Operationalizing Institutional Memory

The Team Turning Tacit Knowledge Into National Security Infrastructure

When Xiaoyue Wei and Jared Canty joined Hacking for Defense in Winter 2025, they were looking for something real. Their assigned problem, sourced from the Air Force procurement team at Hanscom AFB, hit that mark. Procurement officers were overwhelmed, turnover was high, and critical institutional knowledge was walking out the door.

Their initial prototype used gamification to boost onboarding engagement. But as Xiaoyue dug deeper, she met two undergrads, Sawiros and Feras, building an AI tool to extract the kind of deep, experiential insight that never makes it into SOPs. And, instead of going separate ways, they joined forces.

Then came Jay Parrish, a former Green Beret with 13 years in the Army and firsthand experience with the cost of knowledge loss. He had taken H4D the year prior. He became the bridge between battlefield need and technical execution.

Together, they formed Aldun: a dual-use startup building a platform to capture, codify, and operationalize institutional memory, starting with defense.

The team is small but sharp:

• Xiaoyue is the glue; strategic, humble, and relentlessly mission-focused.

• Jared brings computational fluency and now leads subprojects within the engineering stack.

• Sawiros and Feras laid the original technical foundation and continue to evolve the product.

• Jay Parrish serves as strategist and translator, bridging user needs and policy realities.

And, for all of them, H4D was the launchpad:

• “This is what grad school should be. Real stakes, real growth.” (Sawiros)

• “H4D gave me the confidence to keep building.” (Jared)

• “You don’t have to wear a uniform to serve. Start here.” (Jay)

What’s Next?

Today, Aldun is sprinting toward real-world pilots, with plans to test its DoD-focused product this summer. They’re applying for SBIR grants, refining their dual-use strategy, and preparing to raise capital. Their mission may have started in a classroom, but it’s ending in the field.

The team is still small. The challenge is still enormous. But with the right people, the right framework, and the right push at the right time, they’re proving what’s possible.