EP 272 - One Decision. Global Impact. | Guest: Rainier Mallol

When Dominican-born engineer-entrepreneur Rainier Mallol walked into Singularity University in 2015, he carried a single, under-lined word on the napkin he would eventually share with Paper Napkin Wisdom: Decision. That decision—to harness artificial intelligence against mosquito-borne diseases—launched AIME (Artificial Intelligence in Medical Epidemiology), a platform now credited with predicting dengue, Zika and chikungunya outbreaks up to three months in advance, with better than 85 % accuracy WikipediaInnovators Under 35. 

Since then Rainier has: 

• Been named to MIT Technology Review’s Innovators Under 35 list (2017) and Forbes 30 Under 30 (2019) for his public-health breakthroughs Innovators Under 35; 

• Served as Director of ICT for two Dominican Republic ministries, modernising nationwide data systems Wikipedia; 

• Pivoted to his new venture cxgenies, bringing the same AI rigour to customer-experience analytics. 

“At the end of the day it is you who controls your own destiny.” — Rainier Mallol, PNW 272 

That fierce ownership threads through our entire conversation. Rainier’s story reminds us that transformation rarely starts with vast resources or perfect timing. It starts with a single, courageous yes. 

 

From Classroom Prototype to Olympic-Level Tool 

Rainier reminisced about pitching AIME as a 14-week class project. Within a year the model was mapping disease clusters across Latin America and Southeast Asia. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, his system armed health officials with hyper-local risk maps in real time—a feat four scientists previously needed months to approximate. 

“We went from spreadsheets to an AI that did the work in three hours—and governments finally had clarity for their decisions.” — Rainier Mallol 

That result didn’t come from luck; it flowed from Rainier’s willingness to iterate in the field, sit with epidemiologists, and refine the algorithm until it earned institutional trust. The lesson for entrepreneurs is clear: breakthroughs live at the messy intersection of expertise, collaboration, and relentless testing. 

 

Purpose Over Pivots 

After scaling AIME, Rainier could have stayed in public health forever. Instead, he made another pivotal decision—apply his AI toolkit to customer-experience challenges. Why? Because solving human problems at scale, he argues, is “industry-agnostic.” Whether protecting communities from dengue or rescuing consumers from poor support journeys, the core discipline remains the same: 

Gather the right data → Model meaningful patterns → Deliver insights people can act on instantly. 

That through-line kept him resilient when procurement cycles stretched 14 months or political transitions froze contracts. Rainier’s advice: anchor yourself to a problem worth solving; pivots then become strategic evolutions, not existential crises. 

 

5 Key Takeaways & Action Steps 

1. A Single Decision Can Rewrite Your Trajectory Action: Identify one high-impact choice you’ve been postponing. Block 30 minutes today to commit, plan first steps, and email an accountability partner. 

2. Prototype in Real-World Sandboxes Action: Deploy a minimum viable version of your idea with one early-adopter client this month. Capture feedback, iterate, repeat. 

3. Translate Complex Data into Simple Decisions Action: Audit the dashboards your team uses. If a frontline manager can’t tell what to do next in under 60 seconds, redesign the visual or add a plain-language “So What” line. 

4. Purpose Outlasts Market Shifts Action: Write a 50-word purpose statement that focuses on the human problem you solve, not the product you sell. Review it before major strategy meetings. 

5. Own Your Destiny, but Build a Community Action: Schedule a monthly mastermind (virtual or live) with peers who challenge your thinking. Share wins, roadblocks, and decisions you’re wrestling with. 

 

What’s Your Napkin? 

Rainier’s journey began with three under-lined letters on a paper napkin. Grab one now—yes, an actual napkin—and jot the decision you know will change your life. Snap a photo, post it, and tag #PaperNapkinWisdom so our community can cheer you on. Remember: the future is shaped by the choices we ink today. 

Contact Rainier Mallol: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rainiermallol/