Balan Ayyar

Founder and CEO

Balan Ayyar is the Founder and CEO of Percipient.ai, a Silicon Valley-based artificial intelligence and computer vision firm focused on national security missions. The company’s Mirage™ platform is the leading integrated vision platform for intelligence analysis and Constant Integrated Awareness™. 

Balan is a seasoned CEO and a retired General Officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). Before founding Percipient.ai, he served as the CEO of a high-growth technology services firm with revenues exceeding $100 million. His last military role was as the Commanding General of the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force 435 in Kabul, Afghanistan. 

Throughout his career, Balan has served in four combatant commands and held various significant positions, including Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Commander of the USAF Recruiting Service, and a White House Fellow. He is notable for being the first Indian American General Officer in the U.S. Armed Forces and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Balan has received several distinguished awards, including the Legion of Merit, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Bronze Star, as well as the NAACP’s Meritorious Service Award. He is married to his college sweetheart, Kristin, and they have three beautiful children.