UCSD - University of California - San Diego

03/02/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/02/2026 16:35

Rewriting Reentry: How UC San Diego Student Is Building a Future with SaaS

Published Date

March 02, 2026
Asencio's work has involved a range of UC San Diego supporters, including mentorship with bioengineering and data science associate professor Benjamin Smarr and data science graduate fellow Conan Minihan.

University of California San Diego international business student and small business owner Pablo Asencio is transforming his own reentry journey into a Software as a Service (SaaS) startup pipeline, launching projects like iCipherthat use artificial intelligence and data tools to serve justice-impacted communities and the wider public. Asencio is building a business that both powers his future and opens doors for others.

Asencio's work has involved a range of UC San Diego supporters, including mentorship with bioengineering and data science associate professor Benjamin Smarr and data science graduate fellow Conan Minihan. His academic journey has also been shaped by Triton Underground Scholars (TUS), led by Shawn Khalifa within the Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS). TUS strengthens persistence and degree completion for formerly incarcerated and system-impacted students and supports their successful reintegration into the campus community..

Asencio's SaaS startup and iCipher

"Thanks to a great deal of support from the UC San Diego community, I am growing my SaaS business that leverages cloud-hosted software accessed via the internet - rather than installed on local machines," Asencio said. "One of my first major projects is iCipher, a justice-focused collaboration that uses cell-phone and financial data to help clarify where someone actually was during an alleged crime, providing a powerful tool for legal defense, to increase the accuracy and speed of fact-checking."

Through iCipher, Asencio said that he applies AI and prompt-engineering skills by using tools like VercelI for frontend web development and Anthropic for backend development. This work sits alongside a health-focused app called Aralan, together showcasing how a startup led by a formerly incarcerated founder can deploy modern AI to drive social impact while building sustainable, cloud-based products.

From justice-impacted to tech builder

Asencio's journey with Minihan began in San Diego County Jail around 2011 and continued when they reconnected as UC San Diego students, where both pushed past stigma to pursue education and a different future. After Asencio's release in March 2022, he faced steep barriers in job searches because of his felony record, but he stayed focused on developing technical skills that could translate into meaningful work and community impact.

He also faced barriers from spending years away from technology, but says thanks to large language models (LLMs) he was able to leap frog years of programming and machine learning classes by interacting directly with AIs like Anthropic's Claude. Asencio said that he turned to AI and data science, learning data and prompt engineering and coding so he could build products like iCipher and Aralan rather than wait for traditional employment opportunities. These projects now anchor his SaaS business model: cloud-delivered tools designed to tackle real-world problems in criminal justice, health and international business.

HDSI, Triton Underground Scholars and AI education

Asencio's trajectory is tightly connected to UC San Diego's School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences (SCIDS)' Halıcıoğlu Data Science Institute (HDSI), where Minihan worked with Triton Underground Scholars for an Education for Empowerment workshop in the Fall of 2025. Asencio was a panelist at the event's San Diego Reentry Roundtable and discussed how opportunities at UC San Diego have helped change his trajectory and assisted him in building AI tools - like iCipher- that serve others.

Minihan, himself a first-generation and formerly incarcerated college graduate and now an HDSI doctoral student, is also working on a curriculum to empower justice-system-impacted learners who have historically faced stark barriers to success in technology. Within that broader ecosystem of support, campus partners such as Triton Underground Scholars offer mentorship, scholarships, peer support and a pathway into UC San Diego for incarcerated, formerly incarcerated as well as those impacted by the justice system - helping participants like Asencio translate technical training into long-term academic and professional opportunity.

University of California San Diego Associate Professor Benjamin Smarr

​Professor Smarr's role and broader mission

Smarr, who teaches in both HDSI and the Shu Chien-Gen Lay Department of Bioengineering within the Jacobs School of Engineering, frames this work within a broader mission of empowering people and society through data science. Smarr highlights collaborations with student-centered efforts such as Triton Underground Scholars, as examples of how campus partnerships enable educational opportunities that directly address inequities, such as those facing formerly incarcerated students.

Mindset, education and community impact

Asencio's story is rooted in a personal philosophy of "moving forward and growth," developed through years of education and self-reflection during and after incarceration. While incarcerated, he immersed himself in learning, joined Cal Fire as a firefighter in a role centered on courage and public service, and ultimately earned a bachelor's degree in psychology to deepen his understanding of human behavior and resilience.

Today, as a UC San Diego international business student, SaaS founder and motivational speaker, Asencio integrates AI literacy, data skills and mindset work into classrooms, community spaces and business meetings across San Diego. He is especially active in community-based education programs for at-risk youth and justice-impacted individuals navigating reentry. He emphasizes what technology, education and a growth mindset can do - and reminds others of the opportunities that can be unlocked from campus resources such as Triton Underground Scholars, and supportive professors, even to those who have been systemically excluded.

Learn more about research and education at UC San Diego in: Artificial Intelligence

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