When Industry Experience Meets AI: How Arthur Runno is Transforming Government Contracting

From executive leadership to pioneering entrepreneur, Arthur Runno is revolutionizing the government contracting landscape with his AI-powered vision at Turingon. In today's Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur Spotlight, we dive into the journey of someone who traded corporate stability for the challenge of building something truly transformative. With nearly two decades of experience winning billions in government contracts, Arthur's story illustrates the power of recognizing an industry problem and having the courage to build the solution yourself.

Hi, Arthur! Thanks for joining us today. Tell us about your business. Who do you serve, how do you serve them, and what's the impact that your business and work makes?

Turingon is a generative AI company focused on transforming the way government contractors approach proposal development and business growth. Our flagship product, Proposal Pilot, streamlines and automates the complex, time-consuming process of writing government proposals, ensuring compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARS) while enhancing efficiency and accuracy.

We primarily serve government contractors, from small businesses to large primes, who are navigating the highly competitive federal contracting space. By leveraging AI, we help them write faster, bid smarter, and win more—reducing proposal development time from weeks to hours and allowing them to focus on strategic growth rather than administrative burdens.

The impact of our work is profound. Government contracting is a trillion-dollar industry, but outdated processes and inefficiencies make it challenging for businesses—especially small and disadvantaged firms—to compete. Turingon is changing that by leveling the playing field, giving businesses of all sizes access to cutting-edge technology that improves their competitiveness, increases their win rates, and ultimately drives innovation and efficiency in how the government procures goods and services.

Tell us about the moment you finally felt like you went from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur.

For me, the shift from wantrepreneur to entrepreneur wasn’t a single “aha” moment—it was the realization that I had fully committed to building something real, with no safety net.

I’ve spent nearly two decades in government contracting, leading proposals that won billions of dollars in contracts. I knew the industry’s pain points intimately, and I had a vision for how AI could revolutionize the space. But for years, I was the person helping other companies grow rather than building something of my own.

The turning point came when I left a high-paying, stable executive role to launch my own company. I walked away from comfort, knowing that success wasn’t guaranteed. That first moment of signing a lease for our office, onboarding our initial team, and watching our technology go from concept to reality—that was when I felt like I had truly made the leap.

The biggest difference between a wantrepreneur and an entrepreneur isn’t just having an idea; it’s executing, taking risks, and being willing to bet on yourself. Once I was all in, there was no looking back.

Describe the moment or period in your life/career that motivated you to make the entrepreneurial leap.

The moment that pushed me to take the entrepreneurial leap wasn’t just one event—it was a culmination of years of seeing inefficiencies in the government contracting industry and realizing that no one else was solving them the right way.

I spent nearly two decades leading proposal teams and securing billion-dollar contracts for companies. Over time, I saw the same struggles across the industry: proposal writing was slow, manual, and plagued by inefficiencies. AI had the potential to revolutionize the process, but existing solutions weren’t built by people who truly understood the nuances of government contracting. I knew I could do it better.

The final push came when I looked at my own career trajectory. I had reached a point where I could either continue helping other companies grow or build something of my own. I knew that if I didn’t take the risk now, I might never do it. So I made the leap—leaving behind a comfortable executive salary, launching Turingon, and betting everything on my ability to bring real innovation to this space.

Entrepreneurship is about conviction. I believed in what I was building, I knew there was demand for it, and I wasn’t willing to wait for someone else to do it first.

Describe a tool, service, or software that has been a game-changer for your business. How does it contribute to your success?

Slack has been an absolute game-changer for Turingon. As a fast-moving AI startup with team members working across different locations, we needed a communication tool that would keep us connected, responsive, and aligned—Slack does exactly that.

We use Slack for real-time collaboration, whether it’s quick decision-making, troubleshooting technical issues, or discussing customer feedback. It keeps our conversations fluid and efficient, reducing the need for endless emails and keeping the team in sync throughout the day.

One of the biggest advantages has been integrations—we’ve connected Slack with HubSpot, Notion, and GitHub, so we get instant updates on everything from customer interactions to development progress. Our AI engineers and product team can quickly address issues, and sales can loop in technical support when needed.

Beyond productivity, Slack also helps maintain company culture. Startups can be intense, but having a space for casual conversations, quick wins, and shared insights makes a huge difference. Whether it’s celebrating milestones, sharing industry news, or dropping the occasional meme, Slack keeps the team engaged and motivated.

In short, Slack is the glue that keeps our team aligned and moving fast—it’s not just a messaging tool, it’s our real-time command center for growing Turingon.

We know that success is very often a non-linear path. Tell us about a failure, pivot point, or lesson that changed your course or direction and helped to get you where you are today.

One of the biggest lessons in my entrepreneurial journey came when my first government contracting business faced an unexpected collapse. We had secured $3 million in contracts, everything was lined up for growth, and then, within 60 days, every single contract was canceled due to insourcing—the government decided to bring the work in-house instead of outsourcing it.

It was a tough blow, but it reinforced a critical truth: in government contracting, uncertainty is part of the game. Policy changes, shifting budgets, and agency priorities can reshape the landscape overnight. The companies that succeed long-term are the ones that anticipate these shifts and build resilience into their strategy.

That experience pushed me to think differently about risk and sustainability in this space. It’s not just about winning contracts—it’s about structuring your business to withstand the ups and downs of the procurement cycle. That means diversifying opportunities, strengthening relationships, staying agile in your approach, and leveraging technology to remain competitive.

With Turingon, I took those lessons to heart. We’re building AI-driven solutions that give government contractors a competitive edge—helping them respond faster, bid smarter, and navigate the unpredictable nature of contracting with confidence. Our goal isn’t to replace the human expertise that makes great proposals—it’s to empower businesses with technology that helps them adapt and thrive, no matter how the landscape shifts.

That failure was painful, but it shaped how I approach business today. It reinforced the importance of resilience, strategic planning, and using the right tools to stay ahead in government contracting.

What unconventional strategy did you employ that significantly impacted your business?

A key strategic decision we made at Turingon—one that’s often unconventional in the tech world—was intentionally choosing not to take outside funding in the early stages.

In the startup ecosystem, the default path is often to raise capital as quickly as possible. But for us, preserving equity, control, and long-term strategic direction was more important than rapid scaling at any cost. By bootstrapping in the early days, we were able to focus entirely on building a great product and proving market demand without external pressures to grow in ways that might not have been right for our business.

This approach gave us the flexibility to prioritize product development, refine our AI models, and engage deeply with early adopters—without being forced into artificial timelines set by investors. It also meant that when we did start conversations with potential backers, we had a stronger negotiating position because we had already built real traction.

Of course, this strategy came with challenges. Bootstrapping means tighter budgets and a more measured growth trajectory. But in our case, it allowed us to build a business on our own terms, ensuring that we were solving the right problems for government contractors rather than chasing short-term investor expectations.

As we move forward, we’re open to the right strategic partners—but only in a way that aligns with our vision and long-term success. Turingon isn’t just another startup trying to raise the biggest round possible—we’re focused on building sustainable, impactful solutions for the government contracting industry.

What’s something you wish you knew sooner that you’d give as advice for aspiring or newer entrepreneurs?

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned—and something I wish I had known sooner—is that your first customers are more valuable than any investor.

In the startup world, there’s a lot of emphasis on raising money. It’s easy to think that securing outside funding is the ultimate validation of a great business. But the reality is, funding doesn’t mean product-market fit—customers do.

When we started Turingon, we made the intentional decision to prioritize solving real problems for government contractors rather than chasing early investment. Instead of spending time pitching to VCs, we focused on building a product that businesses actually wanted to use. That approach not only helped us refine our solution based on real-world feedback, but it also gave us the strongest form of validation—customers willing to adopt our technology.

For any entrepreneur, the best proof that your business works is getting someone to pay for it. A startup’s goal isn’t just to raise money; it’s to create something valuable. Investors may come and go, but if you have paying customers, you have leverage, sustainability, and a foundation for long-term success.

If I could give one piece of advice to new entrepreneurs, it’s this: obsess over your customers, not investors. Solve their problems, deliver value, and build relationships. When you do that, the rest—growth, funding, and success—will follow.

Want to dive deeper into Arthur's work? Check out Turingon's website turingon.com