Exclusive Interview: Baresquare Founder Georgios Grigoriadis on Simplifying Data Analytics & Innovation

Necessity breeds innovation. When Georgios Grigoriadis found himself bogged down by endless data analysis in his role at Sony Europe, he knew there had to be a better way. Out of this challenge, a vision was born for Baresquare – a company aiming to pioneer a new approach to data analytics.

As Founder and CEO, Grigoriadis draws on his diverse background spanning software development, business strategy, and analytics. With Baresquare, he’s on a mission to liberate analysts, marketers and strategists from the shackles of traditional dashboards. The company’s AI-powered platform delivers proactive insights in natural language, freeing up precious time and mental bandwidth.

Grigoriadis’ entrepreneurial journey has been defined by perseverance, learning and adaptability. Starting off bootstrapping and self-funding Baresquare’s software development, the company has now carved out a niche serving the needs of ecommerce retailers. Their tech stack delivering narrative insights instead of just numbers gives them an edge. At the helm, Grigoriadis’ experience enables him to intimately understand customers’ pain points.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, Grigoriadis stresses the non-linear reality of startups. He advises embracing the highs and lows, building a strong team, and maintaining your unique passion as the rudder steering your journey. Most of all, perseverance and a relentless quest to keep improving are key to startup success.

Please provide a brief introduction of yourself and your professional background.

I started my career loving the idea of developing a software solution but soon discovered my real joy comes from understanding and shaping products that people love. This curiosity led me to dive deeper into what makes a product succeed, realizing I had a lot to learn.

I took a leap and pursued an MBA in Belgium, aiming to fill the gaps in my knowledge without breaking the bank. That experience opened the door to Sony Europe’s digital headquarters, where I found myself fascinated by the impact of data on decision-making. Within the analytics field, it became apparent that the industry’s approach to data gathering and analysis needed to be better optimized for efficiency and timeliness.

I built a team of consultants to help me grow the outcomes for my customers. This became Baresquare. But to gather and analyze data became only marginally easier. Faced with this challenge, we thought there might be a better way. This idea sparked the creation of the Baresquare platform, a tool designed to simplify how teams access and use insights to start their day effectively, without getting lost in endless data analysis.

 

It’s been a journey of learning, adapting, and striving to make things a little better each day.

 

Please tell us a bit more about your startup – what does it offer, what problem does it solve, and who is your target audience?

Baresquare is turning data analytics on its head by transitioning from traditional dashboards to proactive, AI-powered insights delivered directly to the right person at any time. We pioneer a new approach where manual dashboard analysis and human intervention are unnecessary for identifying crucial business events and their underlying causes. This frees marketers, strategists and analysts to focus on creative endeavors and expanding business opportunities while providing insight that no other data set can provide.

Baresquare solves the data overload and data analysis problem, closes the loop of automated knowledge creation and solves the question of both “why” and “how” customers are making their purchase decisions throughout the sales journey.

Our target audience are online and ecommerce brands eager to boost their revenue and unlock potential growth areas. We’re here for those who aim to make their data work for them, rather than the other way around.

What inspired you to start your own business? What was the “aha” moment?

When we were teamed up with a big global brand, we found ourselves doing the same thing over and over again, just for one market. Then they hit us with the big ask: to scale up from just that one market to 40-50. That was massive, and honestly, there was no way we could keep up with the daily grind for all those regions. We knew we had to switch gears to maybe doing it once a week. That’s when we got to working on an algorithm to take over some of that heavy lifting. The real ‘aha’ moment came when we saw the results – they were pretty much on par with what our analysts could produce.

How did you identify a gap in the market or need that your business fulfills?

We built the solution first, then started scouting around for where it was needed most. That’s when we stumbled upon ecommerce retailers. Turns out, our platform was just what they needed to stop their people from being glued to dashboards all day. It clicked with them right away.

How did you go about building your team and attracting talent in the early days?

In the beginning, we were bootstrapping and self funding the development of the software. At the time, our business model was very much relying on the efficiencies of our current team, so we had to ask ourselves what we could do with the talent pool we had on deck.

Ultimately, we focused on people who had global aspirations and diverse backgrounds, prioritizing passion for what we were doing and an eagerness to learn. Let’s not forget that during those days, it was nearly impossible to find people with extensive experience in analytics; everyone had to discover on their own or in small groups how marketing and experience analytics can give back value.

Although those days are long gone, in a way we are starting a new cycle where people have to teach themselves the latest in AI technologies. Perhaps that is why we don’t find the current AI technology landscape intimidating.

How do you stand out from the competition in your space? What sets your product/service apart?

Our tech stack is built from the ground up to serve up paragraphs and words instead of tables and numbers. We’ve always had a feel of where the market is going, and that puts us ahead of the curve. Other technologies in our space are just now starting to catch on to the idea of analytics that speak in natural language. We’ve been on to it for ages.

Our core leadership is also made up of former digital marketers and data analysts, giving them a very strong sense of what our customers are seeking from solutions like ours. It’s a case of  marketers building something for other marketers.

What are the most important skills someone needs to be a successful founder, in your opinion?

A lot of what makes a startup tick is how fast the person at the top can pick up new knowledge. If the CEO can’t learn and adapt quick enough, that’s where you hit a bottleneck. For founders, keeping up with the constant shifts in the landscape is key.

What do you find most rewarding and most challenging about being an entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is a unique gig; everyone’s journey is different. For me, the biggest reward and challenge is pushing to be better than I was the day before. Watching your team outdo their past selves is incredibly rewarding. But on a personal level, it can get tricky. Once you’ve built a great team, your role shifts – you’re not in the trenches dreaming up the next cool idea or getting your hands dirty, and that can feel like you’re missing out on making a big difference.

What are some future goals or plans you have for your business in the next few years?

This concept video

Imagine having all of your work wrapped up even before your day officially begins.

 

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start their own company?

Starting a new company isn’t driven by logic. It’s something you embark on not because you want to, but because you feel compelled; there’s no other path for you.

Risk, stress, and the chance of failure is strong. Success, when it comes is diluted with failures and it never feels like a true gold medal win. Exiting is never an end either. There is always another milestone to achieve, and something new to create. The simplified narrative of idea to action to success doesn’t capture reality.  It’s draining and tiring, but once you’ve started, there’s no turning back.

Here’s my advice: embrace the journey with open eyes. Understand that the highs and lows are part of the process. Lean into your unique drive and let your passion fuel your perseverance. Build a team that shares your vision, complements your skills and fills in your gaps. Remember, it’s not about having all the answers from the start, but being relentless in your quest to find them.

Keep learning, stay adaptable, and never lose sight of why you started. And if you ever stop feeling that irresistible pull, get out.

Grigoriadis’ journey with Baresquare exemplifies how necessity can drive innovation. Faced with inefficient data analysis methods, his vision for simplified insights using AI has come to fruition. For aspiring entrepreneurs, Grigoriadis highlights that perseverance through ups and downs is key. By maintaining creativity, surrounding yourself with the right team, and never losing your passion, you too can turn challenges into opportunities. Grigoriadis proves that with relentless improvement, an entrepreneurial journey can transform entire industries.