[Exclusive Interview] This AI Startup Is Empowering Businesses With Data From 250+ Sources

Recently we interacted with Rajit Bhattacharya, Founder & CEO, Data Sutram, and asked him about how his startup is empowering businesses with AI.

Here are the interview highlights:

1. Tell us about Data Sutram journey and what inspired you to establish this brand

We had joined a high growth startup that was designing analytics solutions for a variety of enterprises including banks, retail brands and more. During this stint, we observed that the biggest challenge to businesses looking to adopt data driven processes was the availability of the right data. Most of the ML models we designed would end up becoming garbage-in, garbage out. Eventually, when this organization filed for an IPO we decided to step out and work towards legitimate, sustainable solutions to address this fundamental problem.

How devices like mobile phones were impossible to imagine; years later, they are a necessity today. Humans have de-complicated machines over the years, making them friendlier and more convenient to use. That is the direction Data Sutram wants to lead. We not only want to be a warehouse of alternative or non-conventional data sources but also make data a commodity that everyone can use in any situation. We keep exploring new ways to use such data and create solutions, as we are keen on developing the impact, small or big. 

2. What is the technology that is being used by Data Sutram and How AI is disrupting the alternative data space? How does understanding alternate data and its   application benefits the customers/clients?

Data Sutram is an AI-driven platform that provides Intel on People & Places with data from 250+ sources. Our proprietary AI and ML driven data engine automatically converts raw unstructured sources of data from satellites, mobile phones, POS machines & several other sources to create insights that capture how people live & behave, available for any location in varying levels of granularity. These insights are consumed by several companies in Financial Services, Retail, E-commerce, Manufacturing etc. through APIs or SDKs or Data Sutram’s proprietary geospatial platform.

Data Sutram’s AI and ML driven data engine is a proprietary technology built in-house, that automatically processes, cleans and catalogs raw and unstructured data in any format, geotags it and combines it together to churn out useful trends and create insights that capture how people live and behave, available for any location upto 100m granularity.
This engine can also inject client-side internal data of businesses and enrich the analytics of our location intelligence, all while keeping the data protected in secure servers, managed and tracked by APIs, regularly updated. This automated pipeline has a unique, state-of-the-art architecture with visualization screens at par or superior to other GIS data competitors in the market.

The eventual goal was to build a horizontal data firm, where the right information is accessible and available for businesses to come and build analytics on top of it. 

We provide sector-focused data packages that help companies acquire customers, understand the credit risk at an address level, open ATMs, branches, stores, plan resources, do competitor benchmarking and enhance their overall growth strategy.

3. How does the company empower businesses, Retail companies & Ecommerce?

We specialize in easing the top line and protecting the bottom line of any company. If an FMCG company wants to increase their sales, we can map out where their right target audience is; plan out where they should spend their budget; help them to plan out and properly allocate their resources and aid them in identifying the right people at the right time.

Similarly, if an FMCG company wishes to grow, they would want to know which shops to push their products to, where their demand can be increased — that’s where our intelligence comes in — they would also want to know how many sales an agent puts in there, what marketing strategy should they employ there; etc.

Data Sutram assists in the acquisition of data from a strategic standpoint, which aids in understanding the entire planning process from both a budget and resource standpoint.

4. How is Data Sutram unique in the competitive world?

Data Sutram’s 250+ sources (157million smartphones, 20+ satellites, POS/Card Machines, etc.) create a net effect on the quality of each solution provided to the businesses. As a result we are able to provide more accurate and precise insights to our customers.

We are not only an alternative data company, but we are also the service providers. Our service model helps businesses by providing them the infrastructure to incorporate the insights and our solutions. Subsequently we enhance businesses to be more data-driven and build up by adding value to their existing processes. 

Even today, many large companies or small setups do not fully understand what data is and the value it brings to the table. Data Sutram wants to make data accessible in terms of the source and with a fresher perspective of making data a friendly addition to every business, be it from any sector. A more significant part of accessibility is driven by convenience, and Data Sutram is building that bridge.

5. What is the company’s future plan?

India is uniquely positioned to pivot to the top of the data economy in the Global South. The ripples of change are here- most companies have started hiring data science teams, investing into creating a data-driven economy. We aim to consolidate its position as a market leader in this “data as a service” business across developing nations & emerging markets. 

Currently, we are working with over 50+ enterprises in India, but the plan is to sustainably scale up and contribute at least 10 percent of India’s GDP in the next two years by serving the top Fortune 500 companies in India. Giving them data that will have an impact on their business.

6. How is Data Sutram accelerating location intelligence growth? How do you envision this industry in the next 5years?

The mission is very straightforward. We want to make data accessible, relatable and easy to understand. The larger goal is to be an Indian global data player with the bigger milestone is to serve outside of India and expand into the Middle East and Southeast Asia, both of which are large developing markets for unstructured data and to be able to build on it.