As I reach the first 90 days of my new venture, I take a pause to reflect on how things have gone and share some thoughts that I hope will help inspire all those in a similar position or considering it!
As many of you know, I stepped away from Traydstream exactly one year ago, having completed a Series B raise of $21 million in late 2023.
Building Traydstream from the ground up in 2017 to a team of over 300 people has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. Watching it grow from an idea into a global business has been something I am incredibly proud of, and while I now remain on the board and a proud shareholder, I knew I was ready to take on a new challenge.
That’s why, in January, I joined Bob Rogers and the team as their new CEO to help scale up a business with a unique product is a powerful tool with some seriously smart people behind it, with a clear mission to make a meaningful and serious impact in the world of supply chain optimisation.
The first challenge I faced from many stakeholders was .. how do you pronounce Oii!! For the record, Oii (pronounced ‘O,eye,eye’) stands for Orchestrated Intelligence & Insight and in essence is about Orchestrating Data with Intelligence!
These first 90 days have flown by, and I now get why having experience of building a tech business adds so much value to a new venture. There are so many parallels to draw from my previous experiences and I can honestly say that many of the challenges and decisions I have faced are not new and hopefully I can benefit from the wisdom and learnings of past experiences. I also have the benefit of incredible technology minds and Bob really is at the cutting edge of AI innovation that I want to leverage throughout the organisation to make things more efficient and capable.
So, to share some of the key highlights:-
· In just a few months, we have closed our seed round – a huge step forward!
· We have also added some incredibly talented people to our team, which now spans across UK, Europe, US and Asia. Some old faces and some new ones and - I am really focussed on creating a culture of genuine transparency & trust, actions speaking louder than words and an environment of real innovation with purpose – not only in our product but also in the way Oii is run and will evolve.
· We have developed a strong marketing function with a new brand and messaging, a new website that will continue to evolve and new client collateral.
· A strong pipeline of new clients across retail, pharma, FMCG & industrials and a clear partner strategy to help augment our sales efforts.
· A well organised operations unit under our COO and a fit for scale HR function with clear SOPs for on boarding new people efficiently and in a supportive way.
· In addition, we have built out a clear client journey path to embrace the benefits of using digital twin tech and optimisation within the supply chain and set up clear succinct messaging to get our value proposition across a complex business area.
· Oii has offices in the US and the UK, so I have implemented a clear accounting process to ensure a smooth finance function.
· And finally, I have set up a new Board with three non-execs and two execs to ensure we are held accountable and have the right governance controls in place to get the right support from our Board.
What has also been exciting for me personally is how much I have learned. The intricacies of supply chain designs and the scope of what AI can do in the right hands has been fascinating, alongside some other unexpected important lessons like the importance of a ‘Stanley Cup’ water bottle and ‘Blank Street’ matcha lattes’ from my younger colleagues!
As we continue to explore opportunities globally, it has only reinforced just how universal supply chain complexity really is, and how important it is to have tools that help you stay ahead and how relevant our tool is to make a huge impact with minimal intervention and costs.
Next month, we bring the whole team together in London for our first global company offsite. It will be great for the entire team to meet in person, spend some downtime together and plan for an exciting future. A big thank you to all the team for putting their trust in me and sharing the passion and belief in what we can achieve together!
A huge thank you to our investors who have put their trust in me and I can guarantee we will give all our collective efforts to make this a huge success .. in our own Oii way!
I am looking forward to what lies ahead in our journey at Oii.ai and the hard work really starts now!
I realise now, more than ever, that my role is to help people excel and develop their capabilities. Even in this short time, I have been impressed and inspired by the team around me. CEO’s have a responsibility to let their organisation breathe, helping teams to increase the oxygen in their lungs, and giving them the space to inspire others and guiding them to ensure they align with the bigger picture.
I would encourage all senior leaders to allow their teams to manage their own priorities, think for themselves and embrace the challenge that this may create to your own thinking .. because guess what – their ideas maybe better and I believe it’s the best way to evolve the organisation and bring genuine unity and cohesion that I hope will lead us to great success.
