Danica Damljanovic, CEO and Founder, Sentient Machines

Can machines tap into what you’re thinking or feeling? Dr. Danica Damljanovic, CEO and Founder of Sentient Machines, believes they can. With a PhD from Sheffield, Danica has transformed her groundbreaking work in sentiment analysis into a dynamic AI platform that’s empowering businesses to supercharge their customer interactions. 

“When I wrapped up my PhD, AI was just starting to make waves in the business world, but the tools were often clunky and labour-intensive, only available to big enterprises," Danica said. “I saw an opportunity to simplify things and create a game-changing product that delivers the power of AI in a way that’s accessible and impactful for businesses of all sizes.” 

In 2016, Danica teamed up with a fellow computer science PhD grad to launch Sentient Machines.  Fuelled by an Entrepreneur First fund and £500,000 in angel investment, the startup quickly gained traction, building a loyal customer base in the UK and Australia. “Our early customers loved our product, but when Covid hit, many call centres paused operations, and we faced a challenge. Instead of slowing down, we pivoted, diving into research that revealed a massive demand for our platform in regulated industries like finance. That was our turning point.” 

"This reinvention led to partnerships with industry giants like Zendesk, Genesys, Verint, and LivePerson, propelling Sentient Machines’ innovative platform onto the global stage through their marketplaces. With 25 cutting-edge AI algorithms analysing sentiment across 300 criteria, the platform is marketed as a plug-and-play powerhouse, enabling businesses to monitor customer interactions in real time, spotting compliance issues, and empowering agents to shine."

In August 2024, Danica and her young family moved to Jersey. “Digital Jersey helped us set up our business here and made our move smooth and easy. One of the first introductions Digital Jersey made was to Santander International. My relationship manager at Santander International has been a superstar, going beyond banking to make key introductions and help us settle into this vibrant community. The Santander Work Café in St. Helier is my go-to spot—it’s buzzing with energy, perfect for meetings, or just grabbing a coffee and connecting with inspiring people.”  

Through Santander, Danica also joined a transformative leadership program, mentoring women in tech, which has helped her see the vast potential her business could have.  

“The heart of our success is our product’s ability to deliver razor-sharp, tailored insights that surprise and empower our clients. Every business we work with uncovers new insights about their customers, and that’s what drives us—it’s revolutionary for their business operations, customer service and compliance. With FSQS registration and military-grade security we’re ready to scale up and expand our worldwide reach into 99 languages, all from our dynamic base in Jersey.”