Startup Spotlight: Basetwo
Basetwo is a startup that provides a low-code platform that helps engineers design, build and operationalise digital twins of their manufacturing processes. Aerospace Xelerated had the pleasure of interviewing the CEO & Co-Founder of Basetwo, Thouheed A. Gaffoor diving into his journey as a repeat founder, challenges encountered, and lessons learned throughout his career as an entrepreneur.
Prior to launching Basetwo, Thouheed was the CEO and Co-Founder of Emagin. Emagin, an AI startup for water treatment was successfully acquired by Innovyze, where Thouheed continued as the VP of AI, responsible for delivering their flagship cloud-based product. Two years later, Innovyze was acquired by Autodesk. Thouheed left Autodesk to start Basetwo after learning about the challenges faced by manufacturing engineers on the ground.
What were the motivations behind launching Basetwo?
The motivation behind starting Basetwo was a result of multiple interactions with manufacturing engineers, where we gained insight into their challenges and the tools they were using to tackle them. It became clear that a significant number of engineers were relying on legacy desktop tools to complete their tasks. This is where Basetwo comes in, Basetwo uses physics-informed machine learning that integrates process engineering with data science. This allows engineers to leverage the speed and scalability of machine learning while still learning the underlying dynamics.
What‘s the most important lesson you would share about maintaining a good co-founder relationship?
The most important lesson in maintaining a good co-founder relationship is honesty and transparency. It is important to bring issues to the table and have open discussions even when there are disagreements. Ego should be put aside in these honest conversations.
What’s been the greatest learning from your startup journey so far?
Remain humble and recognize that everyone in the room has something to teach you. Even those who may seem less experienced or knowledgeable can offer valuable insights and perspectives. As many co-founders come from technical backgrounds, it is especially important to be open to learning from those in areas such as sales, business, marketing, and communication. Being willing to improve your skills in these areas and acknowledging that there is always more to learn is key to success in a startup.
What are the next steps for Basetwo?
Our goal is to scale our platform across multiple verticals. We’re constantly building new connections in the aerospace industry, learning and partnering with manufacturers, and strengthening our product from an integration perspective.
Thanks again, Thouheed, for sharing your entrepreneurial journey with the AX community!
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