. But in the 80s, he stumbled upon computer programming. 

And in Asselin’s words, “I never looked back.” Since then, Asselin has been enjoying being a software developer.

In 2008, Asselin launched Orion Innovation, a consulting firm focused on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technology.

And Asselin started working on the blockchain way before it was in vogue, telling South Florida Tech Hub that at first he began by building blockchain-powered tools for clients in the oil and gas and real estate investment industries.

“We’ve always tried to apply blockchain technology to real use cases,” he said, citing the example of creating blockchain-based digital versions of paper contracts.

“Web3 is interesting, but it’s going to take a while to get there,” he said of the burgeoning movement that seeks to create a more decentralized version of the internet. “There are a lot of players pushing it forward. But where it will get really interesting is when there are more business use cases – not just consumers.”

Orion typically works with B2B clients, but recently it has begun working with the public sector – specifically the Department of Defense. Asselin is excited about the prospect of helping the government leverage innovations in AI, ML, blockchain, and more. 

One interesting example: creating so-called no-knowledge proofs. Take for example getting a drink at a bar. Currently, you have to show staff your ID that contains significantly more information than just your age: your home address, your full name, et cetera. With a no-knowledge proof, staff could simply be given a yes or no to the question, “Is this person of legal drinking age?” No more info required.

Orion has also begun to develop a spin-off product called Ava. “Ultimately, Ava came out of a lot of clients asking us for help organizing and cleaning their data,” said Asselin, noting that before data can be leveraged in tools like AI, it first needs to be labeled and easily accessible. 

In November, the team launched Ava in demo form, with a view towards rolling out a minimum viable product in June 2023. The ultimate goal: saving time and effort.

Ava has a few tricks up its sleeve though. For one, the output of the data can be viewed in three dimensions, using a VR/AR device such as the Magic Leap 2.

“You can walk into your data,” asserted Asselin, drawing parallels to Jarvis from Iron Man. Conversational AI will enable users to ask Ava’s platform questions, and have it respond. “There are an endless number of use cases,” he said, noting particular usefulness in the area of cybersecurity.

“At the end of the day, this product is designed to do the work of a significant number of data scientists,” he said.

Follow along on Ava Intelligence’s journey by visiting their LinkedIn page.