Meet the founder:

Bintu Alkassoum’s path to founding DINA wasn’t linear. A Vancouver native who moved to Toronto five years ago, she brings an unusual combination of perspectives: a B.S. in sociology and a Masters in AI. Her first venture, Relooped, taught her hard lessons when it ran out of funding.

Then, like many others in 2025, she was laid off from her full-time position as an AI adoption manager. Suddenly, she faced a crossroads that every ambitious professional dreads.

Should she spend months grinding to land another full-time position – one that might leave her just as vulnerable to the next round of layoffs?

Or should she gather her courage to build something meaningful? To create her own future while using her unique skill set to solve the AI adoption challenges she’d witnessed firsthand across countless companies?

Taking a step back to see the bigger picture, Bintu recognized something crucial: now is the best time to build, with opportunities ripe for the picking and resources more widely available than ever. 

Today, Bintu is the pragmatic and resourceful builder of DINA, an AI-driven platform that helps companies gain transparency in their AI adoption processes.

The Why

When Bintu lost her job as an AI adoption manager, it could have been devastating. Instead, it became clarifying. Her role had shown her firsthand how challenging it is for large companies to adopt AI effectively across different departments – a problem she was uniquely positioned to solve.

But her motivation runs deeper than just market opportunity.

“Job loss allowed me to see the bigger picture. This is the best time for people to build. You just have to be willing to put in the work – resources are available, there’s a lot of opportunity,” Bintu explains. “I’m looking at the realities of the world through the lens of AI. The fact that we do not have a lot of women building in the AI space – less than 1% of women have AI supportive funding.”

DINA addresses a critical gap she witnessed daily: companies investing in AI initiatives but lacking visibility into their progress and effectiveness across the organization.

Early Challenges

Building DINA as her second startup has been both easier and harder than Bintu expected. Having run out of money with Relooped, she’s no longer naive about the challenges ahead. 

“The most challenging part is you’re no longer naive to how hard it is. Going into something where you aren’t blind,” she reflects candidly.

But this awareness has also brought unexpected growth. “I used to call myself non-technical, but now I can call myself technical since I taught myself to code and worked on my own products.”

The biggest hurdle? Learning to put ego aside. 

“Before starting Relooped, I was afraid of failing in public. The biggest challenge is to put yourself aside and be a service to the company. Put in 100% – to do what you needed to do. Do things that make you uncomfortable.”

Small Wins & Momentum

For many founders, the first real validation comes from external investments or major partnerships. For Bintu, it was something much simpler but equally meaningful. 

“Putting out the waitlist was the first big feeling of putting something out there,” she says.

That moment of making DINA public, even in its early form, represented a psychological breakthrough. It was proof that she could overcome her fear of failing in public and actually ship something real. The waitlist wasn’t just about gauging market interest – it was about proving to herself that she could take the vulnerable step of putting her work into the world. 

This milestone marked her transition from someone working on a startup to someone actually building in public, gathering real feedback from potential users who cared enough to sign up.

Advice for Other First-Time Founders

Bintu’s advice comes from hard-earned experience, particularly around funding and community building.

“Don’t rely on venture capital,” she warns. “Think about how you can create leverage for the company. Followers equals community.”

Her quick-fire insights reveal a founder who’s learned to be resourceful.

Coffee or tea while building? “Coffee” (clearly a necessity during late coding sessions)

Founder she looks up to? “Brian Chesky – trying software that looks good. The design element of software is really important… conveys more than just the look…”

Most valuable resources? “I was in an accelerator… and had access to Secret: a list of all discounts through different startup programs to cut down and save.”

The accelerator experience taught her the importance of community and practical cost-saving measures – lessons she’s applying to DINA’s lean approach.

DB Learn Connection

For Bintu, DB Learn fills a crucial gap in the founder ecosystem – access to diverse perspectives and practical frameworks.

“Getting different perspectives from different founders… core documents,” she explains, highlighting how the platform provides both community insights and actionable resources.

As someone who taught herself to code and navigated the transition from corporate AI adoption manager to startup founder, Bintu appreciates resources that bridge theory and practice. DB Learn’s focus on real-world tools aligns with her practical approach to building DINA without the fluff.

Conclusion

Looking ahead, Bintu envisions DINA helping both large and small companies gain genuine value from their AI investments.

“I would like to see tons of companies utilizing the platform, getting transparency with their AI adoption processes within their organization.”

Her approach is refreshingly direct: 

“No fluff. Show people that you are actually getting value.”

That philosophy – practical solutions over theoretical promises – defines both her approach to building DINA and her journey as a founder who’s learned to balance optimism with realism, community building with individual execution.

“This is the best time for people to build. You just have to be willing to put in the work.”