Cal Al-Dhubaib ’16 started Pandata eight years ago while a student at the Case School of Engineering, offering to help companies harness the power of artificial intelligence and put their data to work.

In March, an Atlanta-based consulting firm called Further announced it had purchased Pandata for an undisclosed price and that Al-Dhubaib and his staff would join its team. Further, which specializes in data analytics, is run by CEO Mike Gustafson ’99, a Case-trained computer scientist, and Head of Solutions Jason Tabeling, a graduate of the Weatherhead School of Management.

Al-Dhubaib told Case Alumnus the synergy feels right and that he’s “over the moon” about joining Further in its Cleveland offices as Head of AI. Having started Pandata in his dorm room, he built and sold one of the first successful AI companies in the state.

As he told OhioTechNews. com. “Pandata was fully bootstrapped, so it’s a really cool Ohio success story.”

Al-Dhubaib was featured on the cover of the spring 2023 Case Alumnus for the story “The Wizard of AI.” He was the first person to earn a data science degree from Case and introduced AI strategies to dozens of companies and organizations.

Pandata, which has about a dozen employees, often consults in high-risk environments like healthcare, security and financial services. Further, with about 175 employees, works with leading brands like GameStop, Red Hat, Novartis and Robert Half.

“We are thrilled to welcome the talented team at Pandata to the Further family,” Gustafson said in a statement. “Their deep understanding of the challenges faced by high-risk industries, coupled with their expertise in AI design and development, makes them the perfect partner for us as we continue to pioneer innovative AI solutions.”