Data governance can be a “necessary evil,” according to Artificially Digital co-founder Ron Berry. Deciding which data to track and how to capture it, analyzing that data and then deciding what steps to take from that analysis—all of which fall under the umbrella of data governance—is an often painful but vital chore.
That is why he launched a platform to automate that process for businesses. Artificially Digital uses AI to help companies analyze their data, focusing on industrial manufacturers.
“Better AI leads to better analysis and leads to better outcomes,” Berry said.
The Cary-based startup was recently awarded a $10K MICRO grant from NC IDEA, a program that helps young startups validate and advance their idea. (We’ve written about other MICRO recipients from the current cohort, including Kahmino and Blockchain Power.)
Berry founded Artificially Digital with co-founder Shams Syed, and he said they agreed on one thing: the biggest negative impact on their projects was almost always bad data.
Data governance is typically left to manual effort, Berry said, a job that no one wants to do. Using AI, Artificially Digital evaluates a company’s data and breaks it down by type. Once the “good” data is acquired and highlighted, Artificially Digital will provide the necessary tools based on the specific problem shown in the data.
Berry said a company’s actions are based on what data suggests, and having quality data is essential to make those decisions good ones.
“Data is a fuel that drives companies,” Berry said.
Drawing from his background in industrial engineering, Berry said Artificially Digital works on process decomposition—figuring out the key factors that are impacting a company’s ability to function at its full potential. Discovering the biggest area for improvement will have the biggest impact across the board, Berry said.
The AI platform also can train a model that is specific to a company’s data set, addressing a customer’s specific needs.
This data governance can help companies quickly solve problems and employ solutions. For example, data may help predict when a piece of manufacturing equipment will malfunction, allowing companies to undertake maintenance proactively to avoid a loss of revenue.
Artificially Digital is sold as a subscription-based service. Since launching in May 2023, Berry and Syed have been working on building their customer base, which is made up of mostly mid-sized industrial manufacturers. They hope to expand to other industry verticals as well, including government.
NC IDEA grant
Receiving the NC IDEA MICRO grant has provided Artificially Digital with a network of resources that Berry hopes will propel them forward. Berry said they plan to use the grant money for customer discovery, conducting interviews and case studies to further refine their product.
“The biggest thing for us is it provides additional validation of our idea, that we have something here,” Berry said.
Berry came to the Triangle in 2020 after living in the Bay area, and he said the Triangle has a lot of “untapped opportunities.” He said no other company has harnessed this market on the East Coast and that the community of entrepreneurs in the area is very helpful.
The name Artificially Digital comes from a crossover between artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
A lot of companies are dipping their toes in the water with AI, Berry said, and some are concerned about their ability to manage and control their data. Artificially Digital aims to help them adapt to these technological changes in an increasingly digital age. In fact, the startup’s name “Artificially Digital” is a combination of “artificial intelligence” and “digital transformation.”
Moving forward, Berry and Syed plan to continue working with their beta customers to gain feedback and improve their platform as they work on scaling their company.
