BuildGroup Data Services — BuildGroup’s StartUp Starts Up
I first met the team at BuildGroup about nine months ago. I had worked previously with Gray Hall (who had recently become a Managing Director at BuildGroup) for almost six years at Alert Logic while he was the CEO.
At Alert Logic, I helped lead the data science teams. And we all loved working with Gray, who had a unique understanding and appreciation of data science and put the full weight of his energy and support behind it.
So I was happy when he called and was excited to see what he was up to.
He invited me to spend the day and participate in an on-site brainstorm session to start mapping out better ways to leverage data science to help BuildGroup make investment decisions. I was fine to be a fly on the wall and listen but was immediately invited to join the conversation, which quickly went from; “what can we do to help us make better decisions” to; “how can we help every entrepreneur and investor make better decisions?”
It was a remarkable brainstorm session which I’d describe as a group of lifelong friends who happened to be as selfless as they were whip smart debating how they could radically change an industry closed off for a select few by using technology to open the doors for everybody. You know, the usual.
As the meeting wrapped up I realized I never heard words like, “us,” “wealth,” or the dubious term, “10X.” It was clear the team at BuildGroup was intent to build something much bigger than their investment fund and something that could help entrepreneurs and investors build great companies
As I was packing up to leave, Lanham Napier came in carrying his laptop and pulling a travel bag, as he’d just gotten off the road. If it was a long travel day, it didn’t show. And he was eager to hear an update from the team as soon as he put his bags down and checked his messages.
On my way out, Gray and Jim Curry told me I should introduce myself. Great, I thought. Lanham Napier, of course, is the former CEO of Rackspace, which was one of the great tech stories over the past 15 years. And they also happened to be one of Alert Logic’s biggest and most important GTM partners. So I’d love nothing more than to say hello.
I’ll admit I was a little nervous. And started feeling a little silly standing by his desk not wanting to interrupt his flow while he hammered through his messages. But the thought of beating the traffic back home to Houston boosted my courage. “Hi, I’m Ian.” I reached out to shake his hand. But he had already popped up and was leading me to a small conference room. “Come on!”
What I thought would be five minutes of small talk turned into three hours as Lanham laid out his vision and it’s deeply rooted purpose. I had heard a lot about Lanham, specifically about his contagious energy and ability to paint a picture of his visions in a way that made them seem entirely real, entirely doable and entirely necessary.
“Well, so what are you doing?” He asked. I told him was driving back to Houston. He looked at me kind of funny. “No, man, what are you doing for the next ten years. Because that’s the kind of commitment we need from the people who want to help us build this thing.”
I put my bag on the floor.
To be continued…
