Podcasts about data gurus

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Ania Rodriguez, CEO and Founder of JourneyTrack and Chairwoman of the Board at Key Lime Interactive. Ania shares her founder journey from launching a UX consulting firm to building a venture-backed SaaS company in the emerging category of journey management. With a clear-eyed view of the differences between UX and CX, she explains how aligning with executive-level metrics creates staying power — and why data integration, category creation and capital strategy all matter when shifting from services to product. Key Takeaways: (02:12) Ania's background combines engineering, people and systems for innovation. (08:09) UX focuses on micro journeys while CX strategy operates at higher levels. (09:36) CX covers the full customer relationship, from awareness to advocacy. (11:15) C-suite now cares about CX, tying it to business outcomes and metrics. (12:36) CXPA is more strategic than most UX organizations. (15:30) Journey management tools connect insights to actions using integrations. (17:42) Journey management surfaces insights faster. (19:03) Time to first value is a crucial metric for SaaS adoption and success. (22:03) Knowing your financials and finding a niche are vital for entrepreneurs. Resources Mentioned: JourneyTrack | Website Key Lime Interactive | Website Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Greg Silverman, Global Director of Brand Economics at Interbrand. Greg shares how Interbrand quantifies the financial impact of brand and aligns marketing insights with shareholder value. Drawing from decades of brand valuation work, he explains how research, including discrete choice modeling, bridges the language gap between CMOs and CFOs. He also discusses the power of fast, data-driven solutions in transforming client strategy. Key Takeaways: (02:13) Greg's career journey blends retail, franchising, consulting, branding and tech innovation.(04:31) Metrics like awareness must connect to growth, EBIT, and share price.(07:58) Smaller, focused partnerships can deliver faster, more cost-effective solutions.(09:43) ​​Brand can account for far more value than leaders initially expect.(11:57) Understanding brand potential unlocks new revenue within specific market segments.(14:19) Research helps CMOs and CFOs align on brand investment decisions.(16:00) Traditional marketing metrics no longer justify brand investment alone.(17:54) Insights must bridge the gap to measurable business impact. Resources Mentioned: Interbrand Website Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Cynthia Harris, Founder, Managing Director and Lead Operator of 8:28 Insights, about building a human-centered insights agency, the value of lived experience in leadership and the role AI can and can't play in research. Cynthia shares her career path from launching products at Bath & Body Works to working at Procter & Gamble to starting her own firm — offering practical guidance for founders and vendors alike. Key Takeaways: (02:25) Early career roles shaped passion for consumer-business connections.(10:16) Vendors should go beyond briefs and collaborate with clients.(12:03) Traveling globally inspired objectivity and cultural intelligence in work.(14:06) The pandemic catalyzed the transition from freelancing to entrepreneurship.(16:12) Client-side experience drives more strategic, downstream thinking.(18:10) Unique perspectives stem from lived experiences and diversity.(22:03) AI supports creativity but cannot replicate human-centered strategies. Resources Mentioned: 8:28 Insights Homepage Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Daniel Gaynor, Co-Founder of Kelp and SVP of Strategy at Signal AI, about how reputation is becoming a quantifiable, strategic asset — and how AI is making that possible. Daniel shares his career journey from public policy to launching Kelp, how Signal AI is building agentic tools for the enterprise and why the next evolution of reputation intelligence will come from collaboration between humans and AI. Key Takeaways: (03:33) Reputation is emerging as a measurable performance indicator, not just a brand attribute.(05:50) Experience across public, private and policy sectors brings new perspectives to AI strategy.(09:48) Businesses must amplify authentic proof points to shape their narrative.(11:30) Strategy, licensing and technology serve as core AI frameworks.(15:18) Most companies say they're AI-powered, but they often aren't.(17:25) Companies face pressure to stay consistent despite political shifts.(22:03) Risk aversion is rising in marketing and communications teams.(26:04) Reputation began with surveys and evolved to media monitoring.(28:05) Digital coworkers will reshape talent and collaboration in organizations.(31:55) AI is ultimately just flexible, talking software. Resources Mentioned: Signal AI Ask AIQ by Signal AI Kelp Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Ian Ash, Co-Founder of Dig Insights, about the intersection of AI and market research, the evolution of Restech, and the importance of balancing technology with human expertise. With over a decade's experience leading Dig Insights, Ian shares his perspective on how AI reshapes research processes and why human oversight remains critical. He reflects on the parallels between storytelling in comedy and storytelling in research, emphasizing that whether it's data or humor, connection and clarity are the keys. Key Takeaways: (02:09) Dig Insights' journey from startup to private equity-backed growth. (05:35) The importance of maintaining research rigor despite industry pressures. (08:10) Large scales don't guarantee better insights, just higher correlations. (12:22) Swiping-based surveys introduced choice and engagement. (15:46) Research needs exist along a flexible service continuum. (18:40) Effective AI requires context and customization. (20:22) Synthetic data performs better in sentiment analysis than research. (25:22) AI accelerates research by automating data interpretation. (28:08) Ian's passion for stand-up comedy and life beyond market research. Resources Mentioned: Upsiide by Dig Insights Scott Galloway's Website Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Steve Phillips, Founder, Chair and Chief Innovation Officer, and Ryan Barry, former President, both of Zappi.  They discuss the evolution of consumer insights, the role of AI in research and how businesses can maximize the value of their data. Key Takeaways: (02:05) “The Consumer Insights Revolution” encapsulates a decade of transformation at Zappi. (03:35) Pepsi's consumer insights evolution shifted insights managers into strategic business partners. (05:53) Stephan Gans' vision at Pepsi focused on democratizing learning and insights-driven decision-making. (09:48) The development of ADA, Pepsi's internal platform for integrating data sources. (10:28) Different data streams complement rather than contradict insights. (13:57) Insights professionals must evolve into strategic business consultants. (16:54) Business acumen is becoming essential for future consumer insights roles. (20:58) AI is reshaping consumer insights by automating processes and enhancing decision-making. Resources Mentioned: Zappi “The Consumer Insights Revolution” by Steve Phillips, Ryan Barry and Stephan Gans Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to James Turner, Founder and CEO of Delineate, about redefining data collection and insight generation in today's fast-paced market research landscape. James shares his journey from mining engineer to data mining expert and explains how Delineate bridges the gap between traditional research practices and agile, technology-driven approaches. Key Takeaways: (02:22) Started as a mining engineer before transitioning to data mining. (07:47) Industry disruption in the 2010s drove significant changes. (10:02) Speed, quality and cost efficiency reshape client research. (12:16) Successful disruptors reshape categories with innovative, lasting ideas. (14:31) Scaling innovation is tricky, even for large companies. (16:57) Old survey designs create noise and reduce data quality. (20:44) Human touch remains vital in interpreting client reporting. (23:17) Situational research helps with product innovation and demand space. (26:28) AI co-pilots are creating significant momentum in the research industry. (29:56) Research now stands at the forefront of the data ecosystem. Resources Mentioned: Delineate Website Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to George London, Chief Technology Officer of Upwave. George shares insights into the complexities of the advertising ecosystem, the role of data in campaign optimization and the parallels between financial and ad markets. Key Takeaways: (02:14) From philosophy to data leadership.(05:34) Persistence and adaptability shaped George's path to CTO.(08:15) Causal inference helps Upwave provide reliable insights for large media investments.(11:32) Rigorous measurement turns $10M in ad spend into $20M in value.(13:10) Daily insights from Upwave simplify complex national ad campaigns.(15:12) Actionable insights drive Upwave's mission to optimize brand investments.(16:23) Targeted surveys reveal brand impact across specific ad campaigns.(17:59) The ad ecosystem spans brands, publishers and a complex chain of intermediaries.(20:36) Generative AI powers Upwave's automated ad reporting with Trade Desk.(22:47) Advertising shares dynamics with financial markets, including bidding and price discovery. Resources Mentioned: UpWaveTrade Desk Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks with J. Walker Smith, Knowledge Lead at Kantar. They discuss shifting consumer sentiments, the paradox of strong spending amid uncertainty and changes in market insights. Key Takeaways: (02:14) Experience in trends and futures at Kantar aids in predicting consumer values. (04:37) Consumer spending is strong, but sentiment is recessionary amid uncertainty. (07:57) Consumers seek familiarity and reassurance from brands over novelty. (10:55) Consumers prefer brands focused on well-being and personalization. (13:55) Gen Z prioritizes mental health and values digital convenience. (17:20) Gen Z's tech-driven shopping requires marketing to algorithms. (19:33) Curating market data to refine key insights and filter noise. (21:48) AI will automate research tasks, shifting insights to focus on growth. (25:36) Future insights roles will prioritize strategic growth over pure research. Resources Mentioned: Kantar Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa speaks with Darrell Bricker, Chief Executive Officer, Public Affairs at Ipsos. They discuss the evolving landscape of public opinion research, the role of emotional connection in politics, and the shifting global demographics shaping our future. Key Takeaways: (02:30) Mentorship and opportunity shape a meaningful career in polling. (05:01) Public affairs research centers on understanding citizens, not consumers. (06:58) Global polling now offers real-time insights into worldwide issues. (08:43) Mobile phones enable global polling access, even in remote areas. (10:28) Decline in deference empowers citizens to challenge authority. (12:56) Political volatility rises as traditional party loyalty declines. (15:04) Constant skepticism in research strengthens accuracy and reliability. (16:29) Emotional connection now outweighs rationality in political appeal. (19:21) A public affairs career thrives on social science and global curiosity. (22:13) Global population is set to peak mid-century, then decline rapidly. (25:42) Urbanization and women's evolving roles contribute to lower birth rates. Resources Mentioned: Ipsos Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech #publicopinion

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Michael Winnick, Founder and CEO of dscout. They discuss his journey in the worlds of product, design and technology. Michael shares insights on how patience and persistence shaped his entrepreneurial journey and how dscout helps companies conduct innovative, real-time research. Key Takeaways: (02:45) Michael's journey from startups to founding dscout. (07:16) Democratizing research with new technology. (10:32) How UX and design align with research. (14:24) Adapting products to market shifts. (17:51) Managing the balance between ambition and patience. (21:15) The challenge of bringing products to market. (23:44) The importance of building a great team. (26:02) Success comes from customer impact. Resources Mentioned: The Nielsen Norman Group IDEO Stanford d.school Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Matt Celuszak, Co-Founder and CEO of Element Human, about the intersection of AI and human behavior. Together they explore how data can drive better brand engagement. Matt shares his insights on understanding human emotions and reactions, focusing on attention data and using behavioral understanding to create memorable, impactful campaigns. Key Takeaways: (03:39) AI-driven insights help marketers understand how human emotions affect engagement. (07:15) Attention and stopping power are crucial for creating lasting brand impressions. (11:03) Combining human behavior with data drives personalized marketing strategies. (14:24) Emotional response correlates with memorability and purchase intent. (19:00) Real-world behavioral responses provide complementary data to standard metrics. (23:15) Balancing creators' authenticity with brand messaging is key to successful influencer marketing. (28:10) The staying power of content is as critical as initial engagement in brand building. (31:30) Understanding the emotional impact of content helps brands connect more effectively with consumers. Resources Mentioned: Element Human homepage Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Tim Hoskins, President of Quester, and Brett Townsend, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Quester, about the future of insights and how to drive meaningful change in the industry. Brett and Tim share revelations from their book, “Insights on the Brink,” and discuss how empathy, emotion and storytelling play critical roles in creating impactful business decisions. Key Takeaways: (03:45) Empathy and emotion are vital for creating successful consumer insights. (07:22) It's not just about data — turning it into actionable insights is where the magic happens. (10:15) Business strategy should go hand in hand with insights to drive meaningful results. (13:55) Consumer conflict is what drives great storytelling and effective solutions. (17:05) Data-driven decision-making requires a shift in mindset and processes. (21:30) Asking challenging questions can push companies to innovate and break from the status quo. (24:12) High-end consultative insights are critical to providing value in a fast-evolving market. (27:45) The future of insights is in combining talent, empathy and technology to deliver impactful stories. Resources Mentioned: “Insights on the Brink” on Amazon Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Kai Stübane, Solution Chief Revenue Officer for SAP CX for Middle and Eastern Europe, about the evolving role of customer experience (CX) in driving business success. Key Takeaways: (00:06) Kai's journey from PwC to SAP. (01:21) CX covers all customer touchpoints. (03:33) SAP uses data to improve CX. (05:48) CX boosts top-line revenue. (09:00) Global shift toward automation and self-service. (13:03) Personalization is critical to customer satisfaction. (16:48) AI's growing role in customer experience. (17:45) Focus on CX leads to market growth. (21:00) Clean data is crucial for AI and automation. Resources Mentioned: SAP CX Solutions FlixBus Greyhound Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Eugene Murphy, Founder and CEO of Indeemo, who shares insights on how Indeemo is revolutionizing digital ethnography and qualitative research through innovative video solutions. Key Takeaways: (00:06) Eugene's journey from engineering to founding Indeemo. (02:03) Creating a seamless user experience for all ages. (04:12) Pivoting Indeemo from a social app to a research tool. (08:01) The power of mobile ethnography in market research. (14:07) The importance of capturing authentic customer moments via video. (18:15) Video is more impactful than traditional research methods. (20:06) A seamless user experience is crucial for respondent engagement. (24:15) Generative AI enhances the scalability of video research. (27:00) Teaching clients to create effective, consistent prompts for research. Resources Mentioned: Indeemo Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks with Vittorio Raimondi, CEO and Founder/Managing Partner of Foresight Strategy, about the intricacies of leadership, data analytics and the power of creativity and curiosity in driving business success. Key Takeaways: (04:30) Using system dynamics to effectively model complex business environments. (06:45) Mapping consumer journeys to uncover key opportunities for growth. (09:00) How holistic insights are leveraged by big brands such as Hewlett Packard and Coca-Cola.  (12:15) The importance of being data-agnostic and tailoring solutions to meet client needs. (16:00) Creativity and curiosity are crucial elements for delivering innovative solutions. (18:45) The challenge of hiring talent that combines both analytical and creative problem-solving skills. (22:30) AI as a tool to enhance efficiency while ensuring human-driven insights remain integral. (24:00) The need for leadership evolution in supporting a skilled and growing team. Resources Mentioned: Foresight Strategy System Dynamics Society McKinsey & Company Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa is joined by Priscilla McKinney, CEO and Founder of Little Bird Marketing, to discuss the evolving landscape of market research, the importance of digital transformation and the value of strong client relationships. Key Takeaways: (03:10) Pivoting to new verticals drives success. (03:28) Deepening relationships with existing clients is key. (04:39) CEOs must confront and manage their fears. (05:09) Entrepreneurs need to overcome fear and seize opportunities. (06:09) Branding in market research is evolving rapidly. (07:48) Demonstrating value in terms of revenue is essential. (10:09) Upskilling is crucial for staying relevant. (12:24) Digital transformation enhances team collaboration and engagement. (14:30) Visibility and relationships are vital for success. (16:42) Emotional intelligence plays a key role in business relationships. (19:54) Small favors can have a big impact in business. (20:24) Collaboration doesn't always have to be a big deal. Resources Mentioned: Little Bird MarketingSuzyDigital Transformation Success Podcast Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Andrew Moffatt, CEO and Co-Founder of Qrious Insight, to explore the evolution of data analytics, the impact of AI and the future of market research. Andrew discusses how the integration of behavioral data with advanced analytics is transforming the way businesses understand and engage with their audiences.  Key Takeaways: (01:19) Andrew reflects on 25 years in market research.(03:07) Founding Qrious Insight and its evolution.(06:20) The importance of behavioral data for accurate insights.(12:53) Informing ad placement with behavioral data.(18:25) High retention rates in behavioral data tracking.(27:31) Generational differences in data privacy and acceptance.(34:30) AI's transformative role in data analytics.(36:00) The future potential of synthetic data models.(37:00) Bridging insights and marketing with behavioral data. Resources Mentioned: Paradigm SampleSima VasaQrious Insight website Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

Letters from the Lunchroom is a podcast that shows you a new side of SparkWheel. We know that people who engage with non-profits have a story to tell, and we want to hear that story. From students to staff members and alumni to volunteers, we connect with people of all backgrounds to discover the journey that brought them to SparkWheel. Join us in the lunchroom to hear these stories, which are always touching, occasionally heart-breaking, and often surprising.In our newest episode of "Letters From the Lunchroom," we catch up with Judy Hilyard, Vice President of Data & Evaluation for SparkWheel. Judy, the official "Data Guru" of SparkWheel, " shares her love of Excel and numbers. Listen as she talks about how her work helps the "wheel" of SparkWheel work.Want to be a guest on the show and share your own story? Contact Victoria at victoria.partridge@sparkwheel.org.Letters from the Lunchroom is a production of SparkWheel. Theme song: "Like a Polaroid" by Spazz Cardigan | Transition song: "Game Plan" by Bad Snacks

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Steve Bagdasarian, Chief Commercial Officer of Comscore, Inc., to explore the evolution of ad measurement and the convergence of traditional and digital media. Key Takeaways: (02:00) Measurement data offers competitive advantages.(02:05) Media strategy is now driven by actionable data.(04:00) The importance of continual curiosity and adaptation in the media industry.(06:51) Ad formats are evolving, with short-form video and creator-led content gaining traction.(08:07) The shift toward outcome-oriented advertising.(09:19) The role of data regulation and consumer privacy.(10:23) The impact of signal loss on advertising strategies.(15:04) Cross-platform measurement is crucial for optimizing media mix.(18:00) Real-time data processing enhances programmatic advertising efficiency.(20:03) AI's future role in ad and media measurement. Resources Mentioned: Comscore Publishers Clearing House Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Holland Martini, Chief Insights Officer of GOODQUES, who shares her journey and insights on revolutionizing market research through creativity and human-centric methods. Key Takeaways: (00:00) Holland emphasizes the importance of being comfortable with discomfort. (03:31) The role of data at GOODQUES is not just to validate but to inspire.  (04:53) Luck and timing played a significant role in GOODQUES' early success.  (07:00) Considering every individual involved in the research process is crucial.  (07:42) The foundation of human-centricity at GOODQUES, from brief to delivery.  (14:30) Crafting questions in colloquial language leads to better responses.  (22:42) Casting moderators who resonate with respondents improves insights.  (26:13) Understanding different disciplines while being an expert in one is key. (30:00) Saying no to projects that don't fit maintains focus and quality. Resources mentioned: GOODQUES Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

Most of us that are driving and racing are using data of some sort. So, how can you use that data to make you a better driver?Bill Stevens with BnS Racing Services shares his data wisdom with us and gives us some good ideas on how to use data.  Bill represents Race-Keeper and provides coaching to drivers using Race Keeper.How to connect with Bill:https://bnsracingservices.com/Race Keeper Facebook GroupGet on track!The Atomic Autosports track day, which is geared towards novices, is September 1, 2024 at Nelson Ledges Road Course.  This will be the Sunday during the 944 Fest weekend.  Learn more here: Atomic Autosports Open Lapping DaySave on race tires!Use code: AtomicVIP at TrackDayTire.com to get special pricing on Hoosier and Toyo tires.  That code will also get you a buy three get one free deal on the Continental Extreme Contact Force (TW200) tire.Racing with Rad Air.  Want to get on track in wheel to wheel racing with ChampCar?  Checkout the listings on Seat4Sale.Want to live Life In The Fast Lane?  Connect with Bill Snow to learn more about franchise opportunities with Rad Air Complete Car Care.  Learn more at: Franchising with Rad Air.   Fill out the short form near the bottom of the page and Bill will be in touch.Check out our sponsors:LMS-EFI Website, Facebook, InstagramAtomic Autosports Website, Facebook, InstagramETC Coaching Michael Ribas on LinkedIn, ETC Website, ETC InstagramFollow us!Late to Grid - InstagramLate To Grid - FacebookLate To Grid - TwitterEpisodes on YouTubeOur Host, Bill - Instagram and TikTokThanks for listening and taking an interest in growing grassroots racing. The Late To Grid podcast shares the stories and inspiration that help listeners along their motorsports journey. Find all episodes on the Atomic Autosports website.

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Alex Hunt, CEO of Behaviorally, about the transformative role of technology in the market research industry and how Behaviorally leverages AI and digital tools to innovate data insights. Key Takeaways: (00:54) Technology's inevitable impact on industries. (03:16) Alex's shift to pioneering behavioral sciences. (05:36) Enhancing decision-making through packaging insights. (07:59) Digital methodologies boost efficiency and cut costs. (09:00) AI's role in improving predictive accuracy. (10:27) The importance of ethical standards during change. (13:25) Developing predictive models with feedback data. (15:20) Handling organizational resistance to change. (17:32) AI's future role in market research transformation. (19:50) Leadership aligned with technological advancements. Resources Mentioned: Behaviorally Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks with Georgina Nelson, CEO and Founder of TruRating. They delve into the transformative role of consumer feedback in retail and how Georgina's varied career path contributed to her innovative approach to business. Key Takeaways: (01:39) Georgina's journey from psychology to law. (03:00) Reliable consumer data is vital. (04:07) Career twists and following intuition. (06:46) Greetings in retail boost sales. (07:26) Integrating feedback with payment terminals. (09:24) Impact of store greetings on loyalty. (12:00) Ethical data use and supporting charities. (14:10) The challenges of tech in traditional retail. (17:49) TruRating's growth and scalability. (19:48) Purpose-driven ethics in business. Resources Mentioned: TruRating Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Rick West, Co-Founder and CEO of Field Agent. They delve into Rick's journey from a significant tenure at Procter & Gamble to establishing Field Agent, a company at the forefront of retail and consumer data innovation. The discussion uncovers how Rick's strategic use of corporate severance as seed money laid the foundation for Field Agent's success, the company's growth through acquisitions and the pivotal role of technology in reshaping retail analytics. Rick's insights provide a comprehensive look at the evolution of consumer data collection and its impact on retail strategies. Key Takeaways: (02:15) Rick West reflects on the leap from Procter & Gamble to entrepreneurship. (05:40) Insight into FieldAgent's innovative start and market impact. (11:20) Rick discusses using severance as seed money for business ventures. (15:30) Expansion of FieldAgent through strategic acquisitions and technology. (20:45) The crucial role of consumer engagement in data collection. (25:50) Adaptation of retail to technological advancements and consumer expectations. (30:10) The importance of mobile tech in enhancing retail experiences. (33:25) Rick emphasizes the value of real-time data in retail decision-making. (35:40) Looking ahead: The future of retail analytics and consumer data. Resources Mentioned: Field Agent Procter & Gamble Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa sits down with Chris Havemann, CEO of RealityMine, to explore the evolution of data collection and its impact on market research. Chris shares experiences gained from his journey in the insights industry, highlighting the shift from survey data to behavioral data collection. Key Takeaways: (01:18) The beginnings of Chris Havemann's entrepreneurial journey. (02:12) Chris transitioned from a corporate career to starting his own business and pivoted from the mobile channel to Research Now. (03:09) The growth and success of Research Now and Chris's personal break before joining RealityMine. (08:27) RealityMine's focus is on revealing real-life behaviors through passive metering technology. (10:04) The significant role mobile device usage plays in understanding consumer behavior. (14:05) Discussion on the insights industry's approach to respondent experience and the potential for AI to transform data analysis. (17:25) RealityMine appoints a chief AI officer and the impact of AI on the insights industry. (21:04) Scenario planning for the future use of AI and synthetic data in market research. (23:01) Chris Havemann's perspective on the future of advertising and the concentration of media power. Resources Mentioned: RealityMine Website Research Now Website Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #Restech

On this episode of Data Gurus, Sima Vasa and Patrick Comer, Co-Founders of restecher, delve into the intricacies of the Restech industry. They discuss how it's reshaping market research, integrating new technologies and influencing business strategies. Their conversation highlights the impact of the Restech landscape on traditional research methods and the emerging role of AI in decision-making processes, offering a unique perspective on the intersection of technology and market insights. Key Takeaways: (01:24) Highlighting the growing importance of Restech in market research. (02:14) Recent developments in mergers, acquisitions and funding in the Restech arena. (03:05) Restech has played a significant role in redefining the market research industry. (06:09) Company roles and identities within the Restech space continue to evolve. (07:59) Reinforcing the value of traditional market research in the face of technological advancements. (10:01) AI exhibits potential — but also challenges — in market research and insights generation. (12:37) What impact has AI had on brand and research agency relationships? (14:26) How veteran research agencies can adapt and utilize historical data in the AI age. (17:33) Continuous technological advancements and their implications in market research. (19:13) Precise decision-making is critical in an AI-influenced research environment. Resources Mentioned: Restech Landscape Restech Website Post your thoughts, using hashtag #restech. Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX #restech

On this episode, host Sima Vasa sits down with Arman Eshraghi, CEO and Founder of Qrvey, for an in-depth conversation about revolutionizing data analytics through seamless integration of collection, analysis and automation processes. Arman unveils the unique capabilities of Qrvey, highlighting its role in enhancing SaaS applications with advanced embedded business analytics. Key Takeaways: (01:15) Sima Vasa introduces Qrvey's transformative role in data analytics. (05:20) The pivotal role embedded analytics plays in SaaS application insights. (10:30) The advantages of Qrvey's OEM model for external analytics. (15:45) Overcoming in-house development challenges with Qrvey. (20:55) Tailoring analytics solutions to industry-specific needs. (25:40) Analytics as a strategic tool in SaaS decision-making. (30:50) Success stories from businesses that have adopted Qrvey. (35:30) Qrvey's vision for the future of data analytics. Resources Mentioned: Qrvey Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Steve Phillips, Founder and CEO of Zappi, about pioneering automation and artificial intelligence in market research to enhance consumer insight efficiency and quality. Key Takeaways: (01:10) The origin of Zappi for efficient consumer insights. (02:22) Zappi's evolution toward quality and meta analytics. (03:24) Strategy shifts addressing early challenges. (06:24) The transition to technology-driven solutions. (08:54) Their future as a SAS company with AI integration. (11:18) Managing innovation in a rapidly evolving industry. (13:32) Shifting to a data company for richer insights. (15:49) The future of primary research and consumer behavior understanding. (17:57) Broadening the definition of market research. Resources Mentioned: Zappi Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks with Amishi Takalkar, Co-Founder and CEO of NAILBITER, exploring the transformative role of video in capturing authentic shopper behaviors and insights. Key Takeaways: (01:30) Amishi journeyed from an aspiring VJ at MTV India to the CEO of NAILBITER. (02:17) Amishi's career evolution, specifically her roles at Frito Lay and AOL, and how experiencing both client and supplier sides of the industry affected her. (06:03) The inception of NAILBITER, aimed at observing consumers' decision-making processes in real-time. (08:14) Utilizing video as a primary tool for gathering unfiltered shopper insights. (10:06) NAILBITER's unique approach in tagging and quantifying vast consumer data from videos. (14:00) Product placement and retail strategies significantly impact sales and consumer choices. (17:19) The shift in retailer dynamics and the increasing significance of shopper insights. (20:27) The evolving nature of consumer behavior in an omnichannel shopping environment. (24:31) The impact of COVID-19 on shopper behavior and the need for adaptable strategies. (26:19) The integration and challenges of AI in market research. Resources Mentioned: NAILBITER Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Panayotis Gezerlis, Founder and President of Convert Group, to delve into the evolution of retail and e-commerce through data analytics and transparency. Key Takeaways: (02:25) The shift from consulting to data-driven retail strategies. (06:32) The importance of tactical decision-making in marketing and sales. (06:59) Budget redirection towards e-commerce in leading companies. (11:15) Retail media's influence on consumer behavior. (13:48) Utilizing retail media and basket information for customer targeting. (14:14) The critical role of sales decomposition in retail. (16:56) The future of retail with AI chatbot technology. (17:19) Launching user-friendly text advice platforms for retail decisions. Resources Mentioned: Convert Group Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Ben Hookway, CEO of Relative Insight, who delves into the intricacies of leveraging language analytics and unstructured text data to drive business insights. Key Takeaways: (07:54) Exploring the innovation behind comparative linguistic analysis and its practical applications in various industries. (13:49) Comparing age groups uncovers critical differences in language. (17:25) Understanding the relevance of context in language and how it influences consumer interactions and behaviors. (21:45) The importance of guiding clients through integrating new technology and ensuring they derive value from data and solutions. (35:48) As technology becomes mainstream, there's a need to balance cutting-edge solutions with basic, user-friendly applications to accommodate varying customer needs. Resources Mentioned: Relative Insight Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa is joined by Matt Britton, Founder and CEO of Suzy, for an enlightening conversation about the direction the market-research industry is headed and how leaders evolve with it. Sima and Matt discuss: - The lagging adoption of new technologies, and how resulting inefficiencies get passed on to the consumer. - Generational changes that signal a greater willingness to implement digital tools.  - How failure to evolve is often the result of current leaders' resistance to change. - How AI will continue to shape the industry in new ways as technology improves. - How to maintain research integrity and methodological fundamentals while also allowing space for industry evolution. Matt's startup experience demonstrates the delicate balancing act that current industry leaders must perform, avoiding the bleeding edge of innovation without being perceived as falling behind. Resources - Suzy - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions

In this episode, Francesco Guglielmino, CEO of Cuebiq, joins host, Sima Vasa, to discuss the evolution of location data and prioritizing consumer privacy. Key Takeaways: (03:49) Implementing a privacy framework with consent tracking and a withdrawal option, despite challenges. (12:22) How younger generations show greater willingness to use digital tools. (13:25) Doing the right thing and why it means making tough decisions without reward. (15:21) When products are free, users' data is the product. (20:01) Why weaknesses in the anonymity of location data require solutions. (24:32) Deploying a system to remove all data of users potentially underage. (27:06) Why Francesco's platform allows clients to customize analytics while protecting privacy. (30:04) Handling location data remains challenging and expensive. Resources Mentioned: Spectus Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation  #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa welcomes Basel Fakhoury, CEO and Co-Founder of User Interviews, for an enlightening conversation about Basel's work in improving data acquisition specificity. During their conversation, Basel and Sima discuss: - Using data to uncover needs in the market to better cater products and services to a particular niche. - The lessons Basel and his team learned from their first failed startup, and how that experience helped build User Interviews. - How finding the right survey respondents, rather than using a random sample, can provide more substantive and relevant data. - Why AI is an aid to finding human respondents rather than a threat to human-centric data. - The potential for growth in the data research industry. Basel and his team's journey is an excellent case study of both the power of data in the present as well as the industry's future trajectory. Resources Mentioned: - User Interviews - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions #MRX

On this episode, host Sima Vasa is joined by Dr. Loubna Bouarfa, CEO and Founder of OKRA.ai and Member of the Board of Advisors of the Oxford Internet Institute, who shares her unique perspective on the ethical questions around the increasing capabilities of AI technology. Sima and Dr. Bouarfa discuss the following: - How different business models can leverage new technologies to either improve or harm society. - Why transparency in AI development and implementation is essential to maintaining consumer protections. - How aligning the incentives of regulatory bodies and technology developers can create natural safeguards against harmful business models.  - The neutral nature of technology and the potential it holds for both positive and negative implementation. Dr. Bouarfa's work puts her on the frontier of technological development and gives her a unique insight into the future of data acquisition and consumer privacy as new AI tools are rolled out. - OKRA.ai - Oxford Internet Institute - Sima Vasa - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions

On this episode, host Sima Vasa is joined by Thomas Zoëga Ramsøy, Founder and CEO of Neurons, to hear how he and his team are using large data sets to build AI models that can predict human behavior. In their conversation, Thomas and Sima discuss: - How a public methodology can build consumer trust in the data acquisition industry. - The intersection of data science and neuroscience in building predictive AI models. - The differences between a predictive AI model and a generative AI model. - Divergences between data sets collected in a lab setting and data sets gathered in real-world situations. - Limits on what current AI technology is capable of, and the possible limits of future AI tools. - Ideal use cases for designers and marketers using different kinds of AI tools. Although the technology is still evolving, the methodology Thomas' organization is using to push predictive AI forward holds a world of possibilities for data scientists and digital marketers. - Neurons  - Sima Vasa - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions

On this episode, host Sima Vasa talks to Rob Pace, Founder and CEO of HundredX, about using data in a mission-driven organization to drive positive outcomes for both the business and the community. Rob and Sima discuss the following: - A business has to be profitable to provide the resources needed to pursue goals aligned with its mission. - Outcomes-based systems are often more effective than product-based systems of organization. - Prioritizing short-term success will inevitably affect the ability to find long-term success. - Aligning the needs of the community with the incentives of the business provides common interests that drive organizational success. - In an environment of mistrust around data and privacy, community collaboration builds relationships between consumers and data organizations that benefit both parties. - Data collection businesses should work with their community partners, not against them. - HundredX - Sima Vasa - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions

On this episode, host Sima Vasa is joined by Chris Barry, CEO of HumanListening™ at The Evolved Group, who discusses the role of AI tools, specifically large language learning models, in data research. Chris and Sima discussed the following in relation to AI and data acquisition: - The ability of AI to elicit better responses from consumers than human surveyors. - Why feedback of extremes is easier to come by than more measured feedback. - How conversational AI can be used to explore the drivers behind customer responses. - Adaptive AI personas that can be rolled out to better engage with specific demographics. - The non-judgemental nature of AI chatbots that provokes better feedback on sensitive topics. - The relationship between AI research tools and the expertise and skill of human researchers. In the evolving digital landscape, the best researchers marry human expertise with digital efficiency. - The Evolved Group - HumanListening™ - Sima Vasa - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #MA #Data #Strategy #Innovation #Acquisitions

This episode features a conversation between Sima Vasa, CEO and Founder of Infinity Squared Ventures, and John Bremer, President of Phantom 4 Solutions, at a virtual event hosted by Numerator and moderated by Bob Fawson. John and Sima provide insights into the evolution of data collection and analytics in a rapidly-changing consumer landscape. They discuss: - How the real applications of new technologies often outpace their intended use cases, overextending these tech assets. - Human expertise can't effectively be replaced by digital tools. - Shifting consumer preferences and behaviors continuously alter which data collection methods are most effective, and which ones are losing their usefulness. In an environment where technologies and standard practices are in constant flux, leaders in the data acquisitions space have to stay adaptable to find continued success. - Bob Fawson - Infinity Squared - Numerator - Numerator - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #M&A #Data #Strategy #Innovation

In this episode, host Sima Vasa is pleased to welcome Michalis Michael, CEO at DMR Group, who shares the work his organization is doing with AI to be more efficient in both gathering and analyzing market data. Michalis shared some important insights on the evolution of AI: - AI can be categorized into different types: Narrow AI and Strong AI. - Narrow AI includes machine learning models and is a useful data analytics tool. - Machine learning models are most effective when they're trained from human inputs, which still leaves some room for subjectivity in the final results. - AI is not a silver bullet but a time-saving tool that more efficiently aggregates and categorizes massive amounts of data. As Michalis tells it, the best AI tools still require a human touch to implement them in a meaningful use case. - DMR - Sima Vasa - Infinity Squared - Infinity Squared - LinkedIn Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #M&A #Data #Strategy #Innovation

On this episode, Sima is joined by Anouar El Haji, Founder and CEO at Veylinx, a behavioral insights platform for answering critical business questions during all stages of product innovation. Topics discussed include: - Anouar's background and career path. - The evolution of economics from being strictly theoretical to being scientifically tested. - The inherent bias in conducting hypothetical surveys as market research. - Measuring demand by studying subjects with a financial stake tied to their answers. - Why the good nature of humans is detrimental to conducting scientific research studies. - The ways AI could completely change the market research space without the industry proactively adding safeguards. Resources:  https://veylinx.com/ Thanks for listening to the Data Gurus podcast, brought to you by Infinity Squared. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a 5-star review to help get the word out about the show, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss another insightful conversation. #Analytics #M&A #Data #Strategy #Innovation #MRX 

Sima is happy to have Venkat Venkataramani joining her for today's episode of Data Gurus! Venkat is the CEO and Co-founder of Rockset.  Venkat shares his background, dives into the benefits of real-time data analytics and cloud-based infrastructure, and discusses the interesting work they are doing at Rockset. Biography Venkat Venkataramani is CEO and Co-founder of Rockset. In his role, Venkat helps organizations build, grow, and compete with data by making real-time analytics accessible to developers and data teams everywhere. Before he founded Rockset, he was an Engineering Director for the Facebook infrastructure team managing online data services for 1.5 billion users. These systems scaled 1000x during his eight years at Facebook, serving five billion queries per second at single-digit millisecond latency and five 9s of reliability. Before joining Facebook, Venkat worked on tools to make the Oracle database easier to manage. Venkat's background Before he founded Rockset, Venkat managed online data infrastructure for Facebook between 2007 and 2015. He was fortunate to work with some amazing people and learned a lot from them. His team was responsible for building, scaling, and maintaining a set of services on which Facebook's online products had been built. When he started, Facebook had around thirty or forty million monthly active users, and when he left, there were about a billion-and-a-half active users.  What makes Venkat the proudest What Venkat feels proudest of, having been part of the Facebook online data infrastructure, are all their product launches, and their transition from web to mobile.  Facebook's Like button The load and demand on Facebook's data infrastructure were completely different before and after the installation of the Like button. So they had to keep on innovating and pushing the envelope. The Facebook Newsfeed Most people are surprised to hear that before 2008, the Facebook Newsfeed only got updated once a day! How real-time data has transformed business Real-time data allows people to know what is happening in the present moment. Before the advent of real-time data, strategic decisions were all intuition or experience-based rather than data-driven, and that caused many problems.  Facebook's shift to real-time data During the eight years Venkat spent with Facebook, he saw the shift to real-time data happening across every aspect of the back end of Facebook. The benefits of the cloud The cloud allows everyone to have accessibility without having any specific kind of software or infrastructure within an organization. That enables every company to be a potential client.  Rockset's orientation Rockset's orientation is cloud, whereas other companies are still transitioning and moving toward the cloud. The benefits of cloud-only infrastructure Cloud-only infrastructure allows businesses to access fast and fresh real-time data analytics. The storage separation of the cloud makes it possible to build massively scalable and very efficient real-time databases and platforms that can be easily and cost-effectively scaled up or down, depending on the demand. About Rockset Rockset is cloud-only, so it requires neither downloads nor installation. All their customers have to do is create an account and explain where their data sources are, and Rockset will automatically transform their data into fast sequel tables.  Why do businesses prefer real-time data? Working with cloud-based real-time data streams makes it much quicker and simpler for businesses to scale, monitor their business metrics, eliminate risk, build better products for their customers, and save revenue that could potentially have been lost. Links: Email me your thoughts Sima@Infinity-2.com LinkedIn Twitter Infinity-2.com Venkat Venkataramani on LinkedIn Rockset

Sima is delighted to have Henry Hays joining her on the podcast today! Henry is the energetic and inspiring Co-founder and Disruptor at Henry Hays Consulting. In this episode of Data Gurus, Henry dives into the concept of disruptive innovation. Biography Henry spent most of his adult life in sales and sales leadership- mainly in pharmaceuticals and biotech. He started in the late 1990s and had the good fortune to get promoted to several different roles where he gained a good sense of the business. His break came when he was recruited away from a comfortable job by his professional mentor, and he literally said “yes” before even learning what he was supposed to sell! Within five years, they had grown the company (Avanir Pharmaceuticals) to the point where it was acquired. That gave Henry resources and choice, so he chose that point to step away from the hamster wheel pace. It happened at the time when the first few Blockbuster Video stores began closing, which was crazy for Henry. So he dove head-first into disruptive innovation and has remained in that space since then. Henry's background Henry describes himself as a lifelong sales guy. He has always been extroverted, so he loves interacting with others. After spending 22 years in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry, he had the opportunity in 2008 to help start a company in the Southern California area. After running the company for almost five years, it got purchased. Soon after, Henry's intellectual curiosity led him to find Clayton Christiansen, the Harvard teacher who came up with the concept of disruptive innovation. Henry was fascinated with Christiansen's ideas and decided to dedicate a good portion of his time to evangelizing about disruptive innovation.  Tremendous opportunity Society has been experiencing some radical shifts lately. As a result, disruptive innovation has taken on a different and more urgent tone, which provides a tremendous opportunity for business owners. Disrupting businesses Henry believes that if people are not disrupting their own businesses, someone else will do it for them. He feels that disruption is much easier for smaller businesses because they are more agile and less challenging to transform. A moment of doubt It is not unusual for disruptors to experience a moment of doubt and wonder if they have done the right thing.  Processing innovation and change  Henry has found that the further we get from our years of schooling, the harder it becomes for us to process new things that do not work for us immediately. Now, when he does not want to opt for some change, he seeks to understand the forces driving the change, why it is happening, who stands to lose, and when. That helps him detach from the emotion of the situation and look at it objectively. Disrupt Ready  Henry and two other partners recently started a company called Disrupt Ready. They provide simple, face-to-face technical education for legacy executives on how the blockchain works and help them facilitate a connection to the third-party tech players that match what they want. They designed Disrupt Ready with adult principles in mind. The Disruption Innovation Index Henry and his partners at Disrupt Connect came up with what they have called the Disruptive Innovation Index to help executives by giving them a sense of where they are as a company and as an individual. Links: Email me your thoughts Sima@Infinity-2.com LinkedIn Twitter Infinity-2.com Henry Hays Consulting Henry Hays on LinkedIn

Join Josh Williams and Mo Stewart for the latest episode of Analysing Anfield! For the first time in a while, the lads can talk about a Liverpool victory on the pod, after the Reds impressed in the Merseyside Derby, beating Everton 2-0 with notable performances from goal scorers Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo, but particularly young Stefan Bajcetic. Elsewhere, Liverpool have appointed 'data-guru' Will Spearman as the club's new head of research, before a Newcastle United preview as the Reds face a crucial, must-win Premier League showdown at St. James' Park. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Caoimhe O'Neill and Andy Jones are alongside Tony Evans for the latest Walk On podcast ahead of Liverpool's trip to St James' Park.The potential return of Virgil van Dijk for the trip to Tyneside is debated before The Athletic's George Caulkin joins the team to preview the game as well as talk about his four part series Bobby '90 ahead of what would have been Sir Bobby Robson's 90th birthday on Saturday.Duncan Alexander also takes a look at the Reds' new Director of Research, Will Spearman before the panel finish with a quick five-a-side.Produced by Guy Clarke***• LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/red Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caoimhe O'Neill and Andy Jones are alongside Tony Evans for the latest Walk On podcast ahead of Liverpool's trip to St James' Park. The potential return of Virgil van Dijk for the trip to Tyneside is debated before The Athletic's George Caulkin joins the team to preview the game as well as talk about his four part series Bobby '90 ahead of what would have been Sir Bobby Robson's 90th birthday on Saturday. Duncan Alexander also takes a look at the Reds' new Director of Research, Will Spearman before the panel finish with a quick five-a-side. Produced by Guy Clarke *** • LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/red Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to another interesting and informative episode of Data Gurus! Sima is delighted to have Nihal Advani, the Founder, and CEO of QualSights, joining her today! Nihal has been on an exciting journey since starting his first business. In today's episode, he shares his story, gets into how he founded and pivoted his business, and talks about what they are doing at QualSights. Nihal's story Nihal grew up in India and played tennis for the country. At eighteen, he came to the US to study and play college tennis. In his junior year of college, he was fortunate enough to be one of only ten people selected from more than 3,100 candidates to do an internship at Google. After graduating, he wanted to continue with tech. So he worked for Microsoft for five years and then decided to start a business. Getting selected as a Google intern Nihal got selected as an intern for Google for two reasons. One was that he knew Google inside out after spending an entire semester learning about all their various departments, so he crushed the interviews. The second was his background in sports. Sports and entrepreneurs Nihal believes that sports are important for entrepreneurs because they teach them the qualities they need, like teamwork, leadership, focus, determination, and persistence. Sports also teach entrepreneurs how to deal with losses and celebrate wins. Nihal's first startup Nihal quit Microsoft in 2012 to start a travel planning company. It was called Georama and started as a recommendation engine to help people find places to go based on their budget, interests, and preferred activities. They were not making enough income by 2014, so Nihal decided to pivot into virtual travel and provide real-time video insights from anywhere in the world. They had great technology and attracted some decent clients, like Marriott, but he felt he had taken on too much. Insights In 2017, Nihal decided to focus on one single vertical. He found a program to help him select the right one and saw that the insights industry resonated very well with his value proposition. QualSights So, in 2018, he pivoted to focus solely on insights. He rebranded Georama to become an all-in-one qualitative suite called QualSights. QualSights is a one-stop shop for deep consumer insights. Growing fast Nihal attributes QualSights's fast growth to its accelerator platform and having had momentum. Covid  Covid forced everyone to go digital. That forced people to use tools they would not have used otherwise. With digital, they found that they could do things fast and easily. With platforms like QualSights, they found additional tools like AI to help them make sense of all the data. Remote ethnography Remote ethnography is powerful because it allows clients to capture consumer insights in-person and in the consumers' natural environments as they are cooking, cleaning, shopping, or eating. The different stages of QualSights's research projects: Recruiting (QualSights uses recruiting partners to help them move faster than traditional qualitative research.) Capturing (The QualSights platform starts with the capture side. 90% of their projects get done via their mobile app, and they have a suite of tools to capture the data.) Analyzing (QualSights has a suite of AI tools to help find the moments that matter and analyze the data.) Presenting (On the QualSights platform, photos, videos, audio, or whatever people have captured can be dragged to an area where they can be shared digitally and downloaded with one click.) QualSights is the only platform with that much breadth and depth of capabilities. QualSights's positioning Qualsights has clients across a wide range of industries, including CPG, pharma, tech, and retail.   Links: Conect with Sima Email me your thoughts! Sima@Infinity-2.com LinkedIn Twitter Infinity-2.com   Connect with Nihal 

Welcome to another engaging and informative episode of Data Gurus! Sima is delighted to have Raj Bains, the CEO and Founder at Prophecy, joining her for today's show! Raj started Prophecy five years ago and decided to build one big product to get data ready for analytics. He talks to Sima about his business and product and where he fits within the industry. Raj's background Raj started his professional career in the early 2000s. He started with graphics, worked as a developer, got into power tools, and worked at Microsoft. After that, he joined a team at NVIDIA to build CUDA, which now gets used for Bitcoin mining. Then he moved into the data space and shifted from engineering into marketing and product management. While selling big data platforms and managing Apache Hive for the Hadoop Company at Hortonworks, he saw data users struggling to be productive with outdated tools. He solved that problem by building power tools to make it easy to get data ready for analytics very quickly. He has focused on doing that since then. Prophecy Raj started Prophecy in 2017 to build a visual tooling layer to get data ready for analytics. Data scientists, data analysts, and data engineers can use the tool to avoid having to do unnecessary work. Standardization There is a big problem with standardization within large organizations when it comes to building data pipelines. The problem with unstandardized codes  In the past, people within the industry used to write scripts. Then they started using standardized visual tools. After that, they moved to the cloud, but nobody wanted to get locked into that tool, so they got rid of the visual development tools and started using codes. The codes within companies are unstandardized, however, so everyone's code looks different. That has led to many different problems. A solution Prophecy's clients do visual drag-and-drop development, and Raj and his team write high-quality code for them. That has opened people up to returning to visual development and allowed much more standardization within the industry. Building a solution Raj and his team started working with a few big credit card companies and banks. Then they spent two or three years building their product. They still have a year or two of building ahead of them, but they have reached a point where they can solve the entire problem for companies using their product. An enterprise standard They have created an enterprise standard for all lines of business, where data analysts, data engineers, and everyone else within a company use the same tool and speak the same language. Data pipelines Prophecy makes it quick and easy for companies to build data pipelines. Data pipelines are essential for analytics because they provide the necessary information for asking intelligent questions. The data has to be high-quality, timely, and in the right shape to answer questions quickly. The future Raj believes that they will solve the issues with data management within the next three to five years. Bio:   Raj is the founder & CEO of Prophecy. Previously, Raj led project management of Apache Hive at Hortonworks through their IPO. He also headed product management and marketing for a NewSQL database startup. Raj continues to actively develop compiler and database technologies in his quest to create data tools “that don't suck.” His engineering roles include developing a NewSQL database, building CUDA at NVIDIA as a founding engineer, and as a compiler engineer working on Microsoft Visual Studio.   Links: Email me your thoughts! Sima@Infinity-2.com LinkedIn Twitter Infinity-2.com   Connect with Raj Raj Bains on LinkedIn Raj Bains on Twitter

Conversation with Linda Harrison, the Senior Director of Data Strategy (A.K.A. DataGuru) at Acxiom Corporation. Episode on Website