Curiosity Over Credentials: How Michael Dominick Turns Constraints Into Useful Tech
Michael Dominick built The Mad Botter Inc. by blending curiosity with hands-on problem solving. Before launching the company, he spent years experimenting with smartphone development-pushing new tools into uncomfortable places to see what breaks and what works. That habit of testing and building laid the groundwork for a business focused on automation and AI-driven platforms that modernize legacy systems without chaos.
From Apps to Aircraft
Dominick started as a freelance smartphone developer and grew into contracting for military and industrial applications. His team's standout project integrated a smartphone directly into an aircraft as a rear warning radar-the Gryphon Radar-hooked into the plane's systems. That's a lesson creatives know well: constraints force original solutions.
Alice: Bridging Old Systems With Modern Platforms
The company's platform, Alice, reflects a bias for practical creativity. Its goal is straightforward-move data from legacy systems into modern cloud setups or open-source hosting without downtime or expensive overhauls. "The core pitch of Alice is helping organizations move legacy data into modern systems without full rip-and-replace overhauls that could lead to outages. We bring old and new systems together in a way that actually works," Dominick says.
If you're a creative building products, that's a core pattern worth studying. Think incremental change, not chaos. It echoes the strangler fig pattern: evolve the system piece by piece while the old one keeps running.
Brand With Personality (So People Remember)
Dominick has a degree in English literature, and it shows in the names: The Mad Botter and Alice. Most tech brands default to something safe and forgettable. He chose names people remember, on purpose. That's a creative edge-your work stands out before anyone sees the features.
Small Team, High Stakes
The Mad Botter runs lean and tight. They work in spaces where downtime isn't an option-defense, construction, and now agriculture, including hydroponics-building tools that actually adapt to how people work. The through-line: make useful things, then keep them stable when the pressure is on.
Coder Radio: Building Signal, Not Noise
Dominick also hosts Coder Radio, now in its 14th year, featuring conversations with startups and leaders from major tech companies. Topics range from AI-driven networking to workflow optimization. The show doubles as a feedback loop-ideas from listeners and guests inform products, and the products give the audience something real to talk about.
What's Next for Alice
The roadmap is clear: expand hardware support and add more data integrations. "We want to make sure Alice continues to help organizations stay ahead of the curve while keeping what already works in place," he says. That's a creative principle in plain sight-build for the future, respect what still works.
Creative Takeaways You Can Use This Week
- Prototype under pressure: pick a constraint (budget, time, old tools) and ship something small that works.
- Bridge, don't bulldoze: integrate new ideas with what your clients or audience already use. Reduce risk, increase trust.
- Name with intent: choose brand language people remember. Personality beats generic every time.
- Publish your process: a podcast, newsletter, or weekly post can become a deal-flow machine and a testing ground for ideas.
- Design for reliability: creativity isn't just novel; it's dependable. If it breaks often, people won't use it.
Why This Matters for Creatives
Dominick shows that creativity isn't just aesthetics-it's systems thinking. He finds opportunity where most see friction, then ships something useful. "If you focus on connecting the pieces, the results tend to surprise you," he says. That's where real innovation sneaks in.
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