Ashok Bhatia, Founder, President, and CEO of Mentis Solutions, shares the secret sauce behind his success: “My journey taught me that the greatest limitations often become your greatest strengths.”
His journey to leadership and entrepreneurship began in India’s capital city, Delhi. Born to an officer with the Ministry of Railways, Ashok grew up in a family of humble means. His father worked part-time jobs to support them. “We lived with purpose, not privilege. Every rupee mattered. Every opportunity was precious,” recalls Ashok.
Those early years taught him a priceless lesson – that excellence isn’t about having unlimited resources; it’s about maximizing what you have. His family’s deep belief in hard work and education – no distractions, no excuses, just focus – shaped his mindset for life. “While people saw these as limitations, I saw them as my first masterclass in discipline, and it has been my greatest asset throughout life,” says Ashok.
That mindset helped him break free from the conventional idea of “get a good job and follow the script.” Instead, he flipped the script, charting a path from Delhi University to Stanford University, from a well-paying consulting career at R Systems to founding and leading Mentis Solutions and spearheading the development of Oriva.AI – an initiative to change the AI status quo in government agencies and enterprises.
Every time we help a client modernize operations or launch something innovative, I see that same spark I felt as a student in Delhi – the moment when possibility suddenly feels real.
“When you’re building a company, especially in AI, where the landscape changes daily, discipline becomes everything – the ability to say no to shiny opportunities that don’t align with your vision, and the focus to work on problems that matter, not just problems that pay,” says Ashok.
Mentis Solutions: Empowering Government Agencies and Enterprises with Technology
Ashok Bhatia founded Mentis Solutions with a simple goal – to help government agencies modernize how they serve people. He believed that technology alone doesn’t create transformation; people and culture do.
“At Mentis Solutions, we see technology as an enabler, but the real success comes from how it is adopted, governed, and aligned with human needs,” says Ashok. “We help organizations navigate complexity with confidence, keeping integrity and human values at the center of everything we do.”
The company’s name, Mentis Solutions, embodies this philosophy. Derived from the Latin word meaning “of mind,” the logo features two M’s forming an open infinity sign—representing the infiniteness of both the human mind and digital technology.
The launch of Oriva.AI marked a pivotal shift – positioning us not just as advisors but as innovators delivering secure, scalable AI solutions.
This belief in combining technology and people for meaningful transformation was inspired by a defining encounter with a client. “After three decades in consulting, I thought I knew the business inside out,” Ashok reflects. “But a conversation with a frustrated CEO in 2017 made me realize otherwise.”
The client described a familiar scenario: consulting firms that promise transformation but vanish once the contract is signed, leaving behind junior consultants who don’t understand the client’s culture or industry. Dozens of other executives had voiced similar frustrations.
That moment was an awakening. Ashok realized that successful transformations require more than following a playbook – they demand a deep understanding of an organization’s dynamics. Mentis Solutions was built on that belief. The company commits to staying engaged from start to finish, understanding not only the technical requirements but also the social, economic, and political realities of each organization.
“With an ‘undercommit, overdeliver’ philosophy, we set realistic expectations and strive to exceed them,” says Ashok. “Four years later, our client retention rate is 90%, and the CEO who once voiced his frustration is now one of our strongest advocates.”
“At Mentis Solutions, we’ve built a reputation for showing up when others don’t, because we believe consistency is the key to true success. We are a Digital Product Engineering Services (PES) firm built on accessibility, cultural intelligence, and consistent attention.”
AI-Enabling Government Agencies and Enterprises with Oriva.AI
While working with state agencies as advisors, Ashok Bhatia and his team noticed a recurring challenge – clients struggling to modernize amid fragmented data, legacy systems, and compliance-heavy environments. This observation led to the creation of Oriva.AI, a secure, orchestration-centric platform that unites AI, data federation, and workflow automation.
Oriva.AI helps agencies accelerate AI-driven innovation without compromising trust, security, or governance. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing environments, including legacy applications.
The results are transformative – data federation for unified insights; knowledge assistants that reduce the time spent searching policy or technical documents; and compliance and security frameworks aligned with standards such as SIMM, PAL, and NIST. Together, these capabilities translate to faster response times, reduced risk, and smarter use of resources – exactly what agencies need in an era of tight budgets and rising citizen expectations.
The name Oriva.AI symbolizes “light” and “a new star,” reflecting Mentis Solutions’ mission to guide clients through the complexities of digital transformation. “The launch of Oriva.AI marked a pivotal shift – positioning us not just as advisors but as innovators delivering secure, scalable AI solutions,” says Ashok.
Today, Mentis Solutions is recognized as a trusted partner to state agencies and enterprises, growing steadily through product innovation, strategic partnerships, and a culture known as Mentis Minds. It’s more than a workplace – it’s a shared mindset. Every team member is part of a mission larger than themselves, and that sense of purpose fuels everything the company does.
Oriva.AI is Mentis Solutions’ AI data cloud for the public sector. But more than that, it represents the company’s philosophy in action – AI that integrates, not replaces; governance-first, not hype-first; human-centered, not algorithm-obsessed. “This isn’t about disruption for disruption’s sake. It’s about relevance, responsibility, and results,” emphasizes Ashok.
In essence, Oriva.AI has strengthened Mentis Solutions’ position with both existing clients who trust it for modernization and new clients seeking practical AI adoption pathways. The company not only provides a platform but also delivers custom AI solutions tailored to industry-specific challenges, along with hands-on training through the Mentis Minds team to ensure scalable AI adoption.
Today, Mentis Solutions is trusted by several California state agencies, including FTB, DHCS, CalSTRS, CDI, SacRT, and enterprises such as Biller Genie, Wolfe Group, and TeleMed2U.
The Next Chapter for Mentis Solutions
Ashok Bhatia’s vision is to position Mentis Solutions as a trusted digital transformation partner for public-sector and enterprise clients – blending disciplined execution with forward-looking innovation. He aims for Mentis Solutions to be recognized not just as a consulting firm but as an enabler of secure, AI-powered modernization that delivers measurable business outcomes.
To bring this vision to life, Ashok is focused on three strategic priorities.
First, scaling Oriva.AI by expanding its orchestration, knowledge assistant, and data federation capabilities to make it the go-to AI platform for government and regulated industries.
Second, building strategic partnerships and pursuing growth through horizontal mergers, ecosystem alliances, and international expansion to broaden scale and complementary strengths.
And third, nurturing the Mentis Minds culture – a mindset that encourages curiosity to spark innovation, compassion to lift each other up, and accountability to turn promises into results.
“These initiatives allow us to scale with purpose – meeting today’s modernization demands while preparing clients for an AI-first world,” says Ashok.
The Journey So Far – and Ahead
The journey from Delhi to founding Mentis Solutions in California wasn’t glamorous. It was built on late nights, countless rejections, and an unshakable determination to prove that great ideas can come from anywhere. “Each setback became a teacher, showing me not only resilience but also the importance of listening – really listening – to what businesses and people need beyond just technology,” says Ashok Bhatia.
What has kept Ashok going all these years isn’t personal ambition alone. He has seen how education leveled the playing field for him, and he believes technology can do the same for others. “Every time we help a client modernize operations or launch something innovative, I see that same spark I felt as a student in Delhi – the moment when possibility suddenly feels real,” he says with a smile.
Mentis Solutions is the embodiment of that belief. It is not just an AI and digital product engineering company – it is living proof that with vision, persistence, and integrity, you can build something that truly makes a difference.
Because at the end of the day, whether you’re a kid in India – or anywhere in the world – dreaming of something bigger, or a Fortune 500 company facing disruption, the fundamental challenge remains the same: how do you transform your greatest limitations into your greatest strengths?
“That’s the question that has driven my entire journey,” concludes Ashok, “And thirty-plus years later, it’s still the question that gets me up every morning.”
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