Podcast appearances and mentions of Daisy Intelligence

There seems to be truly no limit to what artificial intelligence is capable of doing. One of the best examples of this is Canadian startup Daisy Intelligence, which works primarily with retailers and insurers to make automated decisions that don't require having a human in the loop. It's what founder and CEO Gary Saarenvirta likes to call “Explainable Decisions as a Service.” Gary joined startup coach Roland Siebelink on the newest episode of the Midstage Startup Momentum Podcast to share what “Explainable Decisions as a Service” means and why he doesn't like the term artificial intelligence. He also talked about his journey to becoming a founder and Daisy's progress thus far. Why Daisy feels the need to explain its AI decisions to customers. How to target multiple industries in the go-to-market. What it's like having a global go-to-market in a competitive space. Why Daisy should have tried to become profitable sooner. Why startups need the right product if they want to burn cash. Navigating a product's users being different from those choosing to buy it.

OUT NOW! Listen to our newest episode of the #CloudNClear podcast featuring Gary Saarenvirta, CEO, Daisy Intelligence, one of our Canadian-based customers that specializes in autonomous #machinelearning and #AI platforms that transform #retail and #insurance operations. Tony Safoian, CEO, SADA joins as host once again to ask Gary some questions about his background and the company's transformation journey over the past 18 years. Learn more about how Daisy Intelligence is delivering optimized #merchandiseplanning and #riskmanagement to their customers, and how they leverage the partnership between SADA and #GoogleCloud to accelerate automation in the #retailindustry and #insuranceindustry.   Host: Tony Safoian Guests: Gary Saarenvirta   Connect on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cloudnclear https://twitter.com/SADA https://twitter.com/safoian   Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sada https://www.linkedin.com/in/safoian/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/garysaarenvirta/

The former head of IBM Canada’s data mining and data warehousing practices, Gary is passionate about AI and its ability to transform how retailers grow their businesses and establish an edge in an increasingly challenging and competitive environment. Under Gary’s leadership, Daisy has established a track record of delivering verifiable financial outcomes for a rapidly growing list of global clients. Gary holds a B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Today’s guest, Gary Saarenvirta, has been thinking deeply about AI long before the current hype. Having worked in the AI space for over 25 years, Gary was shocked at how little math and science was used in big business, and founded Daisy Intelligence to fill this glaring gap. Daisy is a SaaS AI-powered platform that helps retailers and insurers achieve higher profits by helping them make smarter operating decisions. In this episode, Gary sheds light on some of Daisy’s product offerings and the specific ways they increase profitability. As someone with an engineering background, Gary always focused on the technical side of things, but with the growth of the business, he has become increasingly aware of the value of people and culture. We talk about various ways that Daisy looks after their team, including flexible remote working options during COVID and mentoring programs. Gary himself has seen the value of having a coach, and he shares how this has helped him grow as a leader. Along with this, we discuss why Daisy’s technology is uniquely differentiated and how they use optimal control thinking to ensure their software stands out. Gary believes that by making businesses more efficient, through autonomous enterprise, it will not only reduce product costs but decrease the cost of living generally. We wrap the show up by hearing some of Gary’s must read books as well as why being a small company that has productized AI has helped them attract top talent. Don't miss out! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:21] Before we jump into today’s interview, please rate, review, and subscribe to the Leveling Up Podcast! [00:45] Learn more about Gary and his background, and his company, Daisy Intelligence. [01:48] Some of Daisy Intelligence’s current clients including, Walmart Canada and Allianz. [02:08] How Gary walked into the idea for Daisy after a stint in the corporate world. [03:48] Hear about how Daisy makes money as a SaaS platform and their pricing structure. [05:19] Some numbers related to Daisy, including employees, growth rates, and more. [06:49] What Gary has learned about the importance of culture as Daisy has grown.  [07:43] Specific tools and resources Gary has used to build company culture. [08:56] The ways that Daisy has taken care of their employees.  [10:22] How coaches have helped Gary grow as a leader and what’s been effective for him. [11:22] What optimal control is and how it’s helped Daisy to their $5.5 million ARR.  [13:06] Why making companies more efficient is one of Gary’s main motivators. [13:43] The time it took for Daisy to reach product-market fit. [16:30] How Daisy stayed afloat for 12 years before getting VC finance in 2015. [17:59] Gary’s favorite business tools and why he enjoys looking at cashflow. [18:42] Must read books that Gary recommends and other resources he consumes. [20:06] Bonus question: How Daisy manages to recruit such high-talent people.    Resources From The Interview:   Gary Saarenvirta on LinkedIn Daisy Intelligence Walmart Canada Green Shield Canada Allianz IBM Geoffrey Hinton Play Bigger QuickBooks Salesforce Patrick Lencioni Ideal Team Player TensorFlow Must read books: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, The Advantage,Built to Last, Good to Great   Leave Some Feedback:   What should I talk about next? Who should I interview? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review here Subscribe to Leveling Up on iTunes Get the non-iTunes RSS Feed   Connect with Eric Siu:    Growth Everywhere Single Grain Eric Siu on Twitter

Gary Saarenvirta, founder/CEO of Daisy Intelligence, is recognized as one of North America’s preeminent authorities on artificial intelligence. Gary is a passionate evangelist for the application of A.I. and reinforcement learning in strategic merchandising decisions. He’s not afraid to challenge the status quo when it comes to the advantages of deep learning over traditional approaches to data mining and analysis, both in speed and precision. Gary’s 25+ years of experience includes managing the analytics practice at LoyaltyConsulting Group and leading IBM’s analytics and data warehousing practice areas. He entered the workforce with an aerospace engineering degree (so yes, he’s even a trained rocket scientist). Today, his focus lies in making A.I. an indispensable tool for data-driven businesses. Using autonomous machine intelligence, Daisy helps global organizations drive revenue and profit growth by transforming massive quantities of consumer data into better and smarter business decisions. Daisy specializes in retail merchandising solutions and insurance fraud detection. For retailers, Daisy’s A.I. platform transforms a massive amount of transactional data to do promotional product mix and price mix optimization while taking into account cannibalization,forward-buying, stock-outs, and more. Gary joins me on Tech Talks Daily to talk about driving growth for retailers and insurance companies through enterprise A.I. technology. We discuss how global retailers and insurance companies are often drowning in data, yet struggling to gain any practical insight from this ever-growing pool of data -- inside of which lies the keys to creating a better customer experience and significantly better financial results.

Gary Saarenvirta is the founder and CEO of Daisy Intelligence, a Canadian based startup looking to become the biggest artificial intelligence company in the world. They use AI to help retail businesses to analyze all their data and make better promotional and pricing decisions and insurance companies to quickly and accurately discover fraud and manage risk. Recently they raised $10 Million CAD in a series A funding to keep growing their company and develop new features to their software. Daisy Intelligence uses a branch of AI called reinforcement learning and their patent-pending Theory of Retail™ to be truly different in the marketplace and on the cutting edge of the category management revolution. Their unique approach is the first of its kind in the marketplace and will significantly help businesses grow in the competitive retail landscape. Gary Saarenvirta is the former head of IBM Canada’s data mining and data warehouse practices, he’s very passionate about AI and its ability to transform how retailers grow their businesses and establish an edge in an increasingly challenging and competitive environment. Click here to get resources and more info on this interview: https://www.rodrigoflamenco.com/gary-saarenvirta/ About Rodrigo Flamenco: Rodrigo flamenco started in a third world Country called El Salvador in Central America with no idea how to do businesses earning $600 a month on an IT job while on a $20K+ debt. After taking a couple of courses he decided to start his own business called Epic Web Studio, which ended working with many big international brands and over 18+ countries all over the world. About Level Up! Your Business, Life & Mind: Level Up! is a series of interviews featuring successful professionals from all over the world who are making a mark in their lives and others and finding out how they did it so you can learn from the very best. Our interviews will be focused on finding out their principles, strategies, mindsets, habits and tools that you can use and implement in your business, life and mind to get to the next level of your goals. Join Our Business Community! http://www.rodrigoflamenco.com/ SUBSCRIBE! http://www.framefreakstudio.com/youtube Podcast: https://www.rodrigoflamenco.com/podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodrigoeFlamenco/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodrigoeflamenco/ Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodrigoflamenco/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RodrigoFlamenco If you want to see better quality of videos please support us by becoming our Patron and help us bring you more amazing videos. https://www.rodrigoflamenco.com/patreon --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/level-up-business/message

We know Artificial Intelligence can help with decision making, but can it help in a crisis that we’ve never seen before like what we’re experiencing with COVID-19? In this episode, we talked to Gary Saarenvirta of Daisy Intelligence, which uses machine intelligence to help retailers and insurance companies use data to make better and smarter business decisions. We talked about how companies can still use data when random events like COVID-19 happen. We also talked about what innovation means in the retail space, and how companies can make changes now that will set them up for a long term future, plus so much more. Here is the official breakdown: 8:10 - We learn what Daisy Intelligence does, and how their technology is transforming the retail industry 13:10 - How does AI work when it comes to a black swan event like what we’re currently seeing in our current economy? Can this be predicted, and can companies utilize data to actually thrive in a moment like this? 11:15 - Are data modeling and AI the same thing (as they are many times interchanged terms) and if not, understanding the difference between the two? 15:58 - What’s the competitive edge for Daisy Intelligence customer’s when it comes to utilizing predictive analytics, and what kind of return can they see by being able to pivot based on this data? 17:30 - As we see a world-wide spread of changes, can this same data be used to not just optimize results, but predict results. 18:50 - As things begin to settle out of this increase in retail sales, what can companies do to make sure the fall of sales isn’t so drastic? 23:40 - When it comes to being able to implement a high-tech solution like Daisy’s, can small companies consider being able to add something like this to their work flow? 25:50 - In addition to cost, what kind of man power does it take to implement something like this? 28:30 - Are un-organized companies doomed in being able to take advantage of machine intelligence? 31:50 - Is Moore’s Law dead? Can this level of power continue to grow at the rate we’ve become used to? 31:36 - Many people fear AI because they feel that it will take away jobs. Is this true? And if not, how does AI actually benefit a workforce? 35:10 - What are the risks for a company when they’re just focusing on profitability? 37:58 - How can retailers actually focus on innovating, and how can AI intelligence help them  get there? 40:20 - When it comes to AI, why is 95% accuracy not a very impressive number? 45:10 - Will events like we’ve recently seen help retailers finally wake-up to the fact that they must invest in technology?

Gary Saarenvirta (Saren-verta) is founder and CEO of Daisy Intelligence a preeminent authority on artificial intelligence. The former head of IBM Canada’s data mining and data warehousing practices, Gary is passionate about AI and its ability to transform how retailers grow their businesses and establish an edge in an increasingly challenging and competitive environment. Under Gary’s leadership, Daisy has established a track record of delivering verifiable financial outcomes for a rapidly growing list of global clients. Golden nuggets: Start with Vision & Mission Be able to sell your idea or product Keys to success: Perseverance Passion Transparency Actionable tip: Learn the key financial aspects of your business Inspiration: “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago” ― Warren Buffet Connect with Gary LinkedIn | Web| Email Connect with Enterprise NOW! LinkedIn | Web | Email

Gary Saarenvirta is the founder and CEO of Daisy Intelligence. Gary is a technical CEO who built the original software behind Daisy. His math and science background allowed him to launch an AI-based company, way back before it was a well known part of the technology industry. Rather than chasing the revered exit, he discusses growing a big brand - a company that sits up top with the Googles of the world. In this episode, Gary discusses what AI actually is to him and to Daisy - he believes defining AI is important so that customers know exactly what to expect. Gary has funded Daisy with revenues until 2015, when he set out to raise capital from angel and investor networks. He shares the Canadian government programs available to founders, as well. Daisy creates raw, artificial intelligence software and he shares all this company has built over the past 15+ years in business.Support the show (https://www.floatorfounder.com/our-sponsors.html)

In this episode of the SuperDataScience Podcast, I chat with founder and CEO at Daisy Intelligence, Gary Saarenvirta. You'll learn about dangerous implicit assumptions, the power of theory and theory versus data. You'll also learn about two types of decisions, the spacial interaction model, traffic flow model, the concept of dividing the world in two and what humans should be doing, and what artificial intelligence should be doing. You will hear about the difference between artificial intelligence that leverages just data versus artificial intelligence that leverages theory and data, and what advantages that creates. If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes, resources, and more at www.superdatascience.com/291

Often times, people get caught up in technology for technology’s sake. But we should really be using technology more strategically to help us do one thing: make better decisions. With 25 years of experience, Gary Saarenvirta, Founder and CEO of Daisy Intelligence, is an expert at doing exactly that — implementing technology to help companies make better decisions. Daisy is focused on delivering AI powered technology that helps retailers make decisions that drive higher sales and profits. Gary came on the latest episode of AI:IRL to talk about the work he’s doing at Daisy, how you can leverage AI to make better decisions, and why we should view AI as augmenting human capabilities instead of replacing them.  

One of North America’s preeminent authorities on artificial intelligence, Gary has over 25 years’ experience working with leading global corporations to deliver revenue and profit growth. He founded Daisy Intelligence in 2003 bringing autonomous machine intelligence to clients in retail, insurance and healthcare. Daisy Intelligence, headquartered in the Greater Toronto Area operates an applied artificial intelligence (A.I.) software-as-a-service (SaaS) business delivering operational corporate decisions that are too complex for humans to make, resulting in efficiencies and profitability gains. Currently, Daisy is revolutionizing optimization of merchandise planning for high volume retailers and fraud detection/risk management for insurance and banking. Using proprietary mathematical solutions and Daisy’s reinforcement learning A.I.-based simulation platform, Daisy analyzes trillions of the tradeoffs inherent in any complex business question and provides timely, actionable decision recommendations to help corporate clients grow total sales, improve margins and reduce fraud. Gary is the former head of IBM Canada’s data mining and data warehousing practices. He was also at the helm of Loyalty Consulting Group, providing analytical services for one of the world’s most successful coalition loyalty programs, the AIR MILES® Reward Program. Gary holds both a B.A.Sc. and M.A.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Mark Evans is the principal of ME Consulting and recently became the V.P. of Marketing at Daisy Intelligence, a high powered software platform that helps retailers and insurance companies turn their data into real business recommendations. “It feels like I’ve been writing this storytelling way... The post Sparking Engagement: The Strengths of Storytelling with Mark Evans – May 23rd 2019 appeared first on Startup Canada.

Download for offline listening. Businesses are “drowning in data but starving for insight”, as the saying goes, and that problem is about to get worse. As society becomes increasingly connected, marketers are facing a rising tide of digital interactions. Somewhere inside that massive pool of data are the answers to questions marketers haven’t even thought to ask – yet are essential to creating a better customer experience. Relief is on the way in the form of artificial intelligence. The capability to skip right to the answers without even forming the questions will be the salvation of marketers, who until now have had to rely on their own made-up rules or overworked data scientists. With AI, the analytical load shifts to machine learning algorithms that will help marketers reach the promised land of hyper-personalization. The first wave of commercial AI solutions has already made landfall. AI is being used today to improve audience targeting for programmatic media buying; make dynamic content and product recommendations; and drive demand-level pricing. Most of the major marketing automation and CRM vendors have already integrated AI capabilities into their platforms (like Salesforce’s Einstein). Companies also have the option of outsourcing the analytical work to software-as-a-service platform providers who will help them benefit from the technology immediately. One of those SaaS providers is Toronto-based Daisy Intelligence founded by CEO Gary Saarenvirta. The company, which specializes in retail merchandising solutions and insurance fraud detection, was recently awarded the first-place prize at the 2018 Elevate AI Pitch competition in a tough field of 16 start-ups. The “deep learning” platform developed by Daisy Intelligence can ingest a massive amount of SKU-level transactional data and through its self-learning algorithms determine the best product price points; adjust the promotional mix to minimize cannibalization; identify optimal store locations and layout, and much more, saving merchandisers from needing to figure it out themselves. All the retailer needs to do is turn over as much sales history as possible, and let the platform perform its magic. “Deep learning” is very much like magic because no one can ever say how it arrives at the answers it comes up with. Known as a “convolutionary neural network”, the idea was first conceived by Toronto computer math wizard Geoffrey Hinton in 1986. Since that time advancements in GPU computing has allowed “deep learning” to grab the pole position in the AI race, much to the excitement – and sometimes dread – of futurists who imagine a world where machines are smarter than humans. Remember Elon Musk’s dire warning that AI would “summon the demon”? For the time being, AI evangelists like Gary Saarenvirta are proving that “deep learning” offers clear advantages over traditional approaches to data mining and analysis, both in speed and precision. And he should know: Gary ran the analytics practice at Loyalty Consulting Group for years, and once led IBM’s analytics and data warehousing practice areas. He’s also a trained rocket scientist, having entered the workforce with an aerospace engineering degree. But today Gary’s focus is much more grounded in making AI an indispensable tool for data-driven businesses. He explains why in this “deep learning” interview which started with the genesis of the company’s name.

Rob Kenedi a coffee with Gary Saarenvirta, founder of Daisy Intelligence, a business insights tool based on artificial intelligence. Gary discusses successfully bootstrapping his company based on his experience by first building a services company, what is not artificial intelligence, and how to rationally grow a business while competing with companies such as IBM.