In 1997, Dan Michel began creating mental stimulation exercises to help his father, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. As Dan saw the positive effects these exercises had on his father, he began to make them more complex, and in 2002, he reached out to his friend, inventor and entrepreneur Jerry Robinson, who became a founding partner of Dakim, Inc.

In 2002, Dakim, Inc., opened its first corporate office in Dan’s garage. They produced their first prototype in 2003, on an Apple E-mac fitted with a touch-screen interface that Jerry designed. Encouraged by research indicating the effectiveness of cognitive training in preventing dementia, they began to seek funding and secured $3.5 million in seed money from angel investors in 2005.

That year, they moved to a new corporate office in Santa Monica, CA where they assembled the creative and technical teams who would help them develop the product. Several months later, as one of just 30 presenters, they introduced Dakim BrainFitness at the Tenth White House Conference. In 2006, they began offering the Dakim BrainFitness System to senior living centers with astounding success—two short years later, they were the #1 brain fitness brand in senior living.

With $10 million in equity funding from Galen Partners, they were able to expand the Dakim business and begin work on a home version for consumers. In 2010, they proudly introduced Dakim BrainFitness Software for PC and Mac users, making it possible for more than 70 million boomers and 36 million seniors living at home to enjoy the benefits of Dakim BrainFitness for the very first time.