CLEVELAND, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Graici proudly announces that Founder and CEO Stephen McHale has been recognized as a recipient of the prestigious 2026 Dealmakers of the Year Award, presented by Smart Business Dealmakers. The award honors business leaders whose vision, innovation, and strategic execution are creating meaningful impact across industries and communities.
McHale was recognized among an accomplished group of executives and entrepreneurs whose work is shaping the future of business through transformative growth, innovation, and leadership. For McHale, the recognition reflects not only the success of Graici, but also a commitment to solving complex societal challenges through technology that empowers people.
“Steve McHale stood out as one of this year’s Dealmaker of the Year honorees because he’s not chasing the AI headline — he’s using it to solve problems that actually matter. Graici is focused on health, education, employment, and social services, and Steve brings the same rigor to those sectors that you’d expect from any serious dealmaker working in high-stakes markets. When someone can raise meaningful capital and stay true to a mission that hard, that’s worth recognizing. That’s what this award is about.”
— Dustin S. Klein, Chief Content Officer, Smart Business Dealmakers
The recognition comes at a pivotal time for Graici as the company continues to advance its vision of data empowerment – helping individuals take ownership of their personal information so they can confidently access opportunities, services, and resources that impact their lives. Central to that vision is the strategy of data liberation: freeing personal information from fragmented systems and putting it back into the hands of the people it belongs to.
At the heart of Graici’s platform is a practical solution to a widespread challenge: navigating complex systems that require fragmented information spread across multiple sources. Through its secure Data Wallet, Graici acquires, organizes, and manages personal information in one place, simplifying processes that often create barriers to care and support. One example is Medicaid renewal, where Graici reduces individuals’ cognitive burden through pre-populated forms, making the process faster, easier, while reducing system level administrative burden.
“Owning one’s data can activate agency and confidence for a person enabling them to navigate and acquire resources that are often viewed as out of reach….. or untenable.”
— Steve McHale, Founder & CEO, Graici
As Graici continues to expand its work across healthcare, we’re focussed on SNAP and Childcare benefits in our next release. The company remains focused on a simple but transformative idea: when people have control over their data, they gain greater confidence, agency, and access to opportunities that can improve their lives and the communities they live in.
About Graici
Graici is an AI-powered Personal Assistant that securely acquires and organizes personal data. By empowering users to leverage their information with confidence, Graici is shaping the future of data empowerment. .
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SOURCE Graici
