IMSE Ph.D. Student Ayman Sajjad Akash Featured in Fargo INC! Magazine

Ayman Sajjad Akash, a Ph.D. student in Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering at North Dakota State University and CEO of Applied Intelligence, was recently featured in the February 2026 issue of Fargo INC! magazine.

The article highlights Applied Intelligence, a startup focused on helping manufacturers transform operational data into actionable insights using artificial intelligence and advanced analytics. Through practical and scalable AI tools, the company aims to make advanced data analysis accessible to small and mid-sized manufacturers.

Applied Intelligence was selected to participate in the gener8tor startup accelerator program, a nationally ranked venture capital accelerator that partners with the North Dakota Growth Fund and SOuRCE Capital to support high-growth startups.

In the interview, Akash discusses the inspiration behind launching Applied Intelligence and his vision for building AI-driven solutions that improve decision-making and operational performance in manufacturing and industrial systems.

The feature appears in the February 2026 issue of Fargo INC! magazine.