This week we welcome to the podcast, Joanna Marsh, the General Manager of Innovation and Advanced Analytics for Investa Property Group. She’s also the CEO and Co-Founder of a “side hustle” at Exomnia, a startup that provides real estate companies with a modular approach to analytics.

Exomnia has only been in operation for four months, but it is already turning heads. It has recently completed a pre-seed funding round for an impressive $1.5 million. On the podcast, Joanna shares some deep insights into the opportunity and challenges of building a data startup. 

Data startups need to meet cyber security expectations before they can begin interacting with enterprises around data. The enterprises have strict regulatory requirements in this area. This creates a challenge for the startup, as they need to invest in gaining certifications before they can even build the MVP that most pre-launch startups focus on.

However, the gap in the market is significant, and as Joanna says, Exomnia is already resonating with foundation clients. With advanced analytics available at the click of the button, Exomnia is poised to make some real waves in the property technology space. 

Tune in to this podcast for some fascinating insights on building a data company at its earliest stages!

Thank you to our sponsor Talent Insights Group!

Connect with Joanna: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joannamaemarsh/

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What we discussed

9:59 : Felipe introduces Joanna, and then asks to overview her career to date.

15:11 : How long did Joanna have the idea for Exomnia before pulling the trigger?

24:22 : Joanna explains the challenges that she faces in protecting her IP when starting up a data company.

26:34 : How was Joanna able to navigate challenging discussions with her first investors?

32:52 : How has Joanna avoided conflicts of interest in the first investors and foundational customers being the same?

35:21 : One of the biggest challenges for startups when working with corporates is managing all the requirements and processes around insurance, security and privacy that they need to meet. Joanna overviews how her company went about this.

41:49 : Joanna explains the value of using open source so other startups can “plug in” to Exomnia’s data and platform.

44:29 : Joanna and Felipe compare the challenges of managing different kinds of data, based on how sensitive the sector is towards data.

47:24 : What’s next, as Exomnia continues to build up as a startup?