Umair MajeedFrom Lodhran to Austin
I help founders find where AI makes a real difference in their products, and I lead Datics AI, the company my brother Umar and I bootstrapped in Lahore in 2018 and now run from Austin, Texas.
My story runs from Lodhran in South Punjab to Lahore to Austin: from a computer science degree and freelancing to a bootstrapped company, national awards, and a new start in the United States.
Year by year
Work and life, year by year. Open a year to see what happened, with photos and my posts from the time. How Datics grew has its own timeline.
Education
- Lodhran Public School
- PINS Public Higher Secondary School
Life
- Abrish and I as children in Lodhran
- Abrish and I, growing up in South Punjab
Education
- Got admission to FAST-NUCES in July
- First weeks at FAST-NUCES: orientation, and a Bachelor of Computer Science
Life
- Left Lodhran for Lahore in August, missing my family, friends and my city
Roles
- Vice President of the NUCES ACM Lahore Chapter
Stages and delegations
- Helped lead the team behind ACM Geek Week '17, the chapter's sixth Geek Week
Roles
- Joined the big data and analytics team at Systems Limited, Pakistan's largest software company, and was promoted within five months
- Started freelancing on Upwork
Education
- Graduated in computer science from FAST-NUCES
- Began graduate study in data science at the Information Technology University
Roles
- Research in the Information Technology University's Data Science Lab
- Data scientist at Addo AI
- Led an AI and ML product team of more than ten at IDEEZA
Datics
- Founded Datics AI in Lahore with my brother Umar
Stages and delegations
- Part of the team behind the launch of ITU's Centre for Applied Data Science, with The Alan Turing Institute
Awards and recognition
- First and third place at The Global Hack, an international hackathon, featured on ARY News
Roles
- Became fractional Chief Development Officer of Coast Technology in the U.S., and led delivery of Secure Tax Office
Boards and judging
- Joined the IT Committee of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry
TV and podcasts
- On Good Morning Lahore, Lahore Rang: how to start and scale an IT services business from Pakistan
Awards and recognition
- Dynamic Entrepreneur Award from LCCI, on behalf of the President of Pakistan
- Upwork Expert-Vetted, the top 1% of talent
Stages and delegations
- Keynote speaker on the Pakistan Innovation Roadshow in Multan and Bahawalpur
- Delegate, guest speaker and moderator at the Pakistan Tech Summit in Istanbul
- Speaker and panelist at the Connected Pakistan Conference in Islamabad
- Panelist at SOFTEC (FAST-NUCES) and IEEE LUMS, and keynote at MNS University, Multan
- Platinum sponsor and speaker at PIPC, the Pakistan IT Professionals Conference at FAST-NU Faisalabad/Chiniot: something I could only dream of as a student at FAST
TV and podcasts
- On Good Morning Lahore, Lahore Rang, about the award
- On PTV Home's Salam Pakistan, Independence Day special
- On Jaago Lahore, Lahore News HD
- Featured with my brother in PSEB's book eXtra Ordinary
Giving back
- Founded Tech Nation for South Punjab
Roles
- Group Guide of the Upwork Pakistan community, the biggest Upwork community group
Boards and judging
- Member of the Pakistan Prime Minister's Advisory Council on IT
- Member of the Chief Minister's Committee on Web 3.0, Punjab, and a certificate in the President's name
- Member of P@SHA's Member Engagement Committee
- Startup judge for PITB's Launchpad in Bahawalpur
Stages and delegations
- Speaker at the Digital South Punjab Roadshow, Rahim Yar Khan
- Speaker on three stages at Future Fest, Islamabad
- Guest of Honor at FAST-NUCES Lahore's medal ceremony
- ICT delegation to Baku, and a meeting with Pakistan's ambassador to Azerbaijan
TV and podcasts
- The President's address at the LCCI IT Awards
- On PTV Home's Morning @ Home
- On Discover Pakistan's The Morning Show
- On 7 News's Table Talk
- On the Thought Behind Things podcast
- On The Next Revolution podcast
Giving back
- Hosted the first Tech Nation conference: more than a thousand delegates
- Helped uplift the youth of Lodhran with the Tareen Education Foundation
Life
- On my 26th birthday, I pledged to continue my grandfather's mission of serving the people of Lodhran
- Married Abrish Rasheed in Lodhran
- Two days after our wedding, we lost my grandfather, Haji Rana Abdul Aziz. He spent most of his life helping and serving the people of Lodhran, and from him I learned humility and to help others. He is still my inspiration.
Awards and recognition
- Named among the 100 Tech Heroes of Pakistan
- Tech Entrepreneur of the Year at Growth Summit, Islamabad
Boards and judging
- Startup judge for PITB's Launchpad in Multan
- Evaluator for the World Startup Championship's international round
- Judge for the National Incubation Centers' Launchpad in Rawalpindi
- Member of the TEVTA Board of Management
- USAID consultation on AI
Stages and delegations
- ICT delegation to Denmark and Sweden with PSEB, representing Pakistan
- LEAP in Riyadh
- Speaker at Future Fest, Lahore, and at FAST-NUCES
TV and podcasts
- On A Plus's Dhanak
- Featured by FAST-NUCES Lahore as a School of Computing alumnus in its admissions campaign
Giving back
- Met the youth of my hometown Lodhran with Umar at the Tareen Institute
- Scholarships for Lodhran students at FAST-NUCES through the Haji Abdul Aziz Foundation, named after my grandfather, signed on the first anniversary of his passing
Life
- Moved to the United States in December
Roles
- CEO of Datics Solutions LLC, our U.S. headquarters in Austin
Life
- Our son, Raahim, was born
- From South Punjab to San Francisco
- Back home in Lahore, where Raahim met his grandfather
Giving back
- Tech Nation's Tech Connect South Punjab
- Led a delegation of South Punjab tech companies to Lahore
Writing
- 100 steps to the top
Life
- Raahim turned one
- Eid in Austin
- Two years in the United States
Awards and recognition
- AWS Certified AI Practitioner
Writing
- Started writing about Brownfield AI
Community
- Part of OPEN Austin and the Capital Factory community
- At the Meet the Companies roadshow in Dallas, with Pakistan's tech companies, OPEN Global and PSEB
Roles
Founder and CEO, Datics AI
Bootstrapped with my brother Umar from two people to multi-million-dollar ARR. I set the company's direction, design the AI approach for clients and lead delivery.
CEO, Datics Solutions LLC
Leading Datics' U.S. headquarters in Austin, Texas.
Chief Development Officer (fractional), Coast Technology
Set the technical direction and led delivery of Secure Tax Office, a property-tax platform adopted by sheriffs' offices in Louisiana and acquired in 2022.
Founder, Tech Nation
A not-for-profit for South Punjab's technology ecosystem: conferences, training and job connections for young people.
Before Datics: big data and analytics at Systems Limited, research at the Information Technology University, and leading an AI product team at IDEEZA.
In Austin I am part of OPEN Austin (the Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs), the Vixul Accelerator with Datics, and the Capital Factory community.
Beyond work
I married Abrish Rasheed in December 2022 in Lodhran, South Punjab, surrounded by family and by friends from Pakistan's IT industry. In May 2024 we welcomed our son, Raahim. There is nothing better than holding him in my arms.
I had arrived in the U.S. in December 2023 to lead Datics closer to the companies we serve, and Austin became our home. It meant building a life far from the people closest to us: parents, brothers and sisters, relatives, friends and my team, all in Pakistan. When we went back to Lahore in December 2024, Raahim met his grandfather and his uncle, and I brought him to the Datics office. Achievements are meaningful, but family gives them purpose.
Two days after our wedding, we lost my grandfather, Haji Rana Abdul Aziz. He spent most of his life helping and serving the people of Lodhran, and he was one of the key people in shaping Umar and me. From him I learned humility and to help others, and on my 26th birthday I pledged to continue his mission. The foundation that funds scholarships for students from Lodhran carries his name.
Being a father has changed how I think about the work. The greatest reward of all is holding Raahim in my arms and imagining the future I want to build for him.
After becoming a father, one thing is understood even more deeply: that love for a child is one of the most natural and selfless loves in the world. When I hold my son, only a prayer comes from my heart: that he always stays safe, happy and close to God.
Education and credentials
- Bachelor of Computer ScienceNational University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (FAST-NUCES)
- Graduate study in Data Science (Master of Computer Science program)Information Technology University (ITU), Lahore
- MicroMasters in Data ScienceUC San Diego
- AWS Certified AI PractitionerAmazon Web Services
- Expert-VettedUpwork