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Hugo Fuentes has been in the supply chain industry for more than 20 years (in Canada and globally) and he knows there’s a lot of waste in what companies do because the data they keep, track, and manage is not centralized, relevant, understood, or actionable.
“Financial waste, time waste, and environmental waste are all tied to not properly interpreting data,” Hugo says. “Supply chains are extremely complex - they’re not functional things… they cross an entire organizaton… it takes time to make sure everything is in sync, especially data. And you have to look at the supply chain as a system, not just the execution or delivery functions.”
That’s why Hugo and Miguel Gallardo founded The Owl Solutions in 2018. It’s a one-of-a-kind software analytics platform that allows supply chain professionals to use real-time KPIs to identify inefficiencies within their supply chains, resulting in an increased bottom line.
“Our technology amalgamates and automates critical things for users,” Hugo says. “We connect to all of their internal data sources - even if that data lives within different teams and on different platforms - and once everything is connected, our customers receive access to reports that feed them insights and highlights about their company’s supply chain performance. From there, an analyst - or an expert on our team - can go through the insights and outline what needs to be actioned.”
Today, the company counts organizations like Canada Goose, ENEOS, Jamieson Wellness, Pradco Outdoor Brands, and Nutiva as clients. They’re also taking part in ventureLAB’s 2023 Accelerate AI program - a six-month initiative that helps companies using Artificial Intelligence (AI)I to solve supply chain issues grow.
Hugo says he and Miguel were made aware of the program by a mutual connection. “He advised that ventureLAB was launching their Scale AI program and my interest was to incorporate some of the learnings from the initiative into how to grow our business,” he says.
Being part of the cohort was so rewarding, the team later applied to the Accelerate AI program so they could continue to learn from ventureLAB’s experts. “We’ve had some great discussions with the product team on how to refine our roadmap and have gotten some great advice on sales and processes.”
The experience has been motivating.
“You have to go after what motivates you,” he says of the one thing he’s realized after dipping his toes into the startup waters. “You need to figure out if entrepreneur life is going to be good for you… if you want to be constantly challenged and to make big decisions or lead your own team, this could be the right career path for you. But first and foremost, you have to do what motivates you.”
For Hugo, that has meant building a company that can help solve supply chain management issues and assist organizations to reduce their waste.
“Everyone can benefit when a company has increased visibility into their supply chain. We know there is a better way forward to equip professionals with the tools they need to perform better and achieve greater results. The Owl Solution can do that.”
About Accelerate AI
Led by our seasoned expert Advisors and business leaders Garry Chan and Krishna Vempati, this free comprehensive 6-month program will propel Accelerate AI companies to solve the modern-day challenges of the supply chain industry by leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning into their established product offerings. We are excited to watch the immense growth of these companies as they tackle some of the most challenging entrepreneurial hurdles in technology today.
About ventureLAB
ventureLAB is a leading global founder community for hardware technology and enterprise software companies in Canada. Located at the heart of Ontario’s innovation corridor in York Region, ventureLAB is part of one of the biggest and most diverse tech communities in Canada. Our initiatives focused on raising capital, talent retention, commercializing technology and IP, and customer acquisition have enabled thousands of companies to create over 5,000 jobs and raise more than $340 million in investment capital. At ventureLAB, we grow globally competitive tech titans that build-to-scale in Canada, for global markets.
