Torey Penrod-Cambra of HighByte

December 23, 2024 thetechtribune

**An exclusive Tech Tribune Q&A with Torey Penrod-Cambra of HighByte (co-founder and CCO) of HighByte, which was honored in our:**

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

Previously part of the core leadership team at Kepware (acquired by PTC in 2016), Tony Paine, John Harrington, and I founded HighByte in 2018 after years of watching manufacturers remain stuck in “pilot purgatory”. Industry 4.0 pilot projects like predictive asset maintenance and autonomous process control couldn’t seem to scale across multiple production lines, let alone across multiple global facilities.

After several months researching in the field and speaking with operations leaders, we decided to establish HighByte. We learned that these persistent data issues were being caused by three major factors: architectural fragility, lack of industrial data context, and the gap between IT and OT (operational technology) systems and teams. We believed we were uniquely positioned to solve these problems given our domain expertise and passion for the industry. In 2020, we released the first version of HighByte Intelligence Hub, an Industrial DataOps solution that solves these digital problems and helps manufacturers make use of their industrial data at scale.

What was the biggest hurdle you encountered in your journey?

In 2020, we had to establish the “Industrial DataOps” market before we could sell the solution. Creating a category is hard for any company, let alone a bootstrapped startup during a global pandemic. Market education in a notoriously cautious, risk-adverse market was our biggest hurdle. Thankfully, we had a strong leadership team who had the stamina to stay curious, stay agile, and find product-market fit.

What does the future hold for HighByte?

In 2023, HighByte tripled ARR for the third consecutive year. In 2024, we closed a $12M Series A funding round, which helped expand our footprint into 18 countries and 20 industrial vertical markets. We’ve always taken a pragmatic, sustainable approach to growth and I believe we will continue to do so.

So, what does the future hold? I think we will continue to grow organically via sell-with and sell-through ecosystem partners. I also think we will have a major impact on GenAI adoption in manufacturing given our unique ability to contextualize data at the Edge for LLM agents. We have an exciting year ahead!

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

I can’t give enough praise to the tech scene in Maine. The words supportive, smart, and conscientious all come to mind. The last decade has seen a rise in revitalizing traditional Maine verticals like marine, lumber, and manufacturing with a special focus on climate change and sustainability. While perhaps under the national radar, the grants, tax incentives, and investment culture make Maine a great place to start and grow a business. In October 2024, HighByte moved our headquarters across town to 163 Fore Street, just a few blocks from The Roux Institute at Northeastern University, in what is quickly becoming the tech hub of southern Maine. Maine tech is confidently on the rise.

What’s your best advice for aspiring entrepreneurs?

Surround yourself with a team that shares your passion and complements your values while filling your knowledge gaps. Stay curious. Above all, take good care of yourself.