We Know the mission. now, we're building the tools.
We’ve lived it—now we’re building for it.
As veterans, engineers, and project managers, we've lived through the challenges of service life. From relocation between bases, to dealing with trauma, grief and disconnection after a deployment. Our flagship product Lantrn is a private, intuitive AI companion designed specifically for those who've served. Lantrn's primary function is to help navigate trauma, transition, and the everyday weight of military life. We've committed our efforts to a focus that is twofold:
- Creating emotionally intelligent AI systems
- Delivering simple, scalable platforms that make lives better
our values:
- Precision with empathy
- Mission-aligned engineering
- Always private. Always secure.
- Veteran-led innovation
ABOUT
Founded by veteran Derrick Moten from Richmond, Virginia, TENK Enterprise started as an audio technology company to advance the way we hear music. After he graduated Full Sail University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Audio Production, he was ready to take his talents to the entertainment industry. What started out as a plan to pursue his passionate love of music quickly turned into a mission riddled with episodes of P.T.S.D. and struggles maintaining friendships due to constantly being uprooted from one duty station to another. Derrick knew he needed to realign his focus and do something proactive to help veterans and active-duty service members who struggle with the same uphill battle.
Garnet Ashe is the founder of Lantrn, an AI-powered companion built to support veterans and make emotional clarity more accessible. Originally from Virginia and now based in Georgia, Garnet works at the intersection of human needs and intelligent systems. Guided by a desire to help people and fix the kind s of problems they shouldn't have to live with, Lantrn began as a personal curiosity and became a mission to build technology that genuinely supports the people that need it most.
Together, Derrick and Garnet bring a rare synergy to the heart of TENK. Derrick's firsthand military experience and relentless drive to serve the veteran community blend seamlessly with Garnet's visionary approach to emotional intelligence and AI-driven support. Their combined strengths have shaped a business model that not only understands the unique struggles of veterans but is also equipped with the technological precision to address them. Through this partnership, Lantrn stands as the ultimate product to guide servicemembers through their mental health journey with trust accessibility, and purpose.