Spotlights

Meet Jake Mays. Founder & CEO of Aries Solutions.

Aries Solutions founder and CEO Jake Mays helps enterprises eliminate "monolith fatigue" by replacing outdated systems with modular architectures. Centered in Ohio, the firm uses AI to transform digital systems while leveraging the state's deep industrial talent.

Mays joined Ohio Tech News for a Q&A Leader Spotlight Series to talk about removing the uncertainty that often defines digital transformation for B2B, B2C, and D2C enterprises.

Name: Jake Mays

Title: Founder & CEO, Aries Solutions

Company: Aries Solutions

About Aries Solutions

Aries Solutions specializes in removing the uncertainty that often defines digital transformation for B2B, B2C, and D2C enterprises. We solve the pervasive problem of "monolith fatigue" by helping businesses transition from outdated, rigid systems to modern, composable architectures that are built to withstand shifting market trends. Whether we are providing a project “rescue" for a troubled implementation or acting as a pragmatic, hybrid extension of an internal team, our goal is to provide confident, strategic decision-making and the honest advice and technical knowledge required to empower our clients to own and evolve their platforms independently.

Role at Aries Solutions

I help enterprise brands ditch their clunky, outdated tech stack for a modular approach that means less downtime, lower risk, and the ability to execute on their roadmaps faster than ever before.

Q: What's a recent win, milestone, or launch you're proud of?

We take immense pride in a track record defined by reliability and pioneering leadership. The most meaningful win for our team is consistently hearing from our partners that they "couldn't have done this without us," a testament to our ability to deliver true transformation and move beyond the role of a traditional software vendor to that of a trusted ally.

Q: What are you building toward next? What should people keep an eye on?

Aries is building toward a future where we move beyond just technical delivery to become a premier high-value strategic partner for enterprise digital transformation. We are actively building out each of our Practices; as we advance, people should keep an eye on our expanding service capabilities.

All of this is happening with AI strategy at the center of driving efficiency and value for our customers.

On the Ohio Tech Ecosystem

Q: What makes Ohio's tech ecosystem unique compared to other regions?

What makes Ohio's tech ecosystem unique isn't the big manufacturing headlines — it's the people underneath them. The talent here came up through industry rather than software, which means engineers who know how physical things actually get built and shipped, not just deployed. There's also a stay-rate you don't see in a lot of places: people who grew up in the Midwest tend to want to raise families in the Midwest, and that creates a kind of continuity and institutional knowledge that's hard to manufacture elsewhere. It's a quieter advantage than the splashy investments, but I think it's the part that matters most long-term.

Q: What's the biggest opportunity you see in Ohio tech right now?

The biggest opportunity in Ohio tech right now is the massive convergence of AI infrastructure and industrial modernization. Our state is rapidly evolving from a future semiconductor site into the Midwest’s primary engine for AI power and Agentic enterprise software. The tech talent has been off the charts; these investments will just continue to pull in eyes from the rest of the country to realize it. As a company proudly located and hiring in central Ohio, I couldn’t be more excited about the talent I see around us to help us build.

Q: Who else in Ohio's tech scene should people know about?

I will pivot slightly and just say that, as companies are getting started in the tech space and building, I can’t imagine a better place to grow up than inside the CoHatch ecosystem for coworking and offices.