Greg McHale of Datanomix

August 7, 2023 thetechtribune

**An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Greg McHale (founder) of Datanomix, which was honored in our:**

Tell us the origin story of Datanomix – what problem were you trying to solve and why?

Manufacturers were making decisions that were not based on accurate data. So, we focused on machine-generated data, particularly data that our software pulled directly from manufacturing equipment. We talked to a lot of manufacturers to understand the challenges they faced and how having the right insights could solve them. The state of available machine monitoring had kind of stagnated into two camps. There were systems that were too simple to be really useful – basically, they just told you if your machines were on or off. And those that were way too complicated to be valuable. Those required the manufacturers to do lots of data entry, data crunching, and their own analysis, with the hope that they’d find the insights they were looking for.

It became crystal clear that the market needed a company that believed it was its job to analyze the data, align it with the way manufacturers already think, and make it relevant for existing daily/weekly/monthly activities to data-driven decisions. Such a closed-loop and high-value problem is one that entrepreneurs dream of.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

While there are data standards in the industries we serve for what data comes off of machines, the behaviors relative to that standard are far from universal. With us bearing the burden of turnkey analytics, normalizing data feeds to automatically map to our insights across different makes and models was a bigger challenge than anyone outside of that problem could fathom. When we explain what we do, it sounds so logical and simple that everyone says “wow, that makes sense, why didn’t everyone else do it that way?”. Because it is really hard to make it look effortless and automatic! I am really proud that the Datanomix team was able to create a product that’s able to provide those turnkey insights to our customers exactly as we envisioned them and, more importantly, how customers want to see them.

What does the future hold for Datanomix?

Internationalization through our partnership with Hexagon and others, and deeper insights into the production process. We are actively delving into tooling, scheduling, and quality feedback.

What are your thoughts on the local tech startup scene in New Hampshire?

I think NH is a tight startup community where lots of folks are willing to help each other, and it’s very easy to get connected to both established and new entrepreneurs.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

The reasons you become an entrepreneur are far more important than the specific venture you undertake. There is a lot of glamorization of the process, and the great moments are truly special, but unspoken are the sleepless nights, stress on yourself and your family, and the commitment to what it truly takes to win when nobody is watching. You better really understand why you want to do it, so you can find your way through the jungle with a machete when you have to.

An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Greg McHale (founder) of Datanomix, which was honored in our: