Planning, prioritizing, delivering: How Aurigo simplifies infrastructure challenges

State leaders across the US are about to embark on a massive undertaking to expand the nation’s broadband infrastructure – thanks to bipartisan legislation that funds the work. 

On this episode of Connected Nation, we talk with the CEO and founder of Aurigo Software Technologies, a company that’s helped plan, build, and manage some of the world’s largest infrastructure projects.

We ask what common mistakes state leaders can avoid and what opportunities they should be looking for as they begin laying the foundation for universal broadband in America.

Recommended Links:
Balaji's LinkedIn
Aurigo Wesbite

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 1:56 Meeting Balaji
• 5:27 Dealing with doubt and challenges
• 8:55 Being based in Austin, Texas
• 13:23 About the Fords Technology Council
• 14:31 Current big projects for Aurigo
• 29:27 How infrastructure is a national asset
• 33:13 What is next on the horizon?
• 36:03 Impact of AI
• 41:10 Final takeaways
• 42:00 Conclusion + Outro

Transcript

Jessica Denson (00:07):

This is Connected Nation, an award-winning podcast focused on all things broadband from closing the digital divide to improving your internet speeds. We talk technology topics that impact all of us, our families, and our neighborhoods. State leaders across the US are about to embark on a massive undertaking to expand the nation's broadband infrastructure. Thanks to bipartisan legislation that funds the work. On today's podcast, I talk with the CEO and founder of Aurigo Software Technologies, a company that's helped plan, build and manage some of the world's largest infrastructure projects. I'll ask what common mistakes state leaders can avoid and what opportunities they should be looking for now as they begin laying the foundation for Universal broadband in America. I'm Jessica Desen, and this is Connect to Nation. I'm Jessica Denson and welcome to season six of Connect to Nation. I can't believe we are here. It is 2025. I hope you had a wonderful New Year. I'm very excited about our first guest of 2025. His name is Balaji re Johnson Von, he's going to kill me. I've asked him three times how to say his name. Balaji, would you give it to us properly?

Balaji Sreenivasan (01:22):

Thanks, Jessica and happy New Year to all your viewers, readers. My name is Balaji Srini

Jessica Denson (01:29):

Vossen. As soon as you say it, it comes through my head. Balaji is the founder and chief executive officer, the CEO of Orgo Software Technologies. Also, it's spelled A-U-R-I-G-O. Am I saying that correctly?

Balaji Sreenivasan (01:44):

Yeah, it's spelled A-U-R-I-G-O. And think of it like Orgo, like an Oreo. So it's pronounced Orgo. O-R-I-G-O is probably a good better pronunciation.

Jessica Denson (01:56):

I was telling Balaji that I feel bad for him because my Texas roots are coming through that I, simple names are usually easier for me, but I appreciate your kindness and it was nice just even chatting right before we started. So I'm really excited to dive in today. What I usually do before we start with just about every guest, is talk a little bit about you. We'll dive into the discussion on infrastructure, but I really want to know who you are, Balaji. So tell us a little bit about your upbringing and what drew you to technology and business.

Balaji Sreenivasan (02:29):

Yeah, thanks Jessica, and thank you for having me on the podcast. Super excited to be here again. For everyone else, my name is Balaji. I grew up in Bangalore, India, and my upbringing was in a house where education was a top priority. So my dad was a senior bureaucrat, my mom was a school principal, and so skipping homework just wasn't an option, but their example really taught me something bigger, the value hard work, making a difference, and I've kind of always been drawn to solving problems. So when I was eight, I got my first computer, Sinclair ZX Spectrum, and it was the early eighties and so program in, have you worked on that or

Jessica Denson (03:18):

No, it's just I remember those coming out when I was young.

Balaji Sreenivasan (03:21):

Yeah, yeah. So I wrote a program in basic to catalog my sister's comic book collection and she loved it. That's awesome. And I realized two things, right? AI enjoyed building things with tech and I could solve problems with it, and that spark kind of stayed with me. So I studied mechanical engineering at the National Institute of Technology in India, and I earned my master's at the University of Florida and I was working as a design engineer for a few years, but I kind of kept thinking, what if I could tackle that bigger problem, one that could truly make an impact. And I've always believed that to build a billion dollar company, you have to solve a trillion dollar problem and infrastructure, the way we plan, build and manage it is one of those trillion dollar challenges. And so I took that leap, I quit my job, I started Orgo in my parents' 300 square foot garage with just two employees and a co-founder.

Jessica Denson (04:29):

And what year was that?

Balaji Sreenivasan (04:31):

That was 2003. And our first mission was simple. It was just to automate field inspections on construction sites. It wasn't glamorous, just think long nights, tight budgets, a lot of moments of doubt, but we kept at it and because we knew the problem we were solving mattered. And fast forward to today, so we have grown to over 650 employees. We have offices in the US, Canada, I'm right now in Bangalore, India with our offices here. We're in Cape Town, South Africa. We're expanding to the Middle East and really our software is helping infrastructure owners manage every stage of their projects from capital planning through construction and operations. And so it's been quite the ride and I feel incredibly lucky to have built something that makes such a tangible impact.

Jessica Denson (05:27):

There was something you said there that struck me, especially as we're going to be talking about dealing with these major infrastructure projects. You said there were lots of moments of doubt. Talk about how you dealt with that and pushed through that at a time when you didn't know it was going to become.

Balaji Sreenivasan (05:44):

Yeah, and so when you are building enterprise SaaS, and I say this with all earnest and I hope it doesn't demotivate someone else to start an enterprise SaaS business, when you're building an enterprise SaaS business, one of the things that really matters in growth is your customer references. And customers take longer to trust a startup when they're choosing your technology for their entire enterprise operations. And it gets that much harder when that customer happens to be government. And so if you remember the adage back in the day, nobody got fired for buying an IBM computer. And so it just was that much difficult to start selling. So you have built the right tech, you have the right problem, workflow solved, and yet your customer doesn't want to pick you because you either don't have the size or you don't have the years of experience as a business.

(06:39):

And so it was a lot of administrative, procedural, procurement wise issues that we had to get through. We needed to raise money constantly. We needed, because I bootstrapped the whole company, and so it was just learning skills that I had not been trained to learn in engineering school. I could write code, I could solve problems, but it was putting all of this together and packaging it as a business that was viable. And so you have those moments of doubt and I said, so you have to get past that moment of doubt. You got to reflect on, there were so many opportunities for us to shut down and just go back to a high paying job. But I think the one thing that kept me going was I didn't want to fail and I didn't want to look back and say I should have stuck on. So I guess that's what I did. So I personally

Jessica Denson (07:31):

Do you sometimes miss that nitty gritty compared to running a larger company or you're like, no, I'm glad I went through that, but it's time to move on.

Balaji Sreenivasan (07:40):

I miss it sometimes, but I think and I'm glad we're past that, right? Yeah, I do miss it sometimes, but I think it's more nostalgic to think about it today than we actually go through it then. So it was tough.

Jessica Denson (07:53):

I can imagine. Same thing with college. You're like, oh, I loved college, but oh, you forget about those days. You wake up going, I have a test and did I study for it? Did I study enough for it? Where did you think you got that grit to keep going even when you could have taken an easier way out and just made more money in the short term with something else?

Balaji Sreenivasan (08:14):

I don't know. I mean, I don't know if it's because I'm a first generation American and I'm first generation immigrant who moved. I don't know if it's that or I don't know if it's engineering school that just basically told me to focus on solving the problem because even in school I would be the kid that wouldn't finish the test because I wanted to finish the problem versus getting all the questions done. And so I just think it was inane and part of my DNA to just solve a problem. Maybe it's a part of an A DHD issue that I had growing up that I had to obsess over and over to get something done, but I think it helped. It's kind of built that resilience to not walk away when you're almost there.

Jessica Denson (08:55):

And your company, you started it in Austin, Texas, right? Do I have that correct?

Balaji Sreenivasan (09:01):

I started it in New York and we actually moved to Austin, Texas in I want to say 2012. We started growing the company and it was starting to take off and we needed really a home for it where we could access better talent and my kids were younger, and so we wanted to basically get a place where we could raise a family and it also made sense for employees to feel like they could grow and they could grow their careers better. So we picked Austin for a lot of reasons, but that was a great decision. By the way,

Jessica Denson (09:35):

That's my hometown by the way, Austin, Texas. Which

Balaji Sreenivasan (09:39):

Part of Austin do you live?

Jessica Denson (09:40):

I used to live near the university and near zero Core Park. I know Austin well. That's where my mother lived as. I was a chuck growing up as a child. So yeah, I've had a soft spot for Austin my whole life. I live in Louisville, Kentucky now, but Austin, I've really watched it has become a tech hub. Dell started there and it's really become a tech hub. You just talked about the importance of having going to a place where you have the talent there. Why do you think that Austin has become that? Why do you think that there's so many tech companies being drawn there? Is it the university? Is it just that Dell started there? I mean, do you have any idea of that?

Balaji Sreenivasan (10:26):

When we moved to Austin's, moved to Argo's, headquartered to Austin back in 2013, it wasn't just about the business. I think it was about lifestyle, the vibe and the energy of that city. And like I said, it's one of the best decisions. So first off, there's ut like you said, it's not just a university, it's a talent magnet. And so we had a lot of good talent coming out, a lot of energy and innovation coming out there. And that's a big part when you're running a smaller company, you want to be able to attract talent and you want to be in that vicinity of talent and think, I mean, come on, asos, practically a food group is my counselor.

Jessica Denson (11:08):

Oh my gosh, tacos, I have those daily

Balaji Sreenivasan (11:12):

And if you overindulge, you can kayak and you can

(11:18):

River place. It was things that I loved. There were outdoors, there were lakes, and it was a fantastic place. But I think it's this vibe, which is this perfect blend of ambition and creativity. You've got a thriving tech scene. Back then it was just starting and now it's a lot more. It's not very stuffy or corporate. It has that quirky, laid back Austin charm. You can go from talking tech at a coffee shop to catching live music in one evening. It's been a great ride. I can't really imagine a better place to call home for me.

Jessica Denson (11:50):

Yeah, I really love that you said that with tech, and that's really been, they used to say stem, but now they add the creativity piece to it. Why is that so important, especially when you're dealing with big projects? And I do want to get into Orgo for sure, but before we do, why is that important? Why is that important piece, that creativity?

Balaji Sreenivasan (12:14):

Well, I think creativity really starts and sows the seeds for innovation, right? It's really vital because this whole problem solving is really about building something that doesn't exist yet. And when you're creating a future and not just improving what's in the present, you need to be creative because it allows you to imagine a new product, a new experience that no one's thought of before. And so I always say this to our folks, everything in life happens twice. It happens first in your mind and then you make it happen in real life. And so I think that the ability to think through that solution in your head that no one's thought of before, to imagine that and then actually start making that a real tangible piece of code or a piece of software or a product or what have you, I think that requires both the left and right brain. And I think that innovation just doesn't happen because you are great at math or you are a good programmer, but I think it's a combination of being both creative and being technically savvy that magic, the magic happens. Then

Jessica Denson (13:23):

Just to shift a little bit, you're also a member of the Fords Technology Council. I've always wondered what that really entails. Do you advise on some ideas or do you provide op-eds? What exactly do you do with the Fords Technology Council?

Balaji Sreenivasan (13:40):

Yeah, the Forbes Tech Council is, I think it's an invitation only group. It's mostly for tech leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and it's a great platform to share insights on tech business through articles, thought leadership pieces. I contribute pretty regularly. I think it allows me to reflect on the big picture challenges and I kind of focus on in tech like infrastructure, I focus on digital transformation, I focus on ai, and I really think it helps me engage with the community of other tech and entrepreneurs in terms of what's happening and how are we impacting communities and how are we impacting the world, so to speak. So it's been a great experience.

Jessica Denson (14:24):

Yeah, I spied that on your LinkedIn and I was like, I've always wanted to know what you guys do. Fantastic.

Balaji Sreenivasan (14:30):

Have out there. Okay.

Jessica Denson (14:31):

Yeah. Okay. You've touched on org software technologies and what is happening with it today? Just that it's all over the world, dive a little deeper. Share what your company's doing now, maybe some of the bigger projects that you're really excited about and your role in that evolution and how things are going.

Balaji Sreenivasan (14:57):

Alright, so just to give you a background on what we do as a company, we build software that builds the world. So we write software that helps infrastructure owners like states, cities, federal agencies, and even private organizations. Like you could be building a data center, you could be building a whole bunch of Starbucks stores. So there you could be building a highway or a bridge. And so you want to be able to plan, prioritize what you want to build, prioritize your money, plan your cashflow, and deliver these projects with quality and more importantly, efficiently. For broadband, for example, I know that's important to you guys. That could mean agencies can map underserved areas accurately. They can forecast costs, they can manage risks. Just make sure that every dollar is spent where it's needed the most. And so a lot of times we are not able to get construction or capital project delivery or infrastructure delivered because a lot of the pieces preceding construction, which relates to planning and prioritization actually don't get done. And so we think the challenge isn't pouring concrete, but the challenge starts really left of that.

Jessica Denson (16:14):

So it goes back to that idea that you need to envision a solution first and then put it out there. I really think that's a great way to put it.

Balaji Sreenivasan (16:23):

Yeah, you need to also prioritize. There are lots of needs that states and cities and any owner, any infrastructure owner has, you're always juggling priorities. Just like you go, you have a shopping cart and you go to the grocery store and you've got a hundred dollars to spend, and so what are you going to spend this on? And so you have all these needs in deficiencies in the state or the city that you have. Are you going to expand your airport? Are you going to do more sidewalks? Are you going to do internet? So getting that assessment done, engaging with the community, engaging with stakeholders, and prioritizing what's important, being able to plan for the next 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 years ahead and look ahead and see what that cash could actually get delivered. And then actually managing the construction process. There's lots of things that happen between when you prioritize to when you cut the ribbon of an asset. And so we actually streamlined that entire process all over the cloud.

Jessica Denson (17:20):

I know I got some notes from your PR team when I was setting up for this podcast and doing some research. And I know that there are thousands of projects that you're working on around the world, and they tell me with more than 40,000 projects, over 300 billion under management, ergo has earned several industry accolades under Bala's leadership, including built worlds infrastructure 50 govtech, 100 constructech top products at Inc 5,000. So you guys have done some pretty important projects that have earned some accolades. Can you name one or two that I know that's a lot of projects under your belt? So can you name one or two that really stand out as this really is an example of our business doing this to the best of our ability?

Balaji Sreenivasan (18:14):

Gosh, what comes to mind really is, let me pick two. And so there's the West Davis corridor in Utah. This is a significant infrastructure project in Utah, it's in Davis County and it's 16 miles. And one of the big things was that it really, the project features multiple infrastructure assets. They used multi-use trails, they use a parkway trail, they use highways. And so they had to deliver all of these projects and programs in a record three years. And we are super proud that the entire tech behind that platform delivery was Masterworks, which is our flagship suite. So I can't imagine that they could have delivered that 16 mile project in such a short timeline if they didn't have access to the tech that we provided. And so I think that's fun that we look back at that asset right now completed, and we know that everything that happened on the project was actually planned and managed using our software.

(19:22):

So it's nice to kind of see that it's not just writing lines of code, but it's actually seeing how it impacts communities. And we're doing the same with Amtrak today. Amtrak received a very large grant from the infrastructure Investment Jobs Act, early 60 billion of money towards building and modernizing the rail network. And they selected Oracle software for all of their capital planning, construction, project management needs. And we're seeing a lot of the new infrastructure assets that will really fuel railway connectivity in the east coast in Northeast Corridor. And we can look at that and say, Hey, all of that is getting built and delivered on time, saving taxpayers money because of our tech. And so I think it's kind of real to start seeing these assets come alive and know that we had a little part to play in that.

Jessica Denson (20:15):

Yeah, those are both great examples and different parts of the country, which I can imagine have different challenges, opportunities, all that stuff. Those are great examples. You mentioned the IJ, the Infrastructure Act that was passed a couple of years ago. Within that is 60 billion plus for broadband. A couple of things I'd love to talk about one within that one, does your team manage any broadband infrastructure pieces or do you have a point of view on how those should be managed or what states should be doing now that this is getting underway? So for the last year, money has been, planning has been happening, money has been put out there. They're now starting to make awards in 2025. So we're hoping to start to see ground being broken on some of these projects. But from your point of view with delivering such huge infrastructure pieces, what are some things that state leaders or people leading broadband projects should be looking forward now? Maybe some red flags that you've experienced over and over again that to always look for and some opportunities.

Balaji Sreenivasan (21:30):

So I want to start with the big picture first. So the infrastructure Investment Jobs Act is an incredible opportunity for the country. And you're right, it's set aside around 65 billing for broadband access. And we have what, close to 40, 45 million people, Americans living in rural underserved areas, still not having internet. So that's a big issue,

(21:53):

But the thing is that the money actually getting spent is a lot harder than it sounds that getting right. And right now, only 45% has even been allocated off that, right? 55% of that 65 billion has not even been allocated. And the 45% allocation doesn't mean it's getting spent. It's less than a fraction of that that's actually being spent. And so the agencies, both states and municipal agencies, the challenges they're facing are trying to figure out where the gaps are, how to prioritize projects, how do I deal with labor and supply chain issues? Because if they don't do it right, we risk wasting time and money while people in these communities continue to wait for the internet that they need. And so this is really where I think tech, like the software we build at Orgo plays a huge role. So we help these agencies prioritize and deliver projects efficiently for broadband. It means agencies can map the underserved areas, they can forecast costs, they can manage risks, and just make sure that every dollar is spent where it's needed the most. And so we are super excited about partnering with agencies. We, a lot of our customers are using our software to deliver some of these broadband projects, but we are interested to see more of that happen. And you're right, I think the real spend will start happening now between 2025 through 20 28, 29.

Jessica Denson (23:21):

It's funny, I've had so many people ask me, when is this? I thought this was happening. It takes time. These are massive, massive projects and the supply chain and the workforce chain that even you talked about moving to Austin to access workers. There's a big issue with workers in the infrastructure in the broadband sphere right now that I keep hearing from leaders. How can a leader deal with those types of things when you're not necessarily in control of all of those pieces? Does your company or do your solution oriented engineers, I guess does it deal with those things? Is that part of the planning process when it comes to this kind of project, like the risk assessment?

Balaji Sreenivasan (24:11):

So a lot of times, great question. A lot of times these agencies have a lot of data. They have the information they need to make these decisions, but they really don't have a collaborative platform that helps them analyze this data in a way that they can make sense of it, if that makes sense. There's so much data there. For example, they would have an ESRI map of all the underserved areas, but they're not able to prioritize and figure out which of these underserved areas scores over some other underserved area. And so there's all this data and trying to do all this using Excel or using technology can take, that's the truth. A lot of these agencies have millions of dollars of money, but they actually are using Microsoft Excel. They're using a homegrown tool that Bob built in the basement. And so they really have these very powerful enterprise SaaS platforms that can take all of this data, integrate with their mapping systems, integrate with their needs analysis systems, and give them accurate forecasts and help them prioritize where do I spend this money and which project is more important than the other? And I think that's really where we come in. And so it's just back to the digital divide even here, even agencies need to fix that. And I think we are passionate about helping make this happen. And I think when public agencies embrace technology, we can truly transform the way infrastructure projects are delivered.

Jessica Denson (25:42):

And there's a piece of, I guess the regulation of how this is supposed to be done with bead. That's the broadband piece of IJA, just for our audience's sake, I'm sure. But that is about monitoring this as this goes out. Does your platform have a piece of that? So not only making sure that you're hitting those underserved and unserved areas as we're supposed to with this money, but then monitoring that these grants are being spent, that things are happening the way they're supposed to be. I can't imagine doing that on an Excel sheet, as you said.

Balaji Sreenivasan (26:25):

Yeah, so be for those listening in as the broadband equity access and deployment program, I think.

Jessica Denson (26:33):

Yeah. Yeah,

Balaji Sreenivasan (26:34):

Right. And so that's basically off the 65 billion, I think the bead really has close to 40, 45 billion of money. And it focuses on planning, building broadband infrastructure. So our software really can help states prioritize broadband projects. They can help them ensure that funds are allocated to maximize the coverage and impact. And then once you actually kick off the broadband project, we can use our software to help them manage the entire end-to-end life cycle from planning through design, through construction and ops. And so that's really where we help. So they can collaborate all their different teams, their designers, their architects, their construction crew, and their GCs can collaborate on a single platform. And you have these multiple agencies that are required to deliver a single broadband asset. And these agencies are all using different tools and they're often not on the same page. And so we really get a single source of truth and we get them to work on a single platform to deliver that project on time.

Jessica Denson (27:38):

Have you seen something like this before where so many groups, by groups, I mean states, but it could be that you see it in a different country, seen so many take on these massive infrastructure projects all at the same time?

Balaji Sreenivasan (27:57):

Yes, and it's very daunting. And I think what ends up happening is I a was a great bill. It is a once in a lifetime bill, truly like everyone labels it. I really wish that agencies or governments when they allocate these kind of funds also mandate and guide their states on using technology to actually deliver these programs because these states and agencies have had no clue as to what to do with all this money that just got allocated to them. And so they sit on this money and they have older tools and legacy tools that were used to spend much smaller buckets of CIP capital spend, and all of a sudden that number had an extra zero next to it. And they're flipping out. They really need to figure out how to manage these larger dollar numbers. And so it's not unique to the us.

(28:54):

It happens in most states. It happens in other countries too. But I think we have what it takes in the us I think of all the countries in the world, I think the US is most keen to adopt tech than anyone else. And I think the rest of the world looks to what the US is doing. I think our US case studies make sense for even us as a company when we work with countries outside the states. So we think we're doing bad, and then others are actually looking up to us. So we're not doing that bad

Jessica Denson (29:27):

In the PR package. I got, you said quote, I'm quoting you, infrastructure is more than a line on a balance sheet. It's a national asset that underpins and uplifts every corner of the economy. What do you mean by that and why do you think that's true and so important right now?

Balaji Sreenivasan (29:46):

Yeah, so you know what Oracle, we see infrastructure as more than just roads and bridges or broadband. It's really about how those projects can change lives. So let's take a new transit system. It's not an expense on a budget, but it's a way for someone to get to work faster, spend more time with their family or access new opportunities. I really believe, and we believe infrastructure connects people. It really powers economies and it ultimately improves the quality of life. And so when we are helping someone deliver infrastructure faster, we're really helping the entire community plan and deliver these projects with purpose. Because every mile built and every dollar spent has the potential to shape a better future for that entire community. And even when it comes to broadband, something that Connected Nation is focused on closing that digital divide and providing internet to underserved communities means kids can learn from anywhere and people can see a doctor without driving hours or businesses can thrive no matter what their zip code is. And I think that's really what makes this work pretty exciting and important for us that we are doing something more than just making software.

Jessica Denson (31:03):

I'm struck by what you said at the beginning when you're talking about starting the company and even now years later, it still seems like you have that same love for creating a positive impact in communities. What is it, do you just like to see, oh, look, I had a part in that and it's doing cool things for other people. What is that?

Balaji Sreenivasan (31:28):

So I think initially you try and you achieve success with making money or hitting a certain milestone in your company's journey, but honestly, Jessica, we've been through a lot. We've built a pretty good business here. And at this stage, I think what gives me the most satisfaction is the impact that we are making on others. We could

(31:58):

Probably, we make good money. We have a lot of, we're growing at 30% year on year. And so there's the whole business side of it, but ultimately what gives us the most joy is that why are we in business? So when I was in HPS, we had a little lesson taught to us that building a business is not just about building it for the sake of money, but building a business and doing it in a manner that makes a decent living. And so doing that in a decent way is not just about following the rules or being ethical, but also seeing what's the bigger purpose of why we are here. And so I think there is a larger role we all have in life besides just showing up at work and working the jobs that we do or making the money to pay the bills we have in terms of are we doing something that's truly making this place a little better than it was when we set out? And I think that gives me a lot of satisfaction even today that we are doing that.

Jessica Denson (33:13):

Yeah. How do you see the things developing within this space down the road in your mind, especially since you look at projects, long-term projects, you're planning far ahead, I imagine for your company it's the same, you're looking ahead, what's next on the horizon? You're probably always kind of ahead of us. You're looking to the future.

Balaji Sreenivasan (33:36):

So there's been a regime change in the US with the new Trump administration taking over in a few days.

(33:42):

And we are seeing that a couple of predictions for the coming year for us will be that there'd be more money spent on roads, highways, and bridges and broadband there on climate states will kind of align broadband deployment with maybe transportation projects for efficiency. And that needs to happen soon, right? Today, the running broadband and transportation separately, and they'll start running it together. AI driven tools and digital twins will start becoming standard in project planning. It's not going to be a wishlist anymore. And I think the iot driven infrastructure, internet of things driven infrastructure will kind of start connecting traffic systems and really driving what we call smart cities. When you start thinking five, 10 years ahead, we're thinking nationwide connectivity, high speed broadband for underserved areas, it'll unlock a lot of economic growth. I see five, 10 years we'll probably hit 90%, 95% penetration. We see a lot of climate conscious designs, even if it's not federally mandated, we start thinking about what states and cities are doing independently and they will drive how these renewable energy will dominate these projects. And there's also going to be enormous impetus given to data centers and AI for more efficient ways of working. So we see that happening In terms of challenges, I think there's also going to be protecting these connected infrastructure from attacks. So I think cybersecurity will be super important.

(35:25):

Workforce readiness, we are changing the entire workforce. We are getting ready to move from, we just moved from desktop to SaaS 15 years back, and now we're moving from SaaS to AI agents and workflows. And so just training workers and advanced tech and processes will really redefine infrastructure over the next decade. And I think that's stuff that will happen in the next five, 10 years. And so companies that are bracing for this change will do well and companies that don't might get left behind.

Jessica Denson (36:01):

You mentioned AI multiple times in this space. AI would be used as something to help with planning.

Balaji Sreenivasan (36:10):

So when I look at where we're headed, right? If I take a step back with SaaS,

(36:15):

It feels like we're on the brink of a transformation, and this is going to be even bigger than we moved from desktop to the cloud. And that was revolutionary. And suddenly software became accessible from anywhere. It changed how businesses operated, but what's coming next is even more profound. And so we are moving away from software that you log into and use manually, and we're really moving into workflows and agents. And so think of workflows as a connective tissue that ties everything together, automating the back and forth work between systems. So humans don't have to, and agents are, they're super smart assistants that don't wait for you to give them instructions. You don't pay them. They're AI agents. They show up to work every day. They work 24 hours, they understand your context, they anticipate your needs and they act on your behalf. And that shift is really exciting because it means the freeing people from mundane, repetitive tasks. So instead of spending hours clicking through screens or following up on things, workflows and agents will handle it for you.

(37:22):

So just imagine a transit system that's $10 billion and you have a whole workflow systems running in the background. An AI agent wakes up at 2:00 AM and notices that there's a supply chain issue that's going to disrupt the project six months from now. And it sends you an alert saying, Hey, why don't we use some money that's kept in contingency funds and move it over to this project because you want to award a disaster six months from now. That's a proactive alert that a human would have to make and may or may not make that. And so I think we're moving into a system where these AI agents will live alongside human agents using software, and it'll make our efficiency that much more because they're working all the time and they're looking at gaps that we quite can't see. They're looking for patterns that a human probably wouldn't catch a hundred times.

Jessica Denson (38:15):

But then at the same token, you'd need, you're saying the workforce readiness is that the need for skill sets would change, would just shift to a new area or different types of industry or support for that type of thing?

Balaji Sreenivasan (38:35):

It would. And just by Murphy's Law, I think things are changing at a more rapid pace today than they were 20 years back.

(38:41):

And so things are happening faster, but we've been through this before. We had this whole realm where we had, we thought the telephone operator went away, and so we thought, wow, that's a lot of jobs gone. But then there were new jobs created. And so I think we'll get past this very easily. There will basically, I think humans will evolve to doing more intelligent tasks and the mundane tasks will go away. And so just like how the vacuum cleaner remove the job of just cleaning up with a M or a dusting pan. So I just think this AI is tech that will come in and help remove the lower end of the jobs, and we all start moving. Shifting left one step.

Jessica Denson (39:25):

I just hope it gives me more time for vacation. Just kidding. No, I think that's interesting because jobs that people's kids that are being born today don't exist yet, and there's going to be a whole nother set of things that we can't even imagine or even know that are out there yet. It's exciting time. Just two more questions and I will let you go, I promise Balaji one, what are you excited about for the future of Orgo Software Technologies? What do you see your company going over the next few years?

Balaji Sreenivasan (40:01):

Yeah, so I think I am super excited about AI, obviously, and just seeing how we can help transform agencies and owners to deliver better. But I think the biggest thing that I'm interested in is seeing how can we get tech. So we democratize the capital planning and project delivery process, not just for large infrastructure owners who can afford our software, but to anyone who wants to build and plan assets that can help shape communities. So I think the next five, 10 years, we want to be pervasive where our tech can be used for anything that you want to build no matter what size of the build project you have. So today, orgo serves primarily agencies and owners spending 50, a hundred million dollars or more annually. And I just want to take that down to really help solve a problem for anyone. And so I think that's something we're excited about, and we are also very excited about how we can navigate this transformation from SaaS to AI over the next three, four years and do even more with less.

Jessica Denson (41:10):

And finally, what is one takeaway that you would like our audience to take away about our Orgo software technologies? Or was there something that we didn't touch on that you were really excited to talk about that I didn't bring up?

Balaji Sreenivasan (41:23):

No, you were a great podcast interviewer, so thank you for doing that, Jessica. And so this was amazing. I enjoyed our conversation and I love the

Jessica Denson (41:33):

That I did as well.

Balaji Sreenivasan (41:35):

So no, so I think the one thing that I'd love people to take away is that Orgo is really on a mission to help build a better tomorrow. We make software that help infrastructure, ility owners plan, build and operate large construction capital projects. And we really think that's not just automation. We think it's helping shape communities and making a difference to the planet.

Jessica Denson (42:00):

Well, we'll leave it there. Thank you so much, Balaji, for joining us for our first episode of season six in the first of the new year 2025. I really appreciate your time, and you're really easy and interesting person to talk to. So thank you so much.

Balaji Sreenivasan (42:16):

Thanks, Jessica.

Jessica Denson (42:17):

Okay, here I go. I'm going to try to get your name right. You correct me, sir, if I'm wrong. Again, we've been talking to Balaji Swear knee. Von I got it wrong, right? Say it for us. Balaji.

Balaji Sreenivasan (42:31):

Yeah, Balaji, Serini,

Jessica Denson (42:34):

Vasan. Soon as you do it, I can say it. Rinni. Vasan Balaji is the founder and chief executive officer of Orgo Software Technologies. I'll include a link to the company website and the description of this podcast, and I promise to work on your name, biology before we talk again. Hopefully we'll follow up on some of the projects you're up to in the coming years. I'm Jessica Denson. Thanks for listening to Connect to Nation. If you like our show and want to know more about us, head to connect nation.org or look for the latest episodes on iTunes, iHeartRadio, Google Podcast, Pandora, or Spotify.